We walked with evil. Two days later it still clings to us like a smelly shroud. Our visit to the Killing Fields and the high school renamed S21 left us shocked and speechless. In four years two million people - a quarter of the population, murdered. But, even more awful to realise that most of the murders were teenagers. How could this be?
This is how it worked. Families were broken up. Contact between children, siblings and parents severed. Communities were dismantled. Individuals were sent to different parts of the country so that they would be disconnected from family, community, religion, culture - in other words, completely isolated. In this new environment no one could be trusted. The only way to earn merit with your captors was to tell on your associates. Death was around you and followed you every day. The nights were full of nightmares and the days with terror. When you were asked to kill you killed. Again and again we heard of teens who murdered simply to stay alive. There was no alternative.
It all made me think that in our church and centre we are on the right track. Reaching out and welcoming in is a central concept. This is not just cutesy or sentimental. This is powerful. This is an essential if human life is to go on and flourish in the face of the challenges of the 21st century. Without it hell can come knocking at our door again. Ignoring and belittling this concept opened the door to the Nazis and
as we have seen, prepared the way for Pol Pot.
Welcoming the stranger, befriending the migrant and reaching out to the refugee is doing battle with the forces of hell. We are to love our families, and our clans and culture, but this love must always be secondary to our love for, and commitment to the whole human race. In truth we all are brothers and sisters and we are called Ito live together in harmony and cooperation. This is the Jesus way. For this reason he lived and died and rose again that we might carry on his work. This is the kingdom of God, the kingdom of love and the forces of hell may have temporary victories, but in the end will not prevail against it.
Stan Stewart
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