Posted on 04/29/2019 11:58:31 AM PDT by Cronos
COLOMBO, SRI LANKA: April 28, 2019. (By Stefan J Bos for BosNewsLife)– The senior pastor of a Sri Lankan evangelical congregation says he has forgiven the suspected Islamic militants who bombed his church on Easter Sunday, killing dozens of people. Pastor Roshan Mahesan of the Zion Church in Sri Lanka’s eastern city of Batticaloa also thanked those offering prayer and support.
“We are hurt. We are angry also, but still, as the senior pastor of Zion Church Batticaloa, the whole congregation and every family affected, we say to the suicide bomber, and also to the group that sent the suicide bomber, that we love you and we forgive you,” he said in a video message obtained by BosNewsLife.
The explosion at Zion Church reportedly occurred during the Easter morning service, leaving 28 people dead and more than 70 seriously injured. It was one of eight attacks, some of which targeted three hotels and two other churches in the Asian nation, killing hundreds of people. The Islamic State group claimed the attacks, but Sri Lankan authorities are still investigating who was responsible.
However, “No matter what you have done to us, we love you, because we believe in the Lord Jesus Christ,” Pastor Mahesan added. “Jesus Christ on the Cross, he said: ‘Father forgive them for they do not know what they are doing.’ We also, who follow the footsteps of Jesus Christ, we say, for the Lord: ‘forgive these people.’”
The pastor spoke before news emerged Saturday, April 27, that militants linked to Easter suicide bombings in Sri Lanka opened fire and set off explosives during a raid by local security forces on a house in the country’s east, leaving behind a grisly discovery: 15 bodies, including six children.
ISLAMIST GROUPS BANNED
As part of the security operation, Sri Lanka’s president banned two Islamist groups suspected of involvement in the suicide bombings on churches and hotels that left more than 250 people dead, many of them devoted Christians.
The National Thawheedh Jamaath and Jamathei Millathu Ibrahim groups were banned under his emergency powers, President Maithripala Sirisena said in published remarks. Both are believed to be inspired by organizations such as Islamic State who seek to establish states based on strict Islamic law.
Amid the bloodshed, Pastor Mahesen said in his video message that he wanted to “take this opportunity to thank every church around the world, every believer, every person is known to me and unknown to me who has contacted me, calling me, sending messages of condolences, and then words of encouragement.”
In the video shared by Sri Lankan Christian group ‘The Life’ he pledged that his congregation would “stand and continue what the Lord has purposed in our life and we are ready, and we will continue to fulfill the mission the Lord has given us.”
Pastor Chrishanthy Sathiyaraj, who leads a Sri Lankan church uniting Tamil and Sinhalese Christians and founded ‘The Life’ group, spoke with Pastor Mahesan earlier this week while he was visiting Britain.
SHOCKING THE WORLD
“These atrocious attacks have shocked the world, the violence has impacted my friends and family, and many in the Sri Lankan community in the UK know people who have died,” she said in remarks sent to BosNewsLife. “If only we can hear Pastor Roshan Mahesan’s words and respond with forgiveness instead of hate. Jesus Christ calls us to love even those who persecute us, and what is more powerful than to choose to love in the circumstances such as these. Let’s forgive, stand together and build the kingdom of God. Don’t give up.”
The Evangelical Alliance, which represents millions of evangelical Christians, agrees. Its director, Steve Clifford, told BosNewsLife in a statement that he had joined a Sri Lankan prayer gathering earlier this week following the attacks. “I am mourning with my Sri Lankan brothers and sisters in Christ as they bury loved ones, as church communities are shaken by the violence inflicted on them and as others live in fear that the same might strike them.”
Yet, he remained hopeful. “Pastor Roshan offers love and forgiveness that can only come from knowing that we are forgiven by Jesus. I will continue to pray for him and all the believers in Sri Lanka, that they will know hope in Jesus that overcomes all fear.”
