Why would they forgive the killer if:
1. he killed their little girls
2. had planned to rape the girls (duct tape and vasoline were found in there)
A painful past is no excuse!!!!!
I just don't get it at all and I want the Religious perspective.
2006-10-11 07:35:18 · 29 answers · asked by SweetKiti 3 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
They let God handle the justice, they understand this life is temporary and that they will be with their children again. There children are also at peace. When they forgive this man it allows him to be able to repent and change without being held hostage as he himself held their children.
2006-10-11 07:48:49 · answer #1 · answered by Angel 4 · 2⤊ 1⤋
The Amish did what we as Christians all should do. Instead of making a big scene of it, they accepted what had happened and held no bitterness or hard feelings for the outside community. I strongly admire the Amish for what they did. My grandson was killed by a drunk driver last Saturday, and I hold no hatred or want any revenge on him. I can understand how the Amish feel. Now the State Of Texas has taken over the case of my oldest grandson, and I don' t want to see his friend punished. If they send him to prison, it is not going to bring James back. The poor kid is going to have to live with the fact he killed my grandson for the rest of his life, and I think there won't be a day goes by, that the poor boy won't suffer. My grandson (my eldest) was a saved born again Christian, and I know he would want the same.
2006-10-11 14:42:49 · answer #2 · answered by stullerrl 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I don't know Amish doctrine enough to say much about it, other than that I do know that Satan has very sick followers which we can't see, and sometimes an entire gang of them will work hard on people to try to get them to commit really heinous crimes. We cannot judge others the way God can, as we don't know what chemical imbalances the man may have had, or if other events in his life shaped the way he was thinking. Our job is to uphold the laws of the land, and when there seems to be no justice in this life, trust in God to bring the law of compensation into effect. The Amish appear to have a strong faith in the Resurrection and that law of compensation which is covered by the Atonement of Jesus Christ.
2006-10-11 15:32:39 · answer #3 · answered by Cookie777 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Hey, you don't get it because most Christians are not as forgiving as the Amish!
But Jesus did actually teach that we should forgive those who sin against us. In this case the man was mentally sick and the Amish were thinking also of his family who live in the same community. Notice how the Amish are being attacked for their forgiveness... next we will be forgiving Muslims
2006-10-11 14:51:32 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
The Amish take Jesus seriously when he tells us to forgive everyone. It only for God to judge people. It is an incredibly hard thing to do. I admire the Amish people of Lancaster County for their incredible witness of true Christianity. This is what it means to be a Christian. It is so much different than the hate and anger that we see from the self-proclaimed Christians who seem to have get all of the media. Christians would not be hated as much as they are if more of us were able to live the true Christianity displayed by the Amish.
2006-10-11 14:41:15 · answer #5 · answered by anyonexxxxxx9999 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Im not religious. Im betting youre not either - or you would know about Jesus' teaching of turning the other cheek....
How about an atheistic explanation?? can you imagine a better way of dealing with a tradgedy such as this, than by simply forgiving the person that did this? By doing so, you take the pain away, and look to God as the reason it happened. You end up making sense of what occurred. And, if he survived, what better way to convert someone than to show them ultimate forgiveness? Imagine how it eases the nerves of the family that the man left behind......
There is so many reasons.... Its understandable that we cant understand it.
2006-10-11 14:40:37 · answer #6 · answered by YDoncha_Blowme 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
The Amish totally believe in forgiveness.
Something all of us should believe.
Acts Of Apostles 13:38
Be it known therefore to you, men, brethren, that through him forgiveness of sins is preached to you: and from all the things, from which you could not be justified by the law of Moses.
Matthew 6:14
For if you will forgive men their offences, your heavenly Father will forgive you also your offences
Matthew 6:15
But if you will not forgive men, neither will your Father forgive you your offences.
Mark 11:25
And when you shall stand to pray, forgive, if you have aught against any man; that your Father also, who is in heaven, may forgive you your sins
Mark 11:26
But if you will not forgive, neither will your Father that is in heaven, forgive you your sins.
Luke 6:37
Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you shall be forgiven.
2006-10-11 15:57:32 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
The Amish are Christians. Christians believe that we are to forgive as we want God to forgive us. Denying other people forgiveness may cause us to be denied God's grace.
A painful past is no excuse, but holding onto hate and resentment won't get you anything. It won't even make you feel better. It will, more likely, cause you more pain and degredation.
God loves us all.
2006-10-11 14:44:20 · answer #8 · answered by luvwinz 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
They would forgive a killer for any reason. I lived near an Amish community that a Amish husband not only killed his wife, but disemboweled her. He went to psych ward, but they completely forgave him. That's what the Bible says to do, and their culture lives by that rule. We should too.
Although, they do have strict rules amongst themselves to live by. If an Amish person gets caught doing something they shouldn't, they could be cast out of their society.
2006-10-11 14:47:16 · answer #9 · answered by seeya 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The Amish may seem like a quaint group of people, but they are in fact a dangerous cult who commit all kinds of atrocities within their closed communities.
There have been several reports in the media about incest and rampant sexual and physical abuse within their community. If that isn't enough they deprive their children of a real education, and we simply let them because of religious freedom.
Well sorry but in a civilized society we should not be tolerant of innocent children being treated in this way. The backwards upbringing, combined with the lack of education leaves the Amish children mentally stunted with little choice but to stay within this insidious little community.
As for the whole forgiveness thing, it is just a part of their cult. In the last Sixty Minutes show I saw about the Amish they forgave a teenage boy who had repeatedly raped and molested his sister. His punishment was six weeks without going to church.
2006-10-11 14:42:00 · answer #10 · answered by ZCT 7 · 0⤊ 2⤋
The opposite of forgiveness is hate. Hate will destoy the people filled with it. These people must be tortured right now. To survive such an ordeal, it hurts to even imagine what they are going through. I believe this is a situation so big that they have handed it over to God to handle. Sometimes that is all you can do. Other wise you yourself would go insane. All children go back to heaven, they are God's angels. These people know that.
2006-10-11 14:47:41 · answer #11 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