Hotel Rwanda

So I just finished watching "Hotel Rwanda" in my room this evening. I've seen the movie before, but I hadn't watched it in probably at least 2 years.

What a powerful film.

I just cannot live with a world in which people are allowed simply to rape, beat or kill one another because of the color of their skin, their heritage, their family tree or their political and religious beliefs. This is unacceptable, and I cannot comprehend that this is happening.

But for me, one of the most powerful moments in the movie comes toward the beginning. Don Cheadle's character plays a hotel manager, and he is discussing with a cameraman who has been sent from a network news channel to cover the genocide in Rwanda. This cameraman has just recorded horrible, gruesome footage of Hutu rebels killing and maiming people. They're sending it home, hoping to get it on the evening news. Cheadle's character thanks the cameraman for recording the footage; he believes it will impact people and raise awareness. The cameraman responds by saying that he doesn't believe it will make any difference; people will watch the footage, say "Oh, that's horrible," and then go right on eating their dinner. Cheadle's character cannot understand, and says one line that really cut at me:

"How can people not act when they see what is happening?"

I cannot live with a world in which people do horrible things everyday like child prostitution, human trafficking and slavery, and mass genocide.

But even more so, I cannot live in a world where people simply allow this to happen.

Someone once said that all that is needed for evil to prevail is for good men to do nothing. That person was incredibly right. And I would venture to say that Jesus would tell us that if we know of these atrocities and do nothing about them, then we are just as bad as the people committing these crimes.

The most frequently issued command in the Bible is for us to take care of the poor, widowed, orphaned, and disenfranchised around us. I believe it is about time that we start doing that.

God, where there is injustice, suffering, chaos and incredible atrocities, may you be there. May you be there, standing for the rights of these people, hurting when they hurt, crying when they cry, and comforting them in times of great grief and trial. And Lord, may your church never rest until we have ended these incredible evils.