Nelson Mandela himself never claimed to be a 'Saint'. And as I have stated earlier, he had his own imperfections for which he himself have admitted.
Context and perspective I believe should be taken into account while viewing Nelson Mandela either as a terrorist or freedom fighter.
The likes of George Washington, Ulysses S. Grant, Winston Churchill and William Wallace who led through some of history’s bloodiest war were considered great statesmen and freedom fighters by one party while considered ‘terrorists’ by the other party.
Nelson Mandela himself said they (his organisation) opted for armed struggle as a last resort because increasing repression and violence from the state convinced him that many years of non-violent protest against apartheid had failed to bear any fruit or positive result. Some even argued Mandela advocated peace until the Sharpville Massacre of 1960.
His priority was ending apartheid and bringing freedom and equality to his countrymen. To quote Dr. Mathew Rozsa,“If injustice and oppression reach extremes that cannot be thwarted non-violently, the evil of violent resistance is far less than the evil of continued acquiescence to wrong. And unless one is a racist (or at best historically ignorant), then it must be acknowledged that South Africa's apartheid regime was one of the most unjust, oppressive, and morally repugnant governments to ever exist. Under apartheid, different races were forcibly separated by law. If you were black, you had to carry special papers wherever you went, lacked the right to vote, were barred from any job that might allow meaningful, socioeconomic advancement, and were subject to casual violence, squalid living conditions, and regular humiliation from both the oppressive state and the bigotry of ordinary citizens.”
His biographers have stated that Nelson Mandela preferred the non-violent way and abhorred the notion of resorting to physical force. In fact, he is believed to have stated that, "non-violence is a good policy when condition permits". Some historians have also agreed that freedom fighters always don't have the luxury of avoiding violence and so was the case with Nelson Mandela.
However, unlike a 'terrorist', he was not only humane and humble enough to acknowledge and accept his ‘mistake’ of resorting to armed struggle but he became the epitome of forgiveness and reconciliation for bringing the black and while people under one Nation and thereby preventing an impending civil war between the two groups.
In this context, I am reminded of the conversation I had with my South African friend who told me that one of the biggest challenges she faced as a professing Christian was forgiving the White South Africans. She told me that it was very difficult to look at the face of the Whites without remembering their atrocities during the apartheid regime. So, it makes me shudder to think what would have become of South Africa (given the fact that my friend who is otherwise kind and beautiful hearted and passionate for God could feel that way) if it was not for Nelson Mandela’s pro forgiveness and reconciliation initiatives? How was Nelson Mandela able to forgive and reconcile with his oppressors? Was it possible because of his becoming Christian and the latter impacting his life?
Whether Nelson Mandela was a genuine Christian or not lies between him and God alone. He is accountable to God and will surely stand before Him for his deeds. However, given his personal experiences with apartheid, I wonder how many of us (professing Christians) would be able to truly forgive and reconcile like him with the oppressors?
Context and perspective I believe should be taken into account while viewing Nelson Mandela either as a terrorist or freedom fighter.
The likes of George Washington, Ulysses S. Grant, Winston Churchill and William Wallace who led through some of history’s bloodiest war were considered great statesmen and freedom fighters by one party while considered ‘terrorists’ by the other party.
Nelson Mandela himself said they (his organisation) opted for armed struggle as a last resort because increasing repression and violence from the state convinced him that many years of non-violent protest against apartheid had failed to bear any fruit or positive result. Some even argued Mandela advocated peace until the Sharpville Massacre of 1960.
His priority was ending apartheid and bringing freedom and equality to his countrymen. To quote Dr. Mathew Rozsa,“If injustice and oppression reach extremes that cannot be thwarted non-violently, the evil of violent resistance is far less than the evil of continued acquiescence to wrong. And unless one is a racist (or at best historically ignorant), then it must be acknowledged that South Africa's apartheid regime was one of the most unjust, oppressive, and morally repugnant governments to ever exist. Under apartheid, different races were forcibly separated by law. If you were black, you had to carry special papers wherever you went, lacked the right to vote, were barred from any job that might allow meaningful, socioeconomic advancement, and were subject to casual violence, squalid living conditions, and regular humiliation from both the oppressive state and the bigotry of ordinary citizens.”
His biographers have stated that Nelson Mandela preferred the non-violent way and abhorred the notion of resorting to physical force. In fact, he is believed to have stated that, "non-violence is a good policy when condition permits". Some historians have also agreed that freedom fighters always don't have the luxury of avoiding violence and so was the case with Nelson Mandela.
However, unlike a 'terrorist', he was not only humane and humble enough to acknowledge and accept his ‘mistake’ of resorting to armed struggle but he became the epitome of forgiveness and reconciliation for bringing the black and while people under one Nation and thereby preventing an impending civil war between the two groups.
In this context, I am reminded of the conversation I had with my South African friend who told me that one of the biggest challenges she faced as a professing Christian was forgiving the White South Africans. She told me that it was very difficult to look at the face of the Whites without remembering their atrocities during the apartheid regime. So, it makes me shudder to think what would have become of South Africa (given the fact that my friend who is otherwise kind and beautiful hearted and passionate for God could feel that way) if it was not for Nelson Mandela’s pro forgiveness and reconciliation initiatives? How was Nelson Mandela able to forgive and reconcile with his oppressors? Was it possible because of his becoming Christian and the latter impacting his life?
Whether Nelson Mandela was a genuine Christian or not lies between him and God alone. He is accountable to God and will surely stand before Him for his deeds. However, given his personal experiences with apartheid, I wonder how many of us (professing Christians) would be able to truly forgive and reconcile like him with the oppressors?
Last edited:
