Arson is suspected in two fires that destroyed the Seventh-day Adventist Church building in Tolochen, Belarus, on April 21.
Arson is suspected in two fires that destroyed the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Tolochen, Belarus, on April 21. This is the third Belarussian Adventist church to be burned down in the past year, says Ivan Ostrovsky, a former president of the Adventist Church in Belarus.
Only the exterior of the Tolochen church was in flames when fire trucks arrived on the scene at 5 a.m. Firefighters extinguished the blaze within minutes, and church members determined that the damaged walls could be restored.
The local fire chief and police officers said they had no doubt that the fire had been set by arsonists. Firefighters disconnected electric and gas lines to the church and drenched the building with water before leaving the scene. “Not even smoke remained,” said one observer.
Two hours later a second fire destroyed the entire building. Church members say the fire department responded slowly to the second emergency call, while response to the first fire had been immediate. In his official analysis, the fire chief stated that the blaze had ignited itself.
About 30 Adventists live in Tolochen, a town of 45,000. Their church, originally built as a private house, was purchased and remodeled by the congregation several years ago. Members landscaped the area around the building and erected a small sign telling the name of the church.
Earlier this year an assistant mayor of Tolochen told a local Adventist leader to remove the sign. Because it violated no city codes, members decided to let the sign stand. According to several sources, the assistant mayor warned them that buildings such as theirs had been known to burn down.
Due to the suspicious circumstances of the fire, Adventist leaders are investigating the case and believe they have sufficient evidence to take legal action against the local government, says Artur Stele, president of the Adventist Church in the Euro-Asia region.
Last summer an Adventist church in Polotsk, Belarus, was damaged by a fire that had been started with flammable liquids. Local authorities stated that the fire was set by Jehovah’s Witnesses. “We have absolutely no animosity with the Jehovah’s Witnesses in that town,” says Valery Ivanov, communication director for the Adventist Church in the Euro-Asia region. “There was no evidence of their involvement.”
Polotsk members rebuilt their church, but three months later it was again destroyed by fire. Officials cited lightning as the cause.
Last autumn the Adventist church building in Bihov, Belarus, was burned to the ground. The city government announced that homeless people had started the blaze.
Protestant congregations throughout Belarus suffer increasingly from arson and other forms of harassment. Recently an editorial in the official newspaper of the Belarus parliament questioned the wisdom of allowing Protestants to freely build churches, hold meetings, and publish literature. Many feel that the Orthodox Church should be given special rights and considered the national religion of Belarus.
However, the national government is not officially on record as opposing Protestant churches. “We have good working relations between church and state in many places,” says Ostrovsky. “We don’t break any laws. The problem is with the government-sponsored media.”
Ivanov says that some Protestant groups have been accused of mixing blood with communion wine and of sacrificing children. “There is a kind of anti-Protestant hysteria in the government media,” he says. The independent Belarussian media continues to voice support for the rights of Protestants and other groups.
Belarus lies in eastern Europe between Poland, Ukraine, Russia, and the Baltic Nations. Some historians say it was one of the most atheistic republics during Soviet rule. Because it was in a vulnerable position close to the West, the KGB and Communist Party closely regulated daily life. All religious groups—Orthodox, Catholic, Protestant, and others—were discouraged from meeting. Only in recent years has the Orthodox Church regained power with the government.
“The Protestant churches of Belarus have united to create a religious liberty association,” says Ostrovsky. “We are united in this struggle because we face the same issues. But it’s hard to work against the state machine.”
The group has written letters to newspaper editors, the president, and other officials. “We get no reaction,” says Ostrovsky.
Many scientists, professors, and other educated citizens in Belarus also protest against current government attitudes. “Here, they consider the Adventist Church a friend of democracy,” says Ostrovsky. “They know we stand for liberty for all people.”
Ostrovsky has requested that Adventist Christians throughout the world pray for freedom of conscience in Belarus.
As president of the Adventist Church in Belarus from 1991 to 2000, Ostrovsky saw the number of congregations grow from 12 to 45. Most current church buildings were constructed or purchased within the past five years. Very few have adequate insurance.
[Arkady Balkan and Moses Ostrovsky contributed to this report.]
