People who treat others as inferior are those who themselves suffer from a sense of inferiority and insecurity. Others are a threat to them because they don’t have a sense of being important to the eternal God. They don’t have the assurance that this God will look after them more than adequately. When we lose sight of our identity in Christ, lesser identifying features, like race, class, caste, and education, become significant. We try to find our identity by acting more significant than others.
Ajith Fernando

Columbine Update

Columbine Update

by Glen on 2002-11-28 00:04:04

On Thursday [this past August], 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. They
were not prepared for what he had to say, nor was it received well.

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 way 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 presences 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 so
doing, 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 erode away 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 disregard for legislation that violates your
God-given right to communicate 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!”

Do what the media did not – – let the nation hear this man’s speech.