Consistent with the principle of nonviolence, the most frequently selected scriptures for coping with Genocide-related thoughts center on themes of nonretaliation and reliance on divine justice. The top three scriptures were Return evil to no one. Vengeance belongs to God at Romans 12:17, 19; Death, pain, and sorrow will be no more at Revelation 21:4; and The wicked will be no more at Psalm 37:10. (Figure 6.26)
Figure 6.26, Scriptures to Cope With Thoughts of Genocide
Chart Summary
The vertical bar chart shows 8 scriptural thoughts as response options to the question: When you think about the Genocide against the Tutsi, what scriptural thoughts help you? Respondents selected up to 3 options. The top choices are Return no evil, vengeance belongs to God at 53.6%, Death and pain will be no more at 50.3%, and the Wicked will be no more at 43.0%. Mid-range responses are Love your enemy at 28.1%, and the Meek will possess the earth at 22.1%. Lower frequency selections are Forgive us as we forgive others at 13.3%; Pray, the peace of God guards your heart at 12.9%; and Endure and persevere in prayer at 10.4%. These findings appear in Section 6 of the report.