WE’VE BEEN ACCUSED OF GENOCIDE!
This week the Truth and Reconciliation Commission filed its final report after years of investigating the history of residential schools for native children in Canada. We don’t have to read the whole report. We do have to hear at least a few of the horror stories that our country, and our denomination (Presbyterian) perpetrated.
The report of the TRC sums up the history as “Cultural Genocide.” Does this bother you? It should.
The events we commonly apply that term to are the Nazi holocaust of the 1930’s/40’s and the Rwandan/Burundi crisis of the 1990’s. Now the term is applied to Canadians, as represented by their government and their Christian churches throughout most of the last century. Canada and most of its Christian denominations are guilty of Cultural Genocide – harsh!
I don’t want to get caught up in the semantics of the term. As Christians we are called to a better future – a new day, where we promise to do better, be better. Germany seems to have come to grips with its past, done what it can to make amends and move on to a strong and vibrant “New Day.” Rwanda/Burundi – maybe not so good as we see Burundi sinking again into political chaos and violence.
What’s the “New Day” for us?
We can’t choose our past. We choose our future. We don’t remove the sins of our ancestors. We recognize that our heritage includes some ugly stuff. Then we promise to make a better future – something that our God and our conscience demands of us.
“Reconciliation means finding the courage to look at our past with eyes wide open, unafraid to see our country at its worst, and then, humbly, take steps to heal the damage done. Reconciliation means making real change in our society, our institutions and ourselves.” (Ry Moran – Director of the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation at the University of Manitoba)
FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS & YOUNG ADULTS.
Please set aside Saturday, September 26th! Knox Waterloo and St. Andrew’s Hespeler will be presenting “Connecting Youth; Sharing the Stories: A Day of Learning about First Nations”. Saturday September 26, 2015, 8:30am – 3:15pm (lunch provided), Knox Church, 50 Erb St W. Waterloo.