I thought the following might be of interest to some of you considering
recent events:
--------------------------------------------------------------------
On Thursday, May 27, 1999, Darrell Scott, the father of Rachel Scott,
a victim of the Columbine High School Shootings in Littleton, Colorado,
was invited to address the House Judiciary Committee's sub-committee.
What
he said to our national leaders during this special session of Congress
was painfully truthful. It needs to be heard by every parent, every
teacher, every politician, every sociologist, every psychologist, and
every
so-called expert! These courageous words spoken by Darrell Scott are
powerful, penetrating, and deeply personal. There is no doubt that God
sent this man as a voice crying in the wilderness. The following is a
portion of the transcript:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Since the dawn of creation there has been both good & evil in the
hearts of men and women. We all contain the seeds of kindness or the
seeds of
violence. The death of my wonderful daughter, Rachel Joy Scott, and
the deaths of that heroic teacher, and the other eleven children who
died
must not be in vain. Their blood cries out for answers. "The first
recorded
act of violence was when Cain slew his brother Abel out in the field.
The villain was not the club he used. Neither was it the 'NCA', (The
National Club Association). The true killer was Cain, and the reason for
the
murder could only be found in Cain's heart. "In the days that followed
the
Columbine tragedy, I was amazed at how quickly fingers began to be
pointed
at groups such as the NRA. I am not a member of the NRA. I am not a
hunter. I do not even own a gun. I am not here to represent or defend
the NRA because I don't believe that they are responsible for my
daughter's death. Therefore, I do not believe that they need to be
defended. If I
believed they had anything to do with Rachel's murder I would be their
strongest opponent. I am here today to declare that Columbine was not
just a tragedy. It was a spiritual event that should be forcing us to
look
at where the real blame lies! Much of the blame lies here in this room.
Much of the blame lies behind the pointing fingers of the accusers
themselves.
I wrote a poem just four nights ago that expresses my feelings best.
This was written before I knew I would be speaking here today.
Your laws ignore our deepest needs,
Your words are empty air.
You've stripped away our heritage,
You've outlawed simple prayer.
Now gunshots fill our classrooms,
And precious children die.
You seek for answers everywhere,
And ask the question, "Why?"
You regulate restrictive laws,
Through legislative creed.
And yet you fail to understand,
That God is what we need!
"Men and women are three-part beings. We all consist of body, soul,
and spirit. When we refuse to acknowledge a third part of our make-up,
we
create a void that allows evil, prejudice, and hatred to rush in and
wreak havoc. "Spiritual influences were present within our educational
systems for most of our nation's history. Many of our major colleges
began as
theological seminaries. This is a historical fact. What has happened
to us as a nation? We have refused to honor God, and in doing so, we
open
the doors to hatred and violence. "And when something as terrible as
Columbine's tragedy occurs, politicians immediately look for a
scapegoat such as the NRA. They immediately seek to pass more
restrictive laws
that contribute to the erosion of our personal and private liberties. We
do
not need more restrictive laws. Eric and Dylan would not have been
stopped
by metal detectors. No amount of gun laws can stop someone who spends
months planning this type of massacre.
"The real villain lies within our own hearts. Political posturing and
restrictive legislation are not the answers. The young people of our
nation hold the key. There is a spiritual awakening taking place that
will not be squelched! We do not need more religion. We do not need more
gaudy television evangelists spewing out verbal religious garbage. We do
not
need more million dollar church buildings built while people with
basic needs are being ignored. We do need a change of heart and a humble
acknowledgment that this nation was founded on the principle of simple
trust in God!
"As my son, Craig, lay under that table in the school library and saw
his two friends murdered before his very eyes, he did not hesitate to
pray
in school. I defy any law or politician to deny him that right! I
challenge every young person in America, and around the world, to
realize that
on April 20, 1999, at Columbine High School prayer was brought back to
our schools. Do not let the many prayers offered by those students be in
vain.
Dare to move into the new millennium with a sacred regard for
legislation that protects your God-given right to commmunicate with Him.
