Adventist Leaders in Rwanda Commemorate the 22nd Anniversary of the Genocide
From ANN, April 14, 2016: More than 700,000 Adventists across the African country of Rwanda commemorated the 22nd anniversary of the Tutsi genocide last week as they prayed, sang inspirational songs and listened to testimonies.
In 1994, the Tutsi were an ethnic minority in the nation of Rwanda, where the majority of the population was Hutu. Hutu extremists blamed Rwanda’s social, economic, and political problems on the Tutsi population, and feared they were preparing to launch a rebellion. After propagating a message of fear throughout the nation, Hutu extremists went on to kill three-quarters of the Tutsi community in 100 days.
Hesron Byilingiro, president of the Seventh-day Adventist denomination in Rwanda, said, “The Adventist Church extends our hands of comfort and love to the families of over 800,000 men, women, and children who were victims of this horrible tragedy.”
During the month-long commemoration, Seventh-day Adventist churches in Rwanda will hold prayer vigils, musical programs and grief counseling workshops to help bring healing to survivors and the countless individuals who carry the memory of the terrible atrocity.
Adventist News Network (ANN) is the official news service of the denomination’s world headquarters in Washington, DC. Featured image: Commemorative service for the 22nd anniversary of the Tutsi genocide. Photo credit: ANN/East-Central Africa Division.
It is appropriate that Rwandan Adventists commemorate a ghastly genocide!
But am I displaying a little cynicism, remembering that whole Adventist congrfestoons egged on and instigated by their pastors, participated in the ruthless killings! Not a happy picture.
I see that Ted Wilson is visiting Rwanda soon on an evangelical outreach.
Maybe he can give a theological explanation as to why the Rwandan genocide even happened. After all, it was preceded by the Armenian genocide, the Stalin gulag genocide, the HOLOCAUST, the Pol Pot genocide, the Bosnian genocid and AD INFINITUM?
Supposedly, EGW tells us, the “universe” is potificsrimg whether God is good or Satan is evil. Is the “universe” imbecilic, incompetent , or corrupt??
How many genocides, pray tell, President Wildon, before the “universe” comes to some ultimate arbitration and allows the misery of mankind to end? Or is a supposedly loving God, so comsumed with His ultimate. “vindication” that Je cares less about the number of atrocities it takes?
ROBIN VANDERMOLEN timely and wise response to this unsigned AAN article needs to receive wider attention and support. As she points out Brother Ted’s planned trip to Africa is an opportunity. I believe the families of those impacted are due a sincere apology by the world leader of the SDA church. We were complicit when a prominent Adventist leader of the SDA church in Rwanda and his son actively took part in murder.
The excellent article in the New York Times pretty much tells it like it happened.
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/02/20/world/rwandan-pastor-and-his-son-are...
The official report by the United Nation Refugee Agency about Rwanda: Treatment of Hutu clergy (in particular, the Seventh Day Adventists) by the Rwandan authorities and the general public (2002-2003)
http://www.refworld.org/docid/403dd218c.html
These electronic links serve as a reminder of when some Adventist members and leaders did not act or behave as Christians.
If being a world president means anything this is the time to step up to the plate, Brother Wilson!
I am disappointed that AT Censors/Editors/? marked my original response to the genocide in Rwanda as needing “moderation” and chose not to include it a comment. Since when do we need to be “moderated” on genocide. This is unusual policy being applied as there was no one persons blamed, no inappropriate language, nothing that would merit someone’s “moderation”.
I am taking the standard definition of moderation in my dictionary: which means to “temper down,
modulate. tone down, deflate”
Please explain