“Concerning human society, everything is possible,” Pastor Jan Paulsen, world president of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, told an interviewer for Russia’s “Kommersant” newspaper during a February visit to Moscow.

Asked if the possibility of “religious war” exists, Paulsen said, “There are so many unpredictable things in this world. If the religious driving forces become destructive, then some problems will arise, the size of which is impossible to estimate today.”

“Kommersant,” in English, “Businessman,” is the leading Russian daily business newspaper. It grew out of the “Fact” news agency, which began in 1987, and commenced daily publication in 1990; an estimated 500,000 copies circulate daily and the paper also has a popular Internet Web site.

Paul Korobov, a reporter for the newspaper, asked Paulsen whether the growth of the Adventist church in Russia was a result of “proselytizing,” a term the world church president rejected.

“Our preaching of the Gospel is based on the Holy Scriptures. We don’t ask people to trust in things that are not proved or not written in the Scriptures. You’ve said ‘proselytizing.’... I’d like to use “witnessing,” because we share our faith with other people. As we see that you are responding positively to the gospel, we invite you to join us,” he explained.  “At the same time each person should make his own decision before God. If you are a believer of the Orthodox Church and you feel yourself at home there, then we will just share our faith with you and study the Bible together.”

Responding to a question about freedom of religion, Paulsen said, that while he believes the Seventh-day Adventist Church enjoys religious freedom in Russia, “I am convinced that the freedom of conscience and the freedom to choose a religion are rights, which shouldn’t be controlled by a state, but which are given to each person by God himself. And if a government restrains these God-given rights, then we shall openly [speak] about it and do our best to change the situation.”

Pastor Paulsen also said he regretted the publication of editorial cartoons in a Danish newspaper which some have deemed insulting to followers of Islam: “Nobody has the right to use freedom [of speech] to hurt the feelings of people who practice other religions. I am terribly sorry that this took place.”