"To those of you who would point your finger at the NRA - I give to
you a sincere challenge. Dare to examine your own heart before casting
the
first stone! My daughter's death will not be in vain. The young people
of
this country will not allow that to happen!"
recent events:
--------------------------------------------------------------------
On Thursday, May 27, 1999, Darrell Scott, the father of Rachel Scott,
a victim of the Columbine High School Shootings in Littleton, Colorado,
was invited to address the House Judiciary Committee's sub-committee.
What
he said to our national leaders during this special session of Congress
was painfully truthful. It needs to be heard by every parent, every
teacher, every politician, every sociologist, every psychologist, and
every
so-called expert! These courageous words spoken by Darrell Scott are
powerful, penetrating, and deeply personal. There is no doubt that God
sent this man as a voice crying in the wilderness. The following is a
portion of the transcript:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Since the dawn of creation there has been both good & evil in the
hearts of men and women. We all contain the seeds of kindness or the
seeds of
violence. The death of my wonderful daughter, Rachel Joy Scott, and
the deaths of that heroic teacher, and the other eleven children who
died
must not be in vain. Their blood cries out for answers. "The first
recorded
act of violence was when Cain slew his brother Abel out in the field.
The villain was not the club he used. Neither was it the 'NCA', (The
National Club Association). The true killer was Cain, and the reason for
the
murder could only be found in Cain's heart. "In the days that followed
the
Columbine tragedy, I was amazed at how quickly fingers began to be
pointed
at groups such as the NRA. I am not a member of the NRA. I am not a
hunter. I do not even own a gun. I am not here to represent or defend
the NRA because I don't believe that they are responsible for my
daughter's death. Therefore, I do not believe that they need to be
defended. If I
believed they had anything to do with Rachel's murder I would be their
strongest opponent. I am here today to declare that Columbine was not
just a tragedy. It was a spiritual event that should be forcing us to
look
at where the real blame lies! Much of the blame lies here in this room.
Much of the blame lies behind the pointing fingers of the accusers
themselves.
I wrote a poem just four nights ago that expresses my feelings best.
This was written before I knew I would be speaking here today.
Your laws ignore our deepest needs,
Your words are empty air.
You've stripped away our heritage,
You've outlawed simple prayer.
Now gunshots fill our classrooms,
And precious children die.
You seek for answers everywhere,
And ask the question, "Why?"
You regulate restrictive laws,
Through legislative creed.
And yet you fail to understand,
That God is what we need!
"Men and women are three-part beings. We all consist of body, soul,
and spirit. When we refuse to acknowledge a third part of our make-up,
we
create a void that allows evil, prejudice, and hatred to rush in and
wreak havoc. "Spiritual influences were present within our educational
systems for most of our nation's history. Many of our major colleges
began as
theological seminaries. This is a historical fact. What has happened
to us as a nation? We have refused to honor God, and in doing so, we
open
the doors to hatred and violence. "And when something as terrible as
Columbine's tragedy occurs, politicians immediately look for a
scapegoat such as the NRA. They immediately seek to pass more
restrictive laws
that contribute to the erosion of our personal and private liberties. We
do
not need more restrictive laws. Eric and Dylan would not have been
stopped
by metal detectors. No amount of gun laws can stop someone who spends
months planning this type of massacre.
"The real villain lies within our own hearts. Political posturing and
restrictive legislation are not the answers. The young people of our
nation hold the key. There is a spiritual awakening taking place that
will not be squelched! We do not need more religion. We do not need more
gaudy television evangelists spewing out verbal religious garbage. We do
not
need more million dollar church buildings built while people with
basic needs are being ignored. We do need a change of heart and a humble
acknowledgment that this nation was founded on the principle of simple
trust in God!
"As my son, Craig, lay under that table in the school library and saw
his two friends murdered before his very eyes, he did not hesitate to
pray
in school. I defy any law or politician to deny him that right! I
challenge every young person in America, and around the world, to
realize that
on April 20, 1999, at Columbine High School prayer was brought back to
our schools. Do not let the many prayers offered by those students be in
vain.
Dare to move into the new millennium with a sacred regard for
legislation that protects your God-given right to commmunicate with Him.
"To those of you who would point your finger at the NRA - I give to
you a sincere challenge. Dare to examine your own heart before casting
the
first stone! My daughter's death will not be in vain. The young people
of
this country will not allow that to happen!"