There is no school in Lebanon today. Workers at the local super market are dressed
in black. In general, things around town are different than a normal
Friday. Lebanon is joining the
international community in taking a stand in solidarity with global Armenian
community to remember the centenary of the Armenian Genocide. In the spring of 1915 the Ottoman Empire
embarked in operations of population evictions, death marches, and mass murder
campaigns that would ultimately kill an estimated 1.5 million individuals and
catalyze the dispersion of Armenians around the world. This is not the first time history has
experienced ‘crimes against humanity,’ but it is the first time the term was
used to describe an historical event.
April 24, 2015 is a day to memorialize the millions of Armenians who suffered
loss and lament the evil that humans are capable of inflicting on fellow
humans.
The genocide of 1915 had a worldwide impact as an national
exodus sent Armenians to lands across North America, Europe and Asia. Ruth and I saw evidence this during our honeymoon
visit to Penang Island, Malaysia. Our
boutique hotel was located on Armenia Street, named for the Armenians that fled
violence to as far away as Southeast Asia.
Masses of Armenians relocated to regions throughout the Middle East in
search of safety, with large numbers settling in Beirut, Aleppo and other major
Arabic cities. Lebanon hosts the
sixth-largest Armenian community outside of Armenia with nearly a quarter of a
million individuals (fully-fledged Lebanese citizens) and all of us residents
here are the richer because of it.
Lebanon boasts a wealth of Armenian educational and cultural
institutions including primary and secondary schools, universities, seminaries,
and conservatories of various kinds.
Ruth and my favorite district in all of Beirut is Burj Hammoud, a predominately
Armenian neighborhood with the best shopping, eateries, artisans and craftsman in
all the country. Armenian Christian
communities, including the Evangelical Armenian Church, have long been (and
still are) a faithful witness of Christ to their neighbors near and far. Additionally, many social organizations, such
as orphanages and elderly are centers, are helping to treat social ills that
permeate Lebanese society. Yet the
greatest Armenian contribution to Lebanon is the individuals who serve this
country as doctors, professionals, artists, educators, faith workers and many
other roles. My family and I are honored
to count them among our special friends, and we enjoy the access they provide to
the wonderful Armenian culture.
Today we somberly remember that the Armenian presence in
Lebanon is a direct outcome of brutal hatred and violence. We attest that the acts of death still linger
a century later; however, memory of wrongdoing of any kind presents its own set
of dangers and temptations. Remembering
atrocities can incite emotional cries to “never forget, never forgive.” Though it is a very human sentiment, I believe
that we need to remember so as to
forgive, and in doing so being able to achieve a type of forgetting. Theologian Miroslav Volf argues that remembering
wrongdoings can be most unhelpful for “in the memory of the other’s
transgressions the other is locked in unredemption and we are bound together in
a relationship of nonreconciliation.”[i] Memory of offenses too often prevents us from
experiencing the reconciliation that Christ has made possible. Volf challenges us to remember rightly, a
remembering that actually requires a “nonremembering.” Such a way has been made possible by the God
who knows our sins but, in His fullness of forgiveness, ultimately forgets our
wrongdoing! (Jer. 31:34) Through grace
by Christ, our offenses are no longer counted against us! The evils we have committed are never held in
consideration or kept on our records; they are finished and forgotten. Followers of God must likewise strive to
pursue a forgiveness to the point of forgetfulness.
Let me be clear, I do not believe Volf’s notion of “nonremembering”
means we no longer acknowledge the historicity of factual events occurred
against us, nor does it fail to consider the extent of the harm caused by evil actions. However, nonremembering means that the fullness
of forgiveness is experienced to the extent that it overwhelms any enduring
harm from the past; there is no longer any sting of an old wound. Sometimes Ruth and I experience this in a
very simple way when we recall a past argument or dispute. We remember that we both acted selfishly and
were hurtful to one another, yet we cannot for the life of us recall the reason
for the disagreement or even what was exactly said in the heat of the moment. There is a memory that something happened,
but it is vague and inconsequential because of our forgiveness to other and the
self. This is sort of forgetfulness is
pivotal to our wellbeing on all levels, for as Volf says, “only nonremembering
can end the lament over suffering which no thought can think away and no action
undo.”[ii] I understand the desire for memorializing suffering,
but I often feel uncomfortable with keeping the past alive so deeply that it
kills hope for future reconciliation. This
can be observed in countless contexts; we all do it and a great deal of peace is
thwarted by it.
Even with the aforementioned, I do argue that it is proper,
even necessary, to remember the Armenian Genocide in order to experience the
ultimate response to the horrific events: forgiveness. Forgiveness is a destination of a long and
painful journey; a journey that took Christ to a fallen world, a cross, and a
grave. We must all be travelers on this
road, and remembering holds an important place in this journey. Volf states, “the memory of sin must be kept alive
for a while, as long as it is needed for repentance and transformation to occur.”[iii] An enduring tragedy of the Armenian Genocide
is the official position of the Turkish government (note: not all of the Turkish people) that refuses
admittance of the crimes committed by their Ottoman predecessors against millions
of Armenian innocents. This fallacious “nonremembering”
that denies genocide ever occurred averts repentance and undermines any prospect
for transformative reconciliation.
Turkey does acknowledge that unfortunate events did bring
suffering to Armenians during the events around WWI, but it does not admit to
genocide. There is no joining in the sorrow
or regret for one of modern histories most heinous of actions. As a result, a hundred-old wound is still very
much open; the bleeding continues. It is
long overdue for Turkey to recognize the systematic genocide conducted by the
Ottoman Empire. The past cannot be
changed but it can be remembered rightly and addressed with humility, honesty
and grace. The Armenian Genocide should be remembered April 24 and all days until
the healing work of forgiveness mends the
wounds of the present, alters the recollections of the past and builds a hope
for the future. Christ achieved such
a possibility when he traveled reconciliation’s complete journey. Let us follow.
For more information on the topic please refer to the
following resources:
BBC World Service, April 24, 2015- Armenia marks centenary of
mass killings by Ottoman Turks
The Guardian, April 16, 2015- The
Armenian genocide- the Guardian briefing
The Independent, April 23, 2015- Armenian
genocide: To continue to deny the truth of this mass human cruelty is close to
a criminal lie- Robert Fisk
The Daily Star (Lebanon), April 24, 2015- Burj
Hammoud: Lebanon’s Little Armenia
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