Amish sustained by forgiveness after killings
-04/10/06
A cousin of one of the childre
Amish sustained by forgiveness after killings
-04/10/06
A cousin of one of the children shot by disturbed killer Charles Carl Roberts, aged 32, has said in an interview that he believes Mr Robertsí wife would be welcome at the funeral of the girls who died.
The Amish community in Pennsylvania, USA, is in ìdeep shockî over the events, those close to it say. But they continue to be sustained by the love of God, and by a strong belief in non-violence and the power of forgiveness.
Although conservative in their lifestyle as regards dress, personal ethics, refusal of wealth and abstinence from technology, the ëplain peopleí ñ descended from German Anabaptists ñ have a radical belief in non-resistance and peace as the way of Jesus.
The death toll has increased from an initial three on 2 October 2006 to five. The gunman arrived at Georgetown school in the morning, armed with an automatic handgun and shotgun. He told the boys to leave, along with a pregnant woman and three women who had young infants with them.
Police investigators say that there may have been a sexual motive behind Mr Robertsí actions, given the items found in his possession. But from a suicide note and interviews with those who knew him it is clear that his deep disturbance arose from an incident 20 years ago involving sexual abuse.
ìHe said ‘I am not coming home,’ and he states ‘I molested some minor family members that were three and four-years-old 20 years ago’,î the Pennsylvania police commissioner Jeffrey Miller said of a phone call Mr Roberts made to his wife.
The killer also wrote in a suicide note of the trauma he experienced following the death of his premature daughter Elise in 1997. She lived for only 20 minutes.
Mr Robertsí wife Marie and other family members have said he was a good and loving husband and father and that prior to Monday’s attack there had been no hint of the terrible action he undertook.
It seems that the murders were carefully premeditated, and psychologists have talked of the man being driven by a twisted desire to ìmurder the innocence he felt had been taken from himî.
As well as mourning and seeking to nurture a spirit of forgiveness, Amish communities, who number 50,000 persons in Pennsylvania and 100,000 more in other parts of the United States, are learning to live with the massive publicity the tragic events have garnered.
It is their practice to shun the limelight in their quest for a simple and Godly life.
[Also on Ekklesia: Peaceful Amish shocked by brutal school shooting 03/10/06. Resources on the Amish from Metanoia Books, an Ekklesia partner: Who Are the Anabaptists: Amish, Brethren, Hutterites and Mennonite groups; Best of Amish Cooking: Spiral Binding ó Phyllis Pellman Good; Driving the Amish ó Jim Butterfield; Delicious Amish Recipes ó Phyllis Pellman Good; Countryside Cooking and Chatting: Traditional Recipes from the Old Order Mennonites and Amish; Amish Life ó John A Hostetler; Plain and Amish: An Alternative to Modern Pessimism; Real People: Amish and Mennonites in Lancaster County; Amish Roots: A Treasury of History, Wisdom, and Lore; An Amish Kitchen ó Mary Clemens Meyer (Ed.); Amish Portrait: Song of a People ó Merle Good; History of the Amish: Revised Edition 2003 ó Steven M Nolt; 20 Most Asked Questions About the Amish and Mennonites; Amish and the State ó Donald B Kraybill (Ed.); Amish get politically active to defend wood shops – news from Ekklesia; Fixing Tradition: Joseph W Yoder, Amish American ó Julia Kasdorf; The Amish In Their Own Words: Amish Writings]
Amish sustained by forgiveness after killings
-04/10/06
A cousin of one of the children shot by disturbed killer Charles Carl Roberts, aged 32, has said in an interview that he believes Mr Robertsí wife would be welcome at the funeral of the girls who died.
The Amish community in Pennsylvania, USA, is in ìdeep shockî over the events, those close to it say. But they continue to be sustained by the love of God, and by a strong belief in non-violence and the power of forgiveness.
Although conservative in their lifestyle as regards dress, personal ethics, refusal of wealth and abstinence from technology, the ëplain peopleí ñ descended from German Anabaptists ñ have a radical belief in non-resistance and peace as the way of Jesus.
The death toll has increased from an initial three on 2 October 2006 to five. The gunman arrived at Georgetown school in the morning, armed with an automatic handgun and shotgun. He told the boys to leave, along with a pregnant woman and three women who had young infants with them.
Police investigators say that there may have been a sexual motive behind Mr Robertsí actions, given the items found in his possession. But from a suicide note and interviews with those who knew him it is clear that his deep disturbance arose from an incident 20 years ago involving sexual abuse.
ìHe said ‘I am not coming home,’ and he states ‘I molested some minor family members that were three and four-years-old 20 years ago’,î the Pennsylvania police commissioner Jeffrey Miller said of a phone call Mr Roberts made to his wife.
The killer also wrote in a suicide note of the trauma he experienced following the death of his premature daughter Elise in 1997. She lived for only 20 minutes.
Mr Robertsí wife Marie and other family members have said he was a good and loving husband and father and that prior to Monday’s attack there had been no hint of the terrible action he undertook.
It seems that the murders were carefully premeditated, and psychologists have talked of the man being driven by a twisted desire to ìmurder the innocence he felt had been taken from himî.
As well as mourning and seeking to nurture a spirit of forgiveness, Amish communities, who number 50,000 persons in Pennsylvania and 100,000 more in other parts of the United States, are learning to live with the massive publicity the tragic events have garnered.
It is their practice to shun the limelight in their quest for a simple and Godly life.
[Also on Ekklesia: Peaceful Amish shocked by brutal school shooting 03/10/06. Resources on the Amish from Metanoia Books, an Ekklesia partner: Who Are the Anabaptists: Amish, Brethren, Hutterites and Mennonite groups; Best of Amish Cooking: Spiral Binding ó Phyllis Pellman Good; Driving the Amish ó Jim Butterfield; Delicious Amish Recipes ó Phyllis Pellman Good; Countryside Cooking and Chatting: Traditional Recipes from the Old Order Mennonites and Amish; Amish Life ó John A Hostetler; Plain and Amish: An Alternative to Modern Pessimism; Real People: Amish and Mennonites in Lancaster County; Amish Roots: A Treasury of History, Wisdom, and Lore; An Amish Kitchen ó Mary Clemens Meyer (Ed.); Amish Portrait: Song of a People ó Merle Good; History of the Amish: Revised Edition 2003 ó Steven M Nolt; 20 Most Asked Questions About the Amish and Mennonites; Amish and the State ó Donald B Kraybill (Ed.); Amish get politically active to defend wood shops – news from Ekklesia; Fixing Tradition: Joseph W Yoder, Amish American ó Julia Kasdorf; The Amish In Their Own Words: Amish Writings]