On Thursday May 27th, 1999, Darrell Scott, the father of Rachel Scott, a victim of the Columbine High School shootings in Littleton , Colorado , was invited to address the House Judiciary Committee's subcommittee. What he said special session was painfully truthful.
It needs to be heard by every parent, every teacher, every politician, every sociologist, every psychologist, and every so-called expert! These courageous words spoken by Darrell Scott are powerful, penetrating, and deeply personal. There is no doubt that God sent this man as a voice crying in the wilderness. He was basically looked upon as the least influential of those speaking that day. Everyone else had hard proof (statistics) in regards to the actual topic of gun control. Mr. Scott offered something else that needed to be factored into the mix. The following is a portion of the transcript:
'
Since the dawn of creation there has been both good and evil in the hearts of men and women. We all contain the seeds of kindness or the seeds of violence. The death of my wonderful daughter, Rachel Joy Scott, and the deaths of that heroic teacher, and the other eleven children who died must not be in vain. Their blood cries out for
answers.
'The first recorded act of violence was when Cain
slew his brother Abel out in the field. The villain was not the club he used. Neither was it the NCA, the National Club Association. The true killer was Cain, and the reason for the murder could only be
found in Cain's heart.
'In the days that followed the Columbine tragedy, I was amazed at how quickly fingers began to be
pointed at groups such as the NRA. I am not a member of the NRA".
I am not a hunter. I do not even own a gun. I am not here to represent or defend the NRA - because I don't believe that they are responsible for my daughter's death. Therefore I do not believe that they need to be defended. If I believed they had anything to do with Rachel's murder I would be their strongest opponent.
I am here today to declare that Columbine was not just a tragedy -- it was a spiritual event that should be forcing us to look at where the real blame lies!
Much of the blame lies here in this room. Much of the blame lies behind the pointing f ingers of the accusers themselves. I wrote a poem just four nights a go that expresses my feelings best.
Your
laws ignore our deepest needs,
Your words are empty air.
You've stripped away our heritage,
You've outlawed simple
prayer.
Now gunshots fill our classrooms,
And precious
children die.
You seek for answers everywhere, And ask the
question 'Why?'
You regulate restrictive laws, Through
legislative creed.
And yet you fail to understand, That God is
what we need!
' Men and women are
three-part beings. We all consist of body, mind, and spirit. When we refuse to acknowledge a third part of our make-up, we create a void
that allows evil, prejudice, and hatred to rush in and wreak havoc.
Spiritual presences were present within our educational systems
for most of our nation's history. Many of our major colleges began as theological seminaries. This is a historical fact. What has happen ed to us as a nation? We have refused to honor God, and in so doing, we open the doors to hatred and violence. And when something as terrible as Columbine's tragedy occurs -- politicians immediately look for a
scapegoat such as the NRA. They immediately seek to pass more restrictive laws that contribute to erode away our personal and
private liberties. We do not need more restrictive laws. Eric and Dylan would not have been stopped by metal detectors. No amount of gun laws can stop someone who spends months planning this type of
massacre. The real villain lies within our own hearts.
'As my
son Craig lay under that table in the school library and saw his two
friends murdered before his very eyes, he did not hesitate to pray in
school. I defy any law or politician to deny him that right! I challenge every young person in America , and around the world, to
realize that on April 20, 1999, at Columbine High
School prayer was brought back to our
schools. Do not let the many prayers offered by those students be in vain. Dare to move into the new millennium with a sacred disregard for legislation that violates your God-given right to communicate with
Him. To those of you who would point your finger at the NRA -- I give
to you a sincere challenge. Dare to examine your own heart before
casting the first stone!
My daughter's death will not be in
vain! The young people of this country will not allow that to happen!'
- let the everyone hear this man's speech and the heart of God.
http://web.archive.org/web/20000818043152/www.house.gov/judiciary/scot0527.pdfhttp://www.snopes.com/politics/soapbox/scott.asp |
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