Imported Evil

In an open letter dated April 29/May 12, and published in the Serbian Orthodox Church organ ``Pravoslavlje'' (Orthodoxy) last week, Zahumlje Herzegovina episcope Atanasije sharply criticized Trebinje strongman Bozidar Vucurevic for tolerating the activities of the Adventist Church and its humanitarian organization ADRA in Trebinje territory. The episcope writes that the matter concerns an ``antiOrthodox, antiChristian sect'' which is financed by America (``that's where all this evil has come from''), which during Tito's regime had ``corroded the soul of the Serb people.''

Atanasije believes that the Adventists are an evil worse than murder and looting, drugs and other crimes rampant in Trebinje under Vucurevic's administration. ``If you're playing at being a `democrat', why did you expel the Muslims and Roman Catholics from Trebinje and the rest of Herzegovina?'' asks the episcope. The question is a logical one, but it follows from the letter that the episcope considers ``playing at being a democrat'' a greater sin than ethnic cleansing.

Episcope Atanasije has never been famous for mildness, or for choosing his words, especially when dealing with people he considers to be communists or their allies; in his earlier appearances the episcope also attacked Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic. This time however, the episcope is not acting on his own. This is corroborated by the fact that his letter has been published in ``Orthodoxy,'' and that other ecclesiastical dignitaries recently made similar statements, but with less strongly expressed views. The fact that the Serbian Orthodox Church Synod at the end of its annual session (June 2) called for a decisive resistance against the ``army of preachers belonging to various sects'' coming ``from that same world which has sent us sanctions and bombs,'' and carrying out ``spiritual, and not only spiritual terror,'' but bringing with them the danger of a ``spiritual genocide.''

It is interesting however, that none of the Serbian Orthodox Church dignitaries who joined the campaign, knew or wished to make a difference between the Christian and nonChristian religious communities, dumping together all the Protestant churches, Buddhists, occultists, astrologers and finally Satanists, whose existence in Yugoslavia has not been proved, in spite of efforts by highcirculation dailies whose reporters spent weeks writing about Heavy Metal graffiti on provincial wallsall with the idea of unmasking the Satanic conspiracy against the Serbs.

All members of religious communities in Yugoslavia which are not part of the Serbian Orthodox Church (not counting the Catholics and the Muslims whose problems result from other causes) are being targeted, even though the authorities, under the Constitution, are supposed to treat them all equally. There are some forty such religious communities and their followers vary from 100,000 to tenodd members. In the former Yugoslavia the Adventists had over one million followers and were the largest denomination after the Catholics and Muslims, so that it is no coincidence that episcope Atanasije has sunk his teeth into them. The second reason probably lies in ADRA's activities: at one time it was the only organization with its headquarters in Belgrade which managed to get humanitarian packages into besieged Sarajevo.

``It is a Christian act to help people who are suffering, regardless of their faith or nationality,'' said President of the Main Board of the Christian Adventist Church Jovan Lovrencin. ``Since most of our believers are Serbs, it was natural that we should try to help our endangered compatriots, but we had earlier also helped others. Since our headquarters are in Belgrade, we too faced barriers imposed by the international community. We overcame them with great difficulty, hard work and persistence.''

Commenting episcope Atanasije's accusations that the Adventists were ``spiritual deserters'' and that they ``won't take up arms and fight in the defence of the Serbian people, the faith and fatherland.'' Lovrencin said: ``The Bible says that when one is defending one's property, then that is not a violation of the act of love. Adventists like others will always defend their home, family and people. They will never destroy a place of worship, no matter whose. Those who doubt our support of the Serbian cause, would do well to talk to Serbian army generals in the field.''

Yugoslav Adventists repeat that they did not choose their parents, or place of birth. ``The Serbs have hurt themselves though history. By denying the Serb heritage to all who are not Orthodox, they have decreased their number,'' said Lovrencin.

Dragomir Savic of the Church of Jesus Christ the Martyr (better known as the Mormon church) said recently that the ``Orthodox Church believes that we are destroying the Serbian being, even though our church is not tied down to any particular nation and we can be found everywhere, from Albania to Japan. There are nine million Mormons in the world, but only several hundred in Yugoslavia, if not less, since many have left the country. Our missionary work has been reduced to taking a bookstall at the Book Fair once a year. We don't do more than this because we are afraid that we might come up against problems. A while ago, a group of missionaries, mostly Americans, spent some time in Belgrade. They went from door to door winning people over to the Lord's Word. Even though they didn't have problems in 99% cases, because the people accepted them or turned them down very politely, they all left the country after the crisis in Bosnia, at the orders of the US Embassy.

Demands made by the Serbian Orthodox Church calling for a ban on our activities are unconstitutional and in the final run, nonevangelical. The people making these demands should ask themselves, who, in the past times persecuted people because they believed in Christ. The problem lies in the Serbian Orthodox Church and not with us.''

In spite of repeated claims that cooperation with the authorities, even the greater part of the Serbian Orthodox Church are correct, Jovan Lovrencin met on Wednesday with Secretary of the Federal Committee for Relations with Religious Communities Slobodan Karanovic, in order to lodge a complaint with regard to accusations such as those made by episcope Atanasije. According to the official statement, Karanovic replied that ``many sects were active in Yugoslavia and that this was disastrous,'' he mentioned the Satanists but then added graciously that the Adventist Church was ``acting within its competencies.'' The same statement contains an ominous sentence, Karanovic also said that ``there were sects whose work was linked to the country's enemies,'' and not saying who he was thinking of, hinted that they would be stopped.

Franc Perko, Belgrade Archbishop

Sects are Active

``Sects have always been part of the Church, and they are inevitable. In the West this problem is much more drastic than it is here. In the past, the Inquisition put them down by force, this, however, cannot be done today. The times are very favorable for sects, for two reasons: first, this is the end of the millennium; and second, and this is very important, there is great religious ignorance here, because of a lack of religious education.

The responsibility for this situation lies mostly with the Serbian Orthodox Church. Catholics learn religion in church, but this is not well organized within the Serbian Orthodox Church, giving sects ample opportunities for their activities. There will always be sects and it is necessary to fight them, but not with legislature, because that helps them, but by educating believers. Religion must become a part of the school curriculum, and if not, then the young people must be encouraged to take part in religious activities. The activities of the sects should make all believers ask themselves: `What are we doing?' You find sects where the Church is not active.''

Effendi Hamdija Jusufspahic, Belgrade Mufti

Forbidden Fruit

``My stand is based on instructions given by the Koran, and dated 1,500 years ago. The Sublime Creator Allah said: `The Truth comes from the Lord God, and he who wishes to believe can do so, while he who doesn't wish to believe, will not do so.' Further on He says: `There must be no force in faith', and `Your faith unto you, mine unto me'. Thanks to this teaching I cannot hold a different stand other than the one that man, as God's representative on Earth, is personally responsible for his acts and relationship with God, and other people. Islam, wherever it was the dominant religion, tolerated other faiths, including the Orthodox faith here. No religion must be banned. That is the stand of Islam. I would not like to interfere with the stands of any other religious community, but I would like say this: forbidden fruit is sweetest.''