This Week - 1835
Queen of Persecution
In a deceptively poetic speech on 26 February 1835, Queen Ranavalona (1778-1861) of the kingdom of Madagascar formally forbade the practice of Christianity among her subjects. In her discourse, she was careful to differentiate between her own people, for whom the new religion was forbidden and its practice a capital offense, and foreigners, to whom she permitted freedom of religion and conscience. She furthermore acknowledged the valuable intellectual and technological contributions that European missionaries (e.g. the London Missionary Society) had made to the advancement of her country, and invited them to continue working to that end on the condition that their proselytizing would cease:
"To the English or French strangers: I thank you for the good that you have done in my land and my kingdom, where you have made known European wisdom and knowledge. Do not worry yourselves—I will not change the customs and rites of our ancestors. Nevertheless, whoever breaks the laws of my kingdom will be put to death—whoever he may be. I welcome all wisdom and all knowledge which are good for this country. It would be a waste of time and effort to grab the customs and rites of my ancestors. Concerning religious practice—baptism or assemblies—it is forbidden for my people who inhabit this land to take part whether on Sunday or during the week. Concerning you, foreigners, you can practice according to your own manners and customs. Nevertheless, if skilled handiwork and other practical skills exist, which can profit our people, exercise these skills that good will come. These are my instructions which I make known to you."— Ranavalomanjaka, Kabary, February 26, 1835
Pursuant to the 26 February decree, those who possessed a Bible, worshiped in congregation or continued to profess adherence to Christianity were fined, jailed, manacled, subjected to “trial by ordeal” (torture), or executed. Lurid accounts of the execution and torture of Christians were reported by missionaries with informants on the island who placed emphasis on what they perceived as the savagery of the Queen's actions. For instance, they reported the public execution of 15 Christian leaders near the Queen's palace who were dangled on ropes 150 feet above a rock-filled ravine before the ropes were cut upon their refusal to renounce Christianity. The precise number of Malagasy citizens put to death for religious reasons during Ranavalona's reign is difficult to state with certainty. British missionary to Madagascar W.E. Cummins (1878) places the number executed at between 60 and 80. Far more were required to undergo the tangena ordeal, condemned to hard labor, or stripped of their land and property, and many of these died.
Prayer points:
1) Pray for countries where Christians are jailed, tortured or killed.
2) Pray for government leaders to seek peace and tolerance of those who choose to follow Jesus and the trend for “anti-conversion laws” is reversed (Nepal, India, Iran, Pakistan, (etc)
3) Give thanks for the faith of those who have suffered and been martyred for their belief in Christ.
4) Give thanks for Christians in Madagascar. According to Pew Research Center data for 2021, 85.3 percent of the population are Christian, 3 percent are Muslim, 4.5 percent adhere to traditional beliefs, and 6.9 percent have no affiliation.
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ranavalona_I
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