In love with Switzerland – A day in Geneva
Geneva is the second most populous city after Zurich and the French-speaking part of Switzerland. It is a global city, a financial centre, and a worldwide centre for diplomacy due to the presence of many international organisations headquartered including Europe’s United Nations and the Red Cross. CERN in Geneva is the birthplace of world wide web (www) as we know it today. It was invented by an English engineer and computer scientist Tim Berners-Lee in 1989.
I only had one day scheduled to explore Geneva, which, unfortunately, really did not do it justice considering its magnitude in history and the many interesting things to see and do. Still, I’m so delighted to have an up-close-and-personal experience with this wonderful city. I enjoyed the moment being in a country whose name itself is synonymous to high quality. It has earned an indelible excellent reputation in the field of horology.
For hours, I content myself window-shopping and admiring the beautiful pieces high-end watches such as Vacheron Constantin. Its motto is ‘Do better if possible and that is always possible’. Some of the other Swiss luxury watch brands that mesmerised me were Patek Philippe, Omega, Franck Muller, Piaget, and my personal favourite: Jaeger-LeCoultre. ‘Like shopping for a Swiss watch. Hard to make a mistake’, as Swiss Airlines advertisement at Zurich Airport says. I felt envious looking at those exquisite pieces, but I had to remind myself that I too have a fair share of Swiss-made luxury timepiece: a Meyers diamond-studded watch courtesy of SBGC. It was given to me during my tenth year of service in the company.
The Republic of Geneva was proclaimed in 1541 under John Calvin, who was a French theologian. He was a principal figure in the development of the system of Christian theology later called Calvinism.
Like Martin Luther, he was a German monk who was a seminal figure of the Protestant Reformation. He rejected several teachings and practices of the Roman Catholic Church when he published his Ninety-five Theses in 1517. Its principal teachings included that salvation is earned and justified by faith alone (sola fide) rather than through indulgences; Calvin too was an influential Protestant Reformer during his time. Below is one the verses that had special significance in the Reformation and in today’s Protestant Christian belief:
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God. (Eph. 2: 8 NIV)
John Calvin accepted the challenge in rebuilding Geneva based on the principles on the word of God and taught a new way of understanding God and spirituality, which included doctrines of predestination and of the absolute sovereignty of God in salvation of the human soul from death and eternal damnation. Another important doctrine is public proclamation and personal conversion to Jesus Christ. He also taught about responsible parenting and the value of hard, honest work. During his leadership, Geneva became the chief international centre of Reformed Protestantism.
This new principle became the cornerstone of the people who adhered to the teaching and practised. It made Geneva flourish and made an impact in the society and in other parts of Europe. In England, when Mary I (Bloody Mary) succeeded to the throne in 1553, many English Reformers fled the country. Some went to Geneva to seek refuge and, later under Calvin, undertook the translation of the Bible into English that was published in 1560. It became known as Geneva Bible.
The Geneva Bible is one of the most historically significant translations into English preceding the King James Version by fifty-one years. It was the primary Bible of sixteenth-century English Protestantism and was used and quoted by many famous writers such as William Shakespeare, John Milton (author of Paradise Lost), and John Bunyan (author of The Pilgrim’s Progress), amongst others. It was one of the Bibles taken to America on the Mayflower in 1620.
Most of today’s Christian denominations such as Baptist, Presbyterian, Pentecostal, and Evangelical Christians spring from and are products of the Protestant Reformation that started in Europe.
Another person who had an extraordinary influence in Geneva and in the whole world was Henry Dunant. He was a Swiss businessman, a philanthropist from an affluent family, and a devout Calvinist. Henry Dunant was the first-ever recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1901, along with Frédéric Passy, for his role in founding the International Red Cross Movement and initiating the Geneva Convention.
John Calvin and Henry Dunant were amongst the people who lived in Geneva who dedicated their lives through living out of the biblical worldview, which made a huge influence in the religious and secular world even to this day. We too could make a difference that could contribute to the betterment of the community we live in. And through heartfelt commitment, dedication and by lovingly using the God-given skills and talents that we have no matter how insignificant it may seem for us. As we reflect on the history of Geneva, the city of Reformation, it is our challenge to look how we could be instrumental in continuing to spread the spirit of Reformation in our time.
It is amazing to know that Switzerland, a relatively small country, has done a huge impact and influence in today’s religion and has played a major role for the betterment of the secular world.
Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. (Lk. 16: 10 NIV)
