A pacifist religious community in rural Lancaster County Pennsylvania who practice a simple farming life without modern conveniences much the same as their 17th century Swiss-German forbears—suffered a shocking intrusion into their world when a local milkman, Charles Roberts, invaded a one-room schoolhouse, shooting 10 young girls, leaving five of them dead in October 2006. During the ordeal, one of the girls, 13-year-old Marian Fisher, offered to be killed first in hopes that the others would be spared.
Within hours of the shooting, the families of the children not only expressed their forgiveness of the killer but reached out to his family, giving food and raising money for his wife and children. Some even attended his funeral.
If the Amish can forgive the man who killed their children, how much more should the rest of us be able to forgive the petty hurts and perceived insults we receive each day? Could you forgive like the Amish?
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4 comments:
For real? I didn't know that the Amish reached out to the shooter's wife & family. That's amazing... and inspiring.
For real. For more details on how the Amish reached out, Google the 13 year old Marian Fisher who offered her life first or read the story at the following link:
http://www.beliefnet.com/story/206/story_20618_1.html#
We are all humans, we are all capable of greatness in turmoil. I've seen it in so-called 'low lifes' and I've seen it in people in so-called high status positions. We've obviously seen it here in the Amish.
Every walk of life has their good and bad people.
So now I'm back to my first sentence.
Me? If someone killed my child? I could forgive them in knowing they were out of their mind. I would feel sorry for, and at least pray for their family. I don't think I could attend the funeral though.
If my child was ever killed in that fashion....please visit me at the local mental ward...cuz I wouldn't be in a good mood for years. Bad joke.
For those Amish families that attended the funeral, and raised money....I admire them for their strength and love of mankind.
You said: "For those Amish families that attended the funeral, and raised money....I admire them for their strength and love of mankind."
me2, me2
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