Sri Lanka’s worst attack against Christians in years shattered the tense calm that the Buddhist-majority country has seen since a 26-year civil war with mainly Hindu ethnic Tamil separatists ended a decade ago. Authorities have already warned of more attacks against churches and other religious centers, prompting Catholic churches to postpone Mass.
President Sirisena and the government of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe have faced intense criticism after it emerged that India had repeatedly given warnings of the possibility of attacks. Both Sirisena and Wickremesinghe have said intelligence was not shared with them. Commentators say those remarks underscore rifts at the top of the government and raised questions about its ability to deal with the security crisis.
CHRISTIANS INCREASINGLY TARGETED
The political turmoil added to concerns among Christians who make up over 7 percent of the country’s 23 million people.
Besides the latest bombings, there were already 86 verified incidents of discrimination, threats and violence against minority Christians, said the National Christian Evangelical Alliance of Sri Lanka (NCEASL), which represents more than 200 churches and other Christian groups.
In 2019, the NCEASL so far recorded 26 such incidents, including one in which Buddhist monks allegedly attempted to disrupt a Sunday worship service, with the last one reported on March 25.
The attacks were linked to extremists of Buddhist, Hindu and Islamic communities
Christian advocacy and relief group Open Doors says persecution of Christians impacts especially those from Buddhist or Hindu backgrounds. They are treated “as second-class citizens and can face slander and attacks,” the group noted.
“Believers from Buddhist or Hindu backgrounds face harassment and discrimination from their families and communities. They are pressured to recant their new faith, as a conversion is regarded as a betrayal of their ethnicity.”
Additionally, most state schools do not teach Christianity as a subject, “so Christian schoolchildren are forced to study Buddhism or Hinduism,” Open Doors said. Before the Easter Sunday bombings, several churches in rural areas were already attacked or closed, and Christians were assaulted, the group added. Rights activists and the Christian community now fear more attacks in Sri Lanka.
I find myself trying to remember ever hearing a muslim forgiving an attacker. Is forgiveness even mentioned in their false doctrine book?
To defend yourself is also Christian. Jesus told his disciples that if they had 2 cloaks to sell one and buy a sword. That doesn’t sound to me like somebody telling his believers to go meekly to their doom.
CC
Forgiveness requires repentance.
It is the height of hubris -- and preposterous -- to believe you can forgive someone for a crime against someone else.
How Bergoglio of him.
Sometimes we forgive, not because we feel it because we often don’t when dastardly things are done, but we forgive because Jesus asked that we do. Therefore we can say it in obedience to Him just as Jesus ‘spoke to the Father’ to forgive those ‘who knew not’ what they were doing.....
However, what about those who know perfectly well that what they are doing is taking anothers life? After all there were two thieves on the cross , one who acknowledged what he did was worthy of their suffering , but the other thief mocked Jesus. Only one went to paradise with Jesus that day.
I don’t think there’s a blanket forgiveness for atrocities as these suicide bombers do in purposely killing masses of people that they fully knew and planned to massively kill.
Sometimes we forgive, not because we feel it because we often don’t when dastardly things are done, but we forgive because Jesus asked that we do. Therefore we can say it in obedience to Him just as Jesus ‘spoke to the Father’ to forgive those ‘who knew not’ what they were doing.....
However, what about those who know perfectly well that what they are doing is taking anothers life? After all there were two thieves on the cross , one who acknowledged what he did was worthy of their suffering , but the other thief mocked Jesus. Only one went to paradise with Jesus that day.
I don’t think there’s a blanket forgiveness for atrocities as these suicide bombers do in purposely killing masses of people that they fully knew and planned to massively kill.
Why must he publicize this?
My understanding of forgiveness is that it has to be done by the injured party to the person who sinned against them.
I don't recall seeing anywhere in Scripture that one forgives evil done against someone else.
We do not have the power to do that. Only God can do that.
