Courage From Columbine High School

On Thursday, May 27, 1999 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 sub-committee.  What he said to our national

leaders during this special session of Congress was painfully

truthful.  It needs to be heard by every parent, every teacher,

every politician, 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. 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 fingers of

the accusers themselves."

"I wrote a poem just four nights ago that expresses my feelings

best.  This was written way before I knew I would be speaking

here today.

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,

soul, 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 influences 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 happened to us

as a nation?  'we have refused to honor God', and in doing so, 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.  Political

posturing and restrictive legislation are not the answers."

"The young people of our nation hold the key.  There is a spiritual

awakening taking place that will not be quenched! We do not need

more religion.  We do not need more gaudy television evangelists

spewing out verbal religious garbage.  We do not need more

million dollar church buildings built while people with basic needs

are being ignored. We do need a change of heart and a humble

acknowledgment that this nation was founded on the principle of

simple trust in God!"

"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 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!"

Be courageous enough to do what the media did not, let the nation

hear this man's speech. Please send this out to everyone you can!!