We’ve all heard the news by now about the gunman who killed the young girls in the Amish community. Unfortunately
this type of heinous act is nothing new to us these days. We’re accustomed to hearing about either a lone gunman or
gunmen charging into communities killing people, or going into schools killing teachers and/or students. What has
struck me with the Amish tragedy is the response.
Whenever a horrible crime is committed against an individual or group of individuals I find the response to be
generally the same. People want revenge. It’s the old Mosaic Law of “eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth.” Yet,
according to the Republican Leadership and the Evangelical Christian movement, we’re supposed to be a Christian
nation. So let me ask all of you, where is the Christian love in this kind of Old Testament revenge? Even when
someone commits a sin against another, regardless of the severity of it, we are told to forgive not seven times, but up
to seventy-seven times (Matthew 18:21-22). Now I realize what the message here really is. It’s ridiculous to actually
put a number on the number of times we forgive, but once a person sins above that then WATCH OUT!!! Yes, that
would be ridiculous. However, consider what we do here in America. One of the most tragic crimes a person can
commit is murder. The taking of another life (innocent or not) is reprehensible, yet we see it happening all the time.
Not just in the murders and crimes being committed against ordinary people, but also through our collective dire
need to seek revenge. Again we are back to that eye for an eye business. We especially hear the need for laws
allowing this type of retribution coming from the socio-political right wing movement, yet where is the Christian love?
Where are these Christian values they espouse? I hear a lot of anger, a lot of need for revenge, a lot of hatred, but I
don’t hear one of Christ’s most talked about value of all, and that is forgiveness.
Why this has struck me so strongly is because of the way the Amish community has come together in support and
healing. We expect them to console the parents of the young girls killed, but what touched me is the way they
consoled the father of the gunman. Here is a man, who in one day, not only lost a son but also has to live for the rest
of his life knowing that this son took the lives of innocent girls. To say that this broke his heart is an understatement
of massive proportions, and yet, there were scenes of people in the Amish community going up to this same father
whereupon they would put their arms around him and just hold him while he would cry in a grief stricken state that I
hope none of us ever have to experience. The people even expressed forgiveness for the gunmen even though he
had already committed suicide after the killings. This isn’t just some lip service. This is real. So now I ask you, how
many of the Beatitudes are shown by this?
“Blessed are those who mourn for they will be comforted.” Not only were the parents of the slain girls comforted, but
the gunman’s father was comforted as well. He especially was the recipient of a Christ-like value.
“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.” The Amish people don’t just talk about their beliefs. THEIR
BELIEFS ARE ALIVE IN THEM!!! Their spirituality and faith is an integral part of who they are. They are pure in heart.
When the survivors of the all those killed were comforted, they just didn’t see the faces of their friends and
community members. They saw the loving face of God reflected in the eyes of each one of them. This is what it
means to be a true Christian!!!
Lastly, I want to briefly mention Westboro Baptist Church. These are the people who claim that God hates
homosexuals, and because of America’s growing tolerance towards them, God is having our uniformed men and
women killed in Iraq. That is God’s hatred according to Fred Phelps and his clan. Now, they have turned their
attention towards the Amish and have announced they will picket the funerals to show again that these girls were
killed because of America’s tolerance towards gays. I don’t have to say that this made me almost physically sick when
I heard it on the news. Here is the final Beatitude. “Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.” The Amish people have always been the subject of some scorn because of the
way they choose to live, and yet they persevere and now they will have to contend with the vitriolic hatred that only
Westboro Baptist Church can dispense. Still, the Amish harm no one and are welcoming and accepting of everyone.
They are good people who truly demonstrate what it means to be a disciple of Christ.
May we all learn the lessons that these good people can teach us so that we can finally turn away from “eye for an
eye, tooth for a tooth.” After all, what does it say about a society that would have everyone blind and toothless?
this type of heinous act is nothing new to us these days. We’re accustomed to hearing about either a lone gunman or
gunmen charging into communities killing people, or going into schools killing teachers and/or students. What has
struck me with the Amish tragedy is the response.
Whenever a horrible crime is committed against an individual or group of individuals I find the response to be
generally the same. People want revenge. It’s the old Mosaic Law of “eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth.” Yet,
according to the Republican Leadership and the Evangelical Christian movement, we’re supposed to be a Christian
nation. So let me ask all of you, where is the Christian love in this kind of Old Testament revenge? Even when
someone commits a sin against another, regardless of the severity of it, we are told to forgive not seven times, but up
to seventy-seven times (Matthew 18:21-22). Now I realize what the message here really is. It’s ridiculous to actually
put a number on the number of times we forgive, but once a person sins above that then WATCH OUT!!! Yes, that
would be ridiculous. However, consider what we do here in America. One of the most tragic crimes a person can
commit is murder. The taking of another life (innocent or not) is reprehensible, yet we see it happening all the time.
Not just in the murders and crimes being committed against ordinary people, but also through our collective dire
need to seek revenge. Again we are back to that eye for an eye business. We especially hear the need for laws
allowing this type of retribution coming from the socio-political right wing movement, yet where is the Christian love?
Where are these Christian values they espouse? I hear a lot of anger, a lot of need for revenge, a lot of hatred, but I
don’t hear one of Christ’s most talked about value of all, and that is forgiveness.
Why this has struck me so strongly is because of the way the Amish community has come together in support and
healing. We expect them to console the parents of the young girls killed, but what touched me is the way they
consoled the father of the gunman. Here is a man, who in one day, not only lost a son but also has to live for the rest
of his life knowing that this son took the lives of innocent girls. To say that this broke his heart is an understatement
of massive proportions, and yet, there were scenes of people in the Amish community going up to this same father
whereupon they would put their arms around him and just hold him while he would cry in a grief stricken state that I
hope none of us ever have to experience. The people even expressed forgiveness for the gunmen even though he
had already committed suicide after the killings. This isn’t just some lip service. This is real. So now I ask you, how
many of the Beatitudes are shown by this?
“Blessed are those who mourn for they will be comforted.” Not only were the parents of the slain girls comforted, but
the gunman’s father was comforted as well. He especially was the recipient of a Christ-like value.
“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.” The Amish people don’t just talk about their beliefs. THEIR
BELIEFS ARE ALIVE IN THEM!!! Their spirituality and faith is an integral part of who they are. They are pure in heart.
When the survivors of the all those killed were comforted, they just didn’t see the faces of their friends and
community members. They saw the loving face of God reflected in the eyes of each one of them. This is what it
means to be a true Christian!!!
Lastly, I want to briefly mention Westboro Baptist Church. These are the people who claim that God hates
homosexuals, and because of America’s growing tolerance towards them, God is having our uniformed men and
women killed in Iraq. That is God’s hatred according to Fred Phelps and his clan. Now, they have turned their
attention towards the Amish and have announced they will picket the funerals to show again that these girls were
killed because of America’s tolerance towards gays. I don’t have to say that this made me almost physically sick when
I heard it on the news. Here is the final Beatitude. “Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.” The Amish people have always been the subject of some scorn because of the
way they choose to live, and yet they persevere and now they will have to contend with the vitriolic hatred that only
Westboro Baptist Church can dispense. Still, the Amish harm no one and are welcoming and accepting of everyone.
They are good people who truly demonstrate what it means to be a disciple of Christ.
May we all learn the lessons that these good people can teach us so that we can finally turn away from “eye for an
eye, tooth for a tooth.” After all, what does it say about a society that would have everyone blind and toothless?
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