This is a transaction in which someone has to confess and truly repent before forgiveness from the offended one(s) can come into play.
To shoot the mad dog bomber before he pulls the cord is Christian. To save the innocents from being victimized is Christian. Jesus commanded His followers to acquire personal arms, to sell their spare coat to get a sword, if necessary.
To not seek revenge is Christian. That's up to God, His purview. To "forgive" without repentance of the offender is not Christian. It is not love, nor is it justice, and it is not godly. That kind of shoving the incident under the rug is devilish in origin.
The Sri Lankan pastor shows his lack of spiritual development. He apparently has not learned anything from this event God has allowed to be placed in his path as a counselor.
Nevertheless, I can see it having the potential to drive the muzzies crazy.
How effective can terror attacks be when people refuse to accept in in the manner in which it is meant?
It puts the Christians beyond the reach of the muzzies. Muslim's whole culture is based on continual, generational retaliation for wrongs done and grudges held in perpetuity.
When the Christians refuse to play by the muzzies rules and refuse to take the offense and retaliate, then it takes away any reason they have for their actions.
The mileage bullies get is out of the reaction of the victim. If you don't give them what they want, it's very disarming.
Perhaps that is the best definition of forgiveness out there.
Giving up your right to exact revenge and expect the other person to answer to you and pay for what they did.
The problem is, there is no paying for what happens to hurt most of us. It cannot be undone. The only thing to do it forgive the person, that is release them from the debt they owe us for what they did to us.
Unfortunately, to the muzzards it is a confession of weakness. They are all about paying off scores and scheming to destroy enemies.
It puts the Christians beyond the reach of the muzzies. Muslim’s whole culture is based on continual, generational retaliation for wrongs done and grudges held in perpetuity.
When the Christians refuse to play by the muzzies rules and refuse to take the offense and retaliate, then it takes away any reason they have for their actions.
The mileage bullies get is out of the reaction of the victim. If you don’t give them what they want, it’s very disarming.
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actually this is not true.
The objective of Islam is to cleanse the earth of infidels for Allah.
Whether you give them a hard time or are nice about it does not matter to them.
the objective is genocidal cleansing.
Same as the Nazis in WWII. If the Nazis were not stopped by the Allies their genocidal murderous behaviors would have continued in one form or another today.
There are times to be meek, and there are times to upend tables and arm up. Christ spoke about this.
You didn’t say anything about repentance
When repentance occurs and the person asks for it, forgiveness MUST be granted.
But there are times that that is not possible, such as when the person has passed on.
In the case of an abusive father, for example, if he is gone, he is no longer around to repent and ask forgiveness, and yet the child victimized by that parent at some point must decide whether they are going to continue to live in unforgiveness and reap the consequences, or forgive him anyways.
It doesn’t change anything for the person who committed the offense, but it is very freeing for the person offended.
True that.
I suppose, at the very least, it puts them on a level above the muslims. They at least aren’t looking for retaliation, but leaving room for God to deal with it.
He says, *Vengeance is mine, I will repay.*
Sometimes better to leave them in God’s hands than demand they answer to us.
The reason for their action is they are doing what Allah wants done, and following the examples set by Muhmmad and the first 4 Caliphs.
Muslims don't care how infidels feel about their killing non- Muslims or Muslim heretics. - Tom
True that.
I suppose, at the very least, it puts them on a level above the muslims. They at least aren’t looking for retaliation, but leaving room for God to deal with it.
He says, *Vengeance is mine, I will repay.*
Sometimes better to leave them in God’s hands than demand they answer to us.
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Sometimes that taking the high road works. Sometimes it doesnt...like in Japan.
Genocide is genocide. One cannot exist if one permits one’s group to be exterminated. To not act in this situaion is to exterminate Christianity.
Sometimes I think that Whites and Christians have a brain parasite that causes them to run to the predator. Like Toxoplasmosis with mice and cats.
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