去年秋天，發生在Amish County，有一個人把鄰居家的五個小孩給殺了；在第一時間，這個家庭不但原諒了這個殺人者，而且還邀請殺人者的家庭來參加他們的葬禮；兩個家庭一起相互扶持。羅媽媽知道我對於Amish 人的生活態度很感興趣。因此把這篇Amish人如何原諒別人的文章寄給我。
"AMID BABBLE, AMISH TEACH CHRISTIANS HOW TO BEHAVE"
It's a paradox of our time that the Amish, arguably the least technological people in America, are extraordinarily effective at communicating what they believe. In a time of proliferating techno-clutter; they got their message across the old-fashioned way: through the blood sacrifice of martyrs.
There's no reason to think the Amish, who lost five of their own in Oct. 2 school shooting in Pennsylavania, had any plan for teaching us a lesson in christian forgiveness. But sacrifice and martyrdom are deeply woven into the history of Christianity. What the Amish offered all of us, whether or not we are Christians, was an enduring example of how to behave admirably in an hour of sorrow.
To use the language of cybertech that the Amish so resolutely reject, the message of forgiveness has gone "viral" across the culture.
The murder of five girls and wounding of five more ended with the killer, Charles Roberts, shooting himself as police closed in. Because no legal issue remains, we can move on to the next phase: reconciliation.
Grief and Remembrance
That's where the Amish shone. According to The Associated Press, the family of Marian Fisher invited the Roberts family to join them in grief and remembrance. And a member of the Roberts family attended Marian's funeral. Where did the Fisher family get such inspiration? One can think of the Book of Matthew, of the Sermon on the Mount, when Jesus said, "Blessed are they who mourn, for they shall be comforted." Or to Romans 12:21: "Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good."
One witness to this intensely Christian moment was the Rev. Robert Schenck, who recalled for CNN, "As we were standing next to the body of this 13-year-old girl, the grandfather was tutoring the young boys, he was making a point, just saying to the family, 'We must not think evil of this man.' It was one of the most touching things I have seen in 25 years of Christian ministry."
The widow of the killer, Marie Roberts, issued a statement declaring that she and her family were "overwhelmed by the forgiveness, grace and mercy." She added to the Amish: "Your love for our family has helped to provide the healing we so desporately need."
Once again, the Amish didn't ask for this to happen to them. One is reminded of the scene in the first" Lord of the Rings" movie when Frodo laments his difficult fate: "I wish none of this had happened." To which the wise old Gandalf answers:
"So do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us. ... There are other forces at work in this world, Frodo, besides the will of evil."
For "Rings" author J.R.R. Tolkien, himself a Christian, one of those "other forces" was God. Tolkien found a way to communicate his Christian message through allegorical fantasy. Others have found their own way-- or, in the tragic case of the Amish, fate found them.
Message Heard
It is said that a wealth of information leads to a poverty of attention. That's normally the case if the programming is just one more forgettable, interchangeable show. Yet, amid the yammering of the proverbial 500 TV channels, the powerful Amish message, inflected by tragedy, was heard by millions of Americans, loud and clear.
Thus the paradox: A people who don't own a single camera, microphone or computer found a way to make a valuable point. They led all of us , gently, by the quiet power of tragic example.
羅媽媽在文章後，還發表她的感言︰
In fact. few years back, there was a Amish man in Ohio ( Who was driving a buggy ) killed in a car accident. The Amish man's family forgave the car driver. I was very impressive when I read that news. This is the second case I know. Amish people practise what they believe. Salute to them. Hats off to them. Praise to the Lord.
There are so many lawyers in U.S.A. If they have office in Amish country, they will have no business at all.
她說︰『在美國有這麼多的律師，如果他們的辦公室是開在Amish County的話，那他們肯定會沒有任何的生意。』～羅媽媽真是太可愛了！
我真的非常感謝羅媽媽寄這篇文章給我，因為這篇文章解決了我數年來的疑惑。從小我媽就教育我；『你可以被人家ㄆㄟ，但是不能ㄆㄟ人家。』（ㄆㄟ的台語意思是佔便宜），或許我人生到現在還是一直ㄆㄟ人家，可以我還是無法忘記被人家ㄆㄟ的感受；當時的我，不知如何處理自己的情緒，覺得很委屈，為什麼別人可以這樣對我，然而，我又不能為自己爭取些什麼，因為事情已經發生了，我只能哭泣、再哭泣，甚至開始告訴自己，那個人是壞人，我的心開始討厭那個人後，我覺得我好過一些了，因為那可以讓我停止哭泣。
看了這一篇文章，這位Amish母親原諒了殺了她五個孩子的殺人者，願意與他們家人一起渡過這困難的時刻。我回想我被人ㄆㄟ的情境，與這位母親比起來，我的事情顯得微不足道。就像文章中說得，有時我看『惡』了一些事情，或是看『惡』了一些人。他們原來沒有要傷害我的意思，或是他們沒有要傷我這麼深的意思；是我自己的心，傷害了我自己。
謝謝羅媽媽，本來，我想等我60歲再來處理我不能好好做到原諒的這件事；但現在，我似乎知道要如何去將她化為行動。我一定要告訴我媽，要教我的應該是；『你可以被人家ㄆㄟ，但是不能ㄆㄟ人家；而且要知道如何心甘情願的被人家ㄆㄟ。』(by Agnes)
