Amish donate cash to school gunman's widow

MSNBC.Com ^ | September 134 2007 | AP

[RDTF]

PHILADELPHIA - An Amish community that lost five girls in a Pennsylvania schoolhouse shooting massacre last year has donated money to the widow of the gunman, the community said Wednesday.

The Nickel Mines Accountability Committee, which was set up to handle more than $4.3 million in donations from around the world after the shootings, said it had given an unspecified "contribution" to Marie Roberts, a mother of three.

Her husband, Charles Carl Roberts, a local milk truck driver who was not Amish, tied up and shot 10 Amish schoolgirls aged 6 to 14 in their classroom last Oct. 2, killing five of them before turning the gun on himself.

-snip-

[ErnBatavia]

Headline more than a tad misleading?

[Hydroshock]

A true act of Christian charity and love.

[HuntsvilleTxVeteran]

Reward a criminal murder’s family!

[gridlock]

Those wacky Amish...

[Red Badger]

There will be a lot of Amish people in the Kingdom of God..................

[rightwingintelligentsia]

I don’t think the widow is getting the entire $4.3 million—just an “unspecified portion” of the larger fund.

[Yo-Yo]

Now that’s how Christ intended us to turn the other cheek.

[FormerLib]

Sounds more like they are extending charity to the family abandoned by this evil man. From every account that I’ve seen, the family is blameless in this matter.

[RDTF]

no - apparently they set up the fund.

[stratboy]

Must have done a lot of digging in the fields to get 4mil from coffee cans.

[RDTF]

that makes more sense, a portion of the money overall that was donated to them

[Guenevere]

Hard to grasp a love so absolute ....that forgiveness/compassion is intrinsic.
Only God can sustain a heart so pure & yielding.

[Pablo64]

The murderer's wife and children had absolutely nothing to do with his actions, yet you would blame them for his evil wrongdoings.

Shame on you.

[RDTF]

I see what you mean. I asked the mod to remove that part.

[Right Angler]

All believers could learn much from the Amish response to this horrible massacre.

[blu]

Here's the headline, with the subhead:

Amish donate cash to school gunman’s widow

Unspecified amount given by fund disbursing $4.3 million in contributions

A Mod can fix the headline for you.

[HuntsvilleTxVeteran]

To me this is the same thing as giving money to a suicide bomber’s family!

[Redleg Duke]

No wonder the ACLU and the DNC hate Christians!

[bigjackattack]

I remember feeling that the whole story never came out, I think the widow has info she is not giving up, normal well balanced people don’t just wake up and do things like this.

[bmwcyle]

God Bless them.

[Redleg Duke]

Then, I think you need to revisit your premise.

[Bogtrotter52]

“Those wacky Amish...”

Naw. not wacky, just very together people. though I couild never live the lifestyle. I especially like the way they can keep their traditions, be good citizens in the community, and most important, do not try to convert people or throw their religion and beliefs in peoples faces. Much to be admired. While they may seem clannis and cultish to some they are unlikely to end up hold up in some compound with guns awaiting the end times.

[SueRae]

The Amish have tought me more about the meaning of Christianity than any preacher. I have never witnessed such selflessness and charitability ever. They are truly remarkable people. It will be 1 year since that awful day on October 4th, about 20 miles from where I live. I am grateful to have them as distant neighbors and I hope the media and onlookers stay away from them as that date approaches.

[VirginiaMom]

A suicide bombers family endorses what he/she does and glorifies it. This murderer’s family did no such thing. To compare the two makes no sense.

[indcons]

BTTT

However, I’ll be honest - I am incapable of such good feelings and charity though I understand that the family had nothing to do with that murderer’s horrible crimes.

[najida]

Yeah,
lets just kill his kids too, they’ll probably grow up just like him.../sarcasm.

You need a hug, doncha?

[najida]

What info?
Maybe he was a little more quiet or short tempered than usual. Maybe he was paranoid about some things. Maybe he was acting just a little bit odd and not like himself..

Surely you don’t thing that she would have been able from whatever changes in his character to think “A HA! He’s going to go to a school and kill a bunch of kids!”

Sorry, but even when someone gives clues about going ‘off’ they’re only clues in hindsite.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

This is the kind of thing the Americans did in Japan and Germany for the families left behind from a decade of killing and war.

