We Are Remembered during the Elections
00:00, June 7, 2006 | News | Electoral Rights, Freedom of thought, conscience and religionLast year 7 th – Day Adventist Church celebrated its 100 th anniversary. This is one of the churches of all Armenian religious organizations that has a small number of community and has a problem of integration.
150 members admit the ideology of this church. They are involved in 19 companies. The main problem of Adventists is connected with keeping “holy” Saturday. Their members are not given a job because they cannot work on Saturdays. They devote their Saturday to God and preaching of Gospel. Those who work, have to leave their workplace and look for such a job where they will agree to give Sunday as a day off. Vigen Khachatryan, the head of the headquarters of the 7 th – Day Adventist Church tells they are not able to solve the problem of Saturday on a state level. “They said to try solving the problem on a local level, that is to say, they leave the issue on personal relations”-said pastor of the church whose religious organization faces this problem more at schools. He tells how seven Adventist teachers were deprived of their job at school in the village of Akhlatyan of Syunik region. At the same time, he mentions that in the case of school the problem is solved in the way that it seems no law is violated.
“They create such conditions that the teacher herself gives up his job”-explains Vigen Khachatryan. One of the obstacles for the activity of the church is that they are not given accommodation from different structures for their events. We get refusals for different reasons, in the basis of which is the attitude saying “If you do not belong to the traditional church, you will have obstacles”. V. Khachatryan thinks that there is a wrong approach among society towards religious organizations and it is necessary to change it by participating actively in public processes. Whereas the doors are closed before them. Even own initiatives are rejected by local authorities or organizations though they are not of religious character. He thinks that it is due to the strange fear that people will start respecting them. In order to change the firm attitude of society 7 th –Day Adventists intend to publish a newspaper and raise public awareness through mass media. Vigen Khachatryan mentions two factors, which inhibit their integration in society. The first one is the problems the organization faces and the second one is the fear of being rejected.
V. Khachatryan is ready to start discussions on any useful topic, form cooperation with NGOs and participate in the development of different spheres of public life. So far, they have limited to several cases of cooperation with other religious organizations, which mainly concern the problems of minorities.
They attach importance to charity, which is executed in two aspects. The first one concerns social sphere, the other one healthcare. The social department of the church called “Aytsemnik” provides needy people with assistance, visits to children’s homes, old people’s homes, implementation of various social projects. The department of healthcare deals with health problems of families, promotes maintenance of strong families.
As other religious organizations, Adventists are also neutral to politics. Though they participate in elections, they avoid interfering with political processes. “Jesus Christ did not interfere in politics, we welcome it”-V. Khachatryan refers to the Gospel, who assesses democracy as positive from the viewpoint of politics. He says that that though they do not take part in politics they support democratic processes and are ready to elect the candidate or party that is for democracy. Adventists are remembered from election to election; when this or that candidate visits their organization, gives promises and offers. However, they do not discuss political issues inside the organization and every member is free in his choice.
7 th – Day Adventist Church spreads the words of God by preaching and visits to houses, but as the majority of religious organizations, they do not visit strangers.
Naira Bulghadaryan