Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this. Isaiah 9:7
Armenian Christians (1894-1923)
Genocide
Around 1.5 million Armenian Christians were massacred under the Ottoman government of Turkey between 1894 and 1923. Along with other Christian groups such as the Assyrians, Armenian Christians were a despised minority under Islamic Ottoman rule. Mass killings took place periodically (see April 15) throughout the three decades but 1915 was by far the bloodiest year. Around 800,000 Armenian Christians were killed; many of the men were executed without trial, while women and children were deported with many dying on the way, either slaughtered or from starvation. By 1923 the formerly growing minority of Armenian Christians had been reduced to only about 50,000.
The mass killings were religiously, rather than ethnically motivated. The fact that Christians from other ethnic groups were targeted (around 250,000 Assyrian Christians were exterminated) and that those who were willing to convert to Islam were spared from deportation, serve to demonstrate this. Also, the Kurds, who were Muslim but non-Turkic, were not attacked but rather used by the Turks to carry out the atrocities. A serious attempt was made to destroy every vestige of Christian identity in the region, including destroying church buildings or turning them to other uses such as barns.
Turkey still vigorously denies that this was genocide, despite the fact that the Kurds have both admitted their role in the massacres and officially apologised. The country acknowledges that many Armenians died but cites the much lower figure of 300,000 and claims that the deaths resulted from inter-ethnic violence in which many Turks also died.
In memory of those who have had to make the supreme sacrifice for owning the name of Christ, O God give us grace to be better Christians, and bless us with a peace in times of trouble through Jesus Christ our Lord.