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In
the last week, the attention of the whole world was focused on the Amish
school in Pennsylvania where five girls were killed, five others
critically wounded, and the shooter took his own life.
Charles Carl Roberts IV was angry with God, angry with himself, and
haunted with guilt. Each time such violence occurs, relatives,
journalists and other people ask the question--where was God? How could
he let this happen?
God
was and is there the whole time. As the old spiritual goes, "He's got
the whole world in his hands." He is against all violence and all
killings. Yet he will never impose his will on people, because he wants
voluntary service. As a result, tragic events like the Amish shootings
will continue to happen, as long as we all do not face the violent
nature that is in each one of us.
God
already is using the death of these five girls by turning it into
something positive. They opened up to the whole world the Amish way of
life, and their deep faith, which is able to overcome any tragedy. A lot
has been written about the Amish response to the shooting--to forgive.
Their response, "We want to forgive...that's the way we were brought
up--return good for evil." These are not just noble words. One day after
the massacre, the local Amish community started a charity not only for
the victims' families, but also to raise funds for the gunman's widow
and children.
Roberts is dead, and some people are asking, "How can justice be done if
the perpetrator is dead?" Other questions arise, such as: "Is the gunman
in heaven or hell?" That is completely superfluous. He is with God. That
is all that matters. No amount of human justice would have replaced and
redeemed the tragic loss of these five girls. We forget that God said,
"Vengeance is mine, I will repay." The gunman is in the hands of the
best judge, who will see that true justice will be done--justice that is
combined with love and with redemption, both for the victims and the
shooter himself.
School shootings and other acts of violence will continue. Each time
they occur, let us remember the lives of these girls, the example that
they gave, such as the oldest victim, Marian Fisher, and her sister
Barbie, who wanted to be shot first, to hopefully save the others.
If we
truly want justice, let us ask why we cannot follow the example given us
by the Amish. Why shouldn't it work for us too? In our violent society,
we look too quickly for human answers to stop school violence. No amount
of frisking and metal detectors and educational summits will stop it.
The Amish are right in not expecting additional security such as locks
on schools. If we want our children to be safe, we all have to look to
God for the answer. He alone can protect us and our children.
Forgiveness is for everyone--not only for the Amish. It is the universal
answer to breaking the cycle of violence that is destroying this world.
Forgiveness is power, not a weakness. It can heal both the forgiver and
the forgiven. It will change the world if we allow it. In short, we hold
the keys of forgiveness in our hands, and we must choose whether or not
to use them every day.
©
2006 Johann Christoph Arnold
[Johann Christoph Arnold is the author of ten books, including Why
Forgive? (http://www.plough.com/ebooks/whyforgive.html),
and a founder of "Breaking the Cycle," a program aimed at reducing
violence in schools by teaching forgiveness and nonviolent conflict
resolution.] |
