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In 2006, a small Amish school suffered a tragic vengeance shooting, leaving five schoolgirls dead and others injured. Contrary to expectation, however, the Amish community reached out in forgiveness. We all need to learn that there is true freedom in true forgiveness, and true forgiveness can only come through the power of Christ.

October 2nd, 2006 was a typical fall day. It was normally quiet and peaceful in the rolling Amish farmlands of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, but that peace was suddenly shattered when the sound of gunfire was heard from inside an Amish school.

West Nickel Mines Amish School

Charlie Roberts was a milk truck driver who serviced the local community, including the farms of some of the victims’ families. Nine years earlier his wife Amy gave birth to their first child, a baby girl. However, the baby died after living only 20 minutes.

Apparently, Roberts’ daughter’s death affected him greatly. He never forgave God for her death and planned to get revenge one day.

A Horrible Plan

On the morning of October 2nd, Roberts said goodbye to his two children at the school bus stop. He then drove to the West Nickel Mines Amish School.

When he walked in the door, some of the children recognised him. On that particular day, the school had four adult visitors: the teacher’s mother, her sister, and two sisters-in-law.

When the young teacher saw that Robert was carrying guns, she and her mother left the other adults with the children and ran to a nearby house for help. A call was made to 911.

Next, Roberts told the boys to leave. They complied, huddling near an outhouse to pray.

Roberts ordered the ten girls to lie down, facing the blackboard; he tied their hands and feet. Then Roberts told the girls he was sorry for what he was about to do. At the same time, though, he said:

“I’m angry at God and I need to punish some Christian girls to get even with him.”

When the local police broke into the one-room Amish schoolhouse, they found ten Amish girls ages six to thirteen who had been shot by Charles Carl Roberts IV. The murderer had then committed suicide. Five of the girls died and five survived.

The Power of Forgiveness

Despite their grief over this shocking loss, the Amish community refused to cast blame. They didn’t point fingers; they didn’t hold a press conference with attorneys at their sides.

Instead, they reached out with grace and compassion to the killer’s family.

On the afternoon of the shooting, an Amish grandfather of one of the murdered girls expressed forgiveness toward the killer. That same day, Amish neighbours visited the Roberts’ family to comfort them in their sorrow and pain.

Later that week, the Roberts family were invited to the funeral of one of the Amish girls who had been killed. Amazingly, Amish mourners outnumbered the non-Amish at Charles Roberts’ funeral.

After he cold-bloodedly shot 10 innocent Amish schoolgirls, the Amish almost immediately forgave him and showed compassion toward his family.

Running Against the Grain

In a world at war and in a society that often points fingers and blames others, this reaction was unbelievable.

Many reporters and interested followers of the story asked,

“How could they forgive such a terrible, unprovoked act of violence against innocent lives?”

The Amish culture follows the teachings of Jesus closely. And Jesus taught his followers to forgive one another, to place the needs of others before themselves and to rest in the knowledge that God is still in control and can bring good out of any situation.

Love and compassion toward others are to be the theme of one’s life. Vengeance and revenge are to be left to God. The words recorded in the Scriptures, known as the Lord’s Prayer, states:

“Forgive us our sins as we also forgive everyone who sins against us”.

This was real to the Amish community.

Following the tragic event, reporters from throughout the world invaded Lancaster County, PA to cover the story.

You can read the full story of the Amish school shooting here:

In the hours, days and years following the shooting, an unexpected story developed.

Her son shot their daughters 10 years ago. Then, these Amish families embraced her as a friend. (The Washington Post, 2016):

“The simple, quiet rural life of Terri Roberts was shattered on Oct. 2, 2006, when her oldest son, Charles Carl Roberts IV, walked into a one-room Amish schoolhouse on a clear, unseasonably warm Monday morning. The 32-year-old husband and father of three young children ordered the boys and adults to leave, tied up 10 little girls between the ages of 6 and 13 and shot them, killing five and injuring the others, before killing himself.

Terri Roberts with a photo of her son

Terri Roberts’s husband thought they’d have to move far away. He believed they would be ostracised in their community, blamed for not knowing the evil their child was capable of.

The Amish families did not see the couple as an enemy, but rather, as parents who were grieving the loss of their child, too.

The world watched in amazement as, on the day of their son Charles funeral, nearly 30 Amish men and women, some (sic) the parents of the victims, came to the cemetery and formed a wall to block out media cameras. Parents, whose daughters had died at the hand of their son, approached the couple after the burial and offered condolences for their loss.

But the Amish did more than forgive the couple. They embraced them as part of their community. When Terri Roberts underwent treatment for Stage 4 breast cancer, one of the girls who survived the massacre helped clean her home

‘The forgiveness is there; there’s no doubt they forgive,’ Terri Roberts said.”before she returned from the hospital. A large yellow bus arrived at her home around Christmas, and Amish children piled inside to sing her Christmas carols.

Colby Itkowitz wrote the story above for The Washington Post on the 1st of October 2016.

i4give You:

Is this forgiveness only relevant to the Amish community or is this something we should all consider?

Today, here in Australia, we have an i4give Day to celebrate each year.

Parents Daniel & Leila Abdallah have created i4give Day as a remembrance of their three children and a niece that were tragically lost on the 1st of February 2020. This is to also help others who have suffered in a similar way.

Please read their story and be inspired and encouraged.

You can also read our Prime Minister, Scott Morrison’s speech at the launch of i4give day to be celebrated annually on the first of February.

Why Forgive? is a book which contains real-life stories of people who have suffered some unthinkable events in their lives but were somehow able to forgive the perpetrators and come to a more peaceful place in life.

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Image by Filip Varga on Unsplash.