Взгляд Вячеслава Полонина из Модесто о реакцию церкви на убийство Буханцовы

· Adam Bondaruk, Sin, Pentecostals, Sacramento

Article: Vyacheslav Polovin’s opinion from Modesto, concerning the murder of the Bukhantsovs from Adam Bondaruk’s “Bethany” church, published by the Sacramento newspaper “Diaspora” as “Victim for ‘Sin’,” largely expresses a controversial view but poses quite pertinent questions to society.

Vyacheslav Polovin

Victims for “Sin”

The tragic event that took place in Sacramento on October 23, when 19-year-old Grigory Bukhantsov brutally murdered his own brother’s wife and his brother’s two young children, still echoes with unbearable pain in the hearts of our compatriots. How could this brutal murder have happened? Why couldn’t it have been prevented? Who is to blame for what occurred? These and many other questions are being raised by our numerous readers and contributors. One of them is Vyacheslav Polovin, a member of the “Unity” church in Modesto, California.

The last Friday in October drew crowds to the Bethany Church in Sacramento. This extraordinary gathering was not for a national holiday. It was a farewell Friday for a mother and her two young children, brutally murdered in their home in Rancho Cordova. Thousands of mourners, the media, law enforcement, and all who knew or had heard of what happened came to pay their last respects, to say goodbye, to weep. Next to the casket, the parents of the victims and the parents of the killer stood hand in hand. To share in the great sorrow of the Slavic community came George Davidyuk, a well-known evangelist and missionary. He delivered a sermon at the funeral service, and at the end, as usual, called for repentance. George Davidyuk’s sermon was touching even for an ordinary believer. Though the preacher never uttered a single word in Russian, he confessed that he “came to love the Russian church ‘Bethany.’” And the sermon centered on a favorite topic—the topic of choice: whether to follow God or not. The sermon opened with an interesting story about a young man who never gave his heart to God during the altar call at a youth conference held the day before. It became clear to everyone that this man was the murderer of his brother’s wife and two little children. In the preacher’s view, no one is to blame for this murder: not the church, even though it failed to guide the youth onto the right path; not God; not the devil, though the Bible states that he came to kill; not parents or relatives, who, by the way, knew perfectly well about the brother’s problems. Pastor George did not even blame the murderer himself. Finally, at the very center of his sermon, our preacher, having gathered his courage, still found the culprit of that bloody crime. It was sin! He blamed sin, immersing the listeners in ancient biblical truths. It would seem everything is logical and correct. And most importantly—in line with the Bible. But one thing remains unclear to us believers: how is it that children of believing parents are capable of such deeds? Does Christianity today really have to make such sacrifices? Can this scenario be explained in the language of the Bible, as pastor George Davidyuk tried to do? Is anyone to blame for what happened? In reality, by the age of 19 it is too late to speak of choice. That young graduate had already made his choice back in childhood. And his parents knew it, which is why they “kept away from that sin.” According to witnesses, this “brother” openly declared his intentions, saying he would kill anyone he didn’t like. He was consistent in his plans, and he carried them out. It was not necessary to knock on the doors of prophets to understand whose spirit filled this murderer. Already in prison, our hero does not stop and plans to kill several more. This is not a person: this is a monster! His name should stand next to such monstrosities as Chikatilo, Karla Faye Tucker, Robert Tyuki, and others. There can be no talk of any God or “deliverance,” as one of the pastors of Bethany Church, Pavel Rospotnyuk, writes! The lake of fire has long awaited him, but we are all afraid to admit it. The murderer has already prepared his plan and expressed a desire to “play dumb” in order to get out and carry out his schemes. Therefore, there is no excuse for those who even now “cover his antics with Christian love” and visit this “martyr” in prison. Indeed, they suffer for it as well. There’s no piercing our Christian patience: we all want to be like Jesus, to suffer as He did, to forgive as He did, to save as He did. Church leaders frequently preach this to us. That is why the killer’s relatives are not to blame in this case, for they followed exactly what was said, forgiving their little brother. And at the same time, they unconsciously brought harm both to him and, ultimately, to themselves. And even after the murder, already in prison, he was repeatedly “forgiven” by his relatives. What is this all-forgiving love? Forgiving a murderer after he left his signature in blood on the wall of the victims’ house? That is not a demonstration of love but an encouragement to sin. In this way, we bless him for new crimes, and he gladly takes advantage of that grace. One would be hard-pressed to find preachers who could explain what happened based on the Bible. I would like to remind you that the first part of the Bible, the Torah, speaks of nothing but killings. Every book of the Old Testament, starting with Cain, is soaked through with human blood. The Bible becomes a weapon when it falls into the hands of such monsters. Of course, God commanded “You shall not kill.” And some time later, He gives the order to “clear” the way to the Promised Land. That is the kind of “truths” that young Christians learn, truths they later put into practice. Sacrificing one’s own loved ones is far from the first case in Russian-speaking communities. And it won’t be the last if, of course, believers continue to lead the Christian world into delusion. It is no secret that believers’ opinions on murder vary widely, but the majority hold to a conservative mindset: let’s pray, we must forgive, these victims are far better off in paradise than here, that was God’s will, God prepared them, and so on. Only a few uphold justice and lawful judgment. In a word, the majority agree with what happened and accept it as from God. And not without the help of their leaders. One of them, Pavel Rospotnyuk, mustered his courage and, as an honest Christian, declared in his article “Attack of the Devil” that he “does not exclude his own guilt.” Though later he wrote off the untimely death of the mother and children as “casualties in the war” against the devil. As always, the devil and sin remain the scapegoats. All the blows land on them. And that means that, once again, none of the living people is to blame.

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