Nagaland Baptist Church Council (NBCC) expresses concern on violence

EMN DIMAPUR, MARCH 6 Nagaland Baptist Church Council (NBCC) has expressed its deepest concern over the ‘costly‘ damage including loss of precious lives that have taken place as a result of the confrontation and violence in Dimapur over the ‘issue of rape’. The Church condemned the ‘heinous crime of rape’ which is a gross violation of God’s design for the treatment of the human body and the sanctity of life. At the same time the use of violent means with no regards to the rule of law can only lead to further complication rather than solve problems, the NBCC added in a statement. “One man was forced to lose his life. The rest of our society has been forced to see a terrible truth about ourselves. Hence, the issue must be handled with care with appropriate and reasonable methods and not escalate to communal and religious issue,” the NBCC said. “Those who caused the crisis at the initial stage and those who turned it into the monstrous destroyer it became - they will help themselves and our society to find deliverance from evil if they will acknowledge what they have done. Even if they do not, or will not dare to, the people of Nagaland, locals and non-locals, Christians and non-Christians, have no choice but to learn to face our common responsibility together. We will do so only by going beyond blaming, hating and slavery to our entrenched ways of being selfish and dishonest. We have to learn to reach out to one another and inspire one another to create the society that will work and succeed. In deepest need and inadequacy the Church faces the task, to understand it and to fulfil it with God’s grace and strength,” the NBCC statement said. It then said that at this juncture the immediate and long-term consequences that can follow must not be underestimated. NBCC therefore ‘earnestly’ appealed to all concerned to exercise utmost restrain and not to ignite the overheated crisis any further by irresponsible words or actions that may make the situation irredeemable. Meanwhile, NBCC extended its deepest condolence and sympathy to the bereaved families and all the victims.