Church of God Condemns Pakistan Attack
Mark L. Williams, general overseer of the Church of God, joined a chorus of Christian voices on Monday condemning Easter Sunday’s attack against Christians celebrating Resurrection Day in Lahore, Pakistan, that claimed the lives of 72 people—mostly women and children—and wounded 340 others.
“It is difficult to try to understand the mindset of people with no sense of moral values who express their rage and hatred against the innocent among us,” Williams said. “We call upon Pakistani leaders to take all possible steps to seek out the perpetrators and condemn in the strongest terms this kind of senseless violence.”
News reports credited a branch of the Taliban for the attack that took place in a children’s playground of a city park, where many Christians had gathered for picnics. The location explained why so many of the dead were women and children. Despite the obvious targeting of Christians, the majority of the victims were Muslims. Taliban forces have strengthened their call in recent weeks for Sharia law to be imposed throughout the nation, a demand rejected by the government.
“We join our prayers with those of fellow believers for God to comfort and strengthen the family members whose loved ones have died or have been hurt,” Williams declared. “Although Bible-believing people understand that brutality and violence may continue to increase as the Day of the Lord draws nearer, we must do all within our ability to create a climate of peace and godliness.”
