I think part of this may be that they knew him. He drove the truck that picked up milk at their farms for years. It's natural that they would mourn the man they knew even while being bewildered by what sudden change came over him in the final weeks of his life.

Had he been a total stranger, I don't know if as many Amish -- or indeed, if any Amish at all -- would have attended the funeral.

Hi Christina,

I hadn't thought about that. Taking that into consideration, it makes a little more sense.

I'd like to pipe in here about forgiveness, if you don't mind. It is true that the Amish should not harbor anger at the man who killed their children, as it will do them no good, in more ways than one. First, because he's dead and beyond the reach of human law; second because it won't bring back their chilren. In the same manner, while they will grieve for their children, bad things happen to all of us in this world sooner or later, so being angry at God and/or the universe is not very productive in the long run either. However, true forgiveness before God requires repentance. I hate that the word "forgiveness" is thrown around so easily, not that I am accusing you of doing this. More that I hear adults who were, for example, abused as children, being told to "forgive" the person that abused them, whether or not the abuser has ever admitted what he did was wrong. Often, these are family members and the adult who was abused is chastised for wanting to avoid seeing the abuser again. This is where the urge to "forgive" gets overused. I'm linking to a blog post on forgiveness, where a man who is incidentally my pastor posts some good, and I think Biblical advice on the subject.

I am glad that the shooter's children are receiving some help to get them cared for to adulthood. It is indeed not their fault.

Hi Barb,

I understand what you mean about "forgiveness" being thrown around so easily, and it's something that bothers me too. Forgiveness isn't something cheap and easy. There are some who have said that you can forgive a person even if they don't repent, that, in fact, you have to. Also, I've heard some say that God extends forgiveness to all, but if someone doesn't repent, they are unable to accept the forgiveness. I still struggle with understanding all this.

Your Pastor's thoughts were very helpful as to helping me understand this better. He is right that squishy liberals have taken forgiveness and made it out to be something cheap and easy. The fact is, it is one of the hardest Christian principles to understand and acheive.