[HuntsvilleTxVeteran]

You jump from rewarding a murder’s family to killing his kids, a great leap of logic.

[grellis]

From all of the "exposes" on how one becomes a homicide bomber, the family members usually seem to encourage their sons, brothers and nephews into the act--not force them, but give them the big thumbs up.

I have yet to see any evidence that the widow Roberts or her children encouraged their spouse/father into the massacre which he alone perpetrated.

Have you ever sinned? Done something stupid? C'mon, share with the class. Then we can go after your family.

[BraveMan]

I wish I could learn to forgive like this. I would be a much better man for it . . .

I still have a long way to go in my walk.

[Little Ray]

I have to admire the Amish, for their Christian charity and forgiveness, but not necessarily for their common sense.

[Pablo64]

Yeah, because I'm sure that before he went out that morning his kids all begged him to take hostages, kill people, then kill himself and leave them without a father.

Do I really need the sarcasm tag, or can you figure this one out for yourself?

[svcw]

The family is Innocent of the crime. What the Amish are doing is in Christian love.

[HuntsvilleTxVeteran]

All of my sympathy goes to the victims and their families and none to his family!

[svcw]

Why?

[zencat]

All of my sympathy goes to the victims and their families and none to his family!

The Amish community in which it happened disagrees with you. And it must be incredibly difficult to be a family member of someone that committed such an atrocity.

They Amish are an amazing bunch, and exemplify Christ's message.

[DieHard the Hunter]

> All of my sympathy goes to the victims and their families and none to his family!

With respect, that is a perfectly stupid thing to say. His family are victims of this tragedy, too. Or do you think they enjoy being widowed and fatherless and despised by people like you?

[FreeManWhoCan]

Sometimes it’s hard to forgive people but we must do it or the hate burns you up from inside. Christians can never be Christ but just a bit of faith the size of a mustard seed can move mountains. I have always believed that people who go on a rampage like this are either really, really sick or the devil has screwed up their heads. I see nothing wrong in what they did. I have a feeling that they are not blaming the man per se but the devil or some evil entity in the world that can influence people so. Yes there is evil in this world but there is also more love and compassion. My condolences to all those people who lost their lives a year ago. I hope the daughters of the killer do not let his actions affect their lives too much. I wish them all the best.

[LesbianThespianGymnasticMidget]

If we follow your logic, we, like Jesse Jackson and crew insist, owe slavery reparations to black people.

You sir, are a certifiable muddled thinker. The sin of the father is not the sin of the child. Only people like Islamic fanatics and race pimps believe such things.

I suggest a little introspection on your part to clear up your thinking.

What these Amish have done is true Christian charity. God bless them.

[HuntsvilleTxVeteran]

We must set up a fund for all murderer’s families to reward them because the murderer went crazy!

Would that make you happy?

[L98Fiero]

Well, that kind of puts it in perspective doesn’t it?

I’m feeling a tad small and insignificant right now, with good reason. Witnessing true greatness can do that to the ordinary man.

[JEC]

Obviously it shows that you have no understanding of the words “True Christain Charity”. The Amish are a magnificent family of people and the rest of the country can learn quite a bit from them.

[Syntyr]

“I still have a long way to go in my walk.”

As do I! However, take heart that you recognize that you have a long way to go... Self Awareness is many steps down the path.

[DieHard the Hunter]

> We must set up a fund for all murderer’s families to reward them because the murderer went crazy!

The story is about the Amish giving money to the murderer’s family. “We” aren’t involved.

Go back, read the story slowly and carefully. Try not to let your lips get tired, so take plenty of rests in between sentences.

[HuntsvilleTxVeteran]

I guess you are right, I do not believe in rewarding a murderer’ family.

So I am a bad Christian!

[MrLee]

Never heard of the “religion of peace” doing anything remotely like this. And they worship the same God as Christians & Jews?? I think not.

God Bless ‘em - those “funny little Amish”. Yup, there’ll be a lot of the up there I’m sure.....

[Sue Perkick]

If the world would display the character of these people it would be a better place. They never cease to amaze me.

[MEGoody]

To me this is the same thing as giving money to a suicide bomber’s family!

I would see no problem with that as long as the family wasn't involved in encouraging him to be a suicide bomber. You can't blame a whole family for the actions of one member.