What the Amish are Teaching America
The Common Dreams Newscenter has a short piece on the reaction of the Amish community to the shooting of 10 of their children, killing five. I haven’t written anything about the events, but the reaction of both the older girls before they were shot and their families after the attacks has moved me.
Marian Fisher, according to an article in the Seattle Times, asked to be shot before the other girls, all younger than her, apparently in an effort to get the gunman to let the others go.
The Common Dreams piece takes the story and admittedly goes a little far in extrapolating the lessons from the story into a sermon on the war and the American prison system. I don’t disagree with these extrapolations, per se, but the compassion and courage of the girls that day is worthy of more contemplation and self-reflection than simply to be used as a springboard for a political sermon.
Maybe that’s our problem.
Perhaps we turn every tragedy into a posture to adopt or a policy to enact, and in doing so miss out on the real lessons that those who respond with grace in the face of violence have to teach us. The most compelling acts of courage, it seems to me, are not the ones belonging to soldiers carrying out the rage of a nation but the ones that carry out the words of truth, which have turned the world on its head for 2,000 years: “Love your enemies.”
October 7th, 2006 at 5:16 pm
Amen.
p
October 9th, 2006 at 11:10 am
I agree with much of your take on the article, Ray. Ultimately that is and should be the goal in Iraq and everywhere American soldiers put feet on the ground. We must continue to show compassion to the Iraqi citizens for they are not our enemy as some would have you believe. That doesn’t mean that keeping up security isn’t important but we must now lead the world in helping Iraq and Afghanistan pick themselves up and help them to see that there are other options than violence. This also means not turning our backs on them when they need help the most.
October 15th, 2006 at 8:31 am
I thought you might like this. This is from a post a few days ago.
p
The Beauty of the Amish
The Amish are beautiful because the glory of God is upon their homes. The Amish are beautiful because the Holy Spirit lives in their hearts. He is their life. The beauty of the Amish is my father\’s spirit. The Holy Spirit poured his love on a grieving and broken people.
I had not allowed myself the grace to grieve and mourn w/ them. I was selfish and proud. But Father forgive me for not noticing the magnificence of your grace upon them.
They raised funds for the family of the man that killed their children and have reached out to them in love and solidarity. They are teaching me more about God\’s grace and how to love than all the contemplation I have studied in the last two years. Will the world listen?
Their beauty is in their grace, their forgiveness, their love. They have chosen the holy route of not getting angry. They have chosen the route of loving your enemy. I have much to learn from them. We have much to learn from them. May their beauty crowd out all the darkness in our hearts. May we live life and live it abundantly full of the grace they are teaching us.
Amen.
p