An Amish man that lived near the school said, "We were all Amish this week." As fellow Christians, are there attributes of the way the Amish live out their faith that we should strive to incorporate in our own lives beyond "that week"?
How do you define forgiveness?
17 comments:
At the time the Nickel Mines event happened, I was horrified, especially that it happened to such gentle people so close to home. I prayed for the children that were still alive and for their families.
I can remember thinking how totally insane this shooting was. These Amish girls did nothing wrong and yet they were probably chosen because of how innocent they were. As I was reading, I thought about how brave they were. Maybe because they couldn't imagine the horrors he was about the inflict on them.
Honestly, when I read about the Amish response and their quick forgiveness, I immediately thought they were better people than I am. I'm not sure that is something happened to my child, I would be that quick to forgive, even though we are told to do so by Christ.
What we can learn from this event is how the Amish demonstrated that forgiveness is an ingrained part of their faith -- a first response to tragedy. They all reacted in the same way. Pastor Ludwig commented at the Bible Class this morning that the book should be entitled "Amish Forgiveness." The Amish feel that to be forgiven of their sins, they need to forgive others.
I felt that the shooting at Nickel Mines was a greater tragedy, if you will, than the others because the victims lived apart from the world and do not know violence as we do. The manner in which they were killed was especially violent. I agree, Kim, they were very brave. I can support the idea of them being considered martyrs
I know that Kim mentioned that Pastor Ludwig commented to her that the Amish grace is different than ours, and perhaps that is angle we can explore as we progress through the book. But, from what I have read so far, when the authors speak of grace and think in terms of the Amish capacity for forgiveness. To forgive someone in your heart.
We all know that forgiveness is a gift from God through Jesus taking our place in his death and resurrection, but for us non-Amish I think it would take a lot of time and a lot of effort to forgive someone who did something similar to us personally. Such Amish forgiveness is something we are not conditioned to do, even though we know that none of us deserve God's forgiveness but it extends to everyone and Jesus asks us to forgive other as we have been forgiven.
Pastor Ludwig talked to me about the book on Sunday and I did think his point was interesting. While we are blessed by grace, I don't think Christ intended that in order to receive it, we must give it. That said, it does seem to be an interesting philosophical discussion. Especially when in the book they discussed what if the U.S. had responded to 9/11 by forgiving instead of bombing a country?
I think what Pastor Ludwig was saying was that forgiveness should flow readily from our hearts rather than merely from an understanding that we must forgive others to be forgiven ourselves.
I think individual forgiveness is apart from justice. If Charles Roberts had been taken into custody by the State Police, forgiving him and choosing not to give into anger does not mean he should not be held accountable for his actions in terms of the law.
The world responded with admiration of and assistance to the Amish, who responded with appreciation and humility. I admire their humble natures, their not wanting to be praised and in the limelight.
I have wondered what the Amish would have done if the perpetrator had not exacted his own punishment by killing himself but rather had tried to escape and had been apprehended.
It was noted in Part I that some criticized the Amish for being very fatalistic: What's meant to happen will happen. Might this lead to a certain carelessness in living their lives and raising their children?
It's interesting what you noted Kim. That to be forgiven, doesn't mean that you shouldn't still be held accountable to the law. Pastor Hardy once said that to me when talking about the death penalty. I'm sure the Amish wouldn't have demanded the death penalty but I think others would have wanted it.
We live so close to the Amish communities and yet we often fail to see beyond the obvious lack of technology in their lives. It is their humility that we should focus on when we think of them, not the horse and buggies
The other aspect I remember very vividly from 2006 was the efforts of the State Police. They worked to protect their privacy and dignity from the glare of the media. It was very moving to see the funeral processions lead by state troopers on horseback
I was impressed by the gracious way the Amish responded to the glare of publicity and the way the reporters and police were very sensitive and respectful in their actions.
Thanks for blogging this evening. I look forward to continuing our discussion of forgiveness and grace.
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