Extremism and forgiveness

[Response to Current Affairs Part 2]

▲The Immanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church where the shocking murder occurred is a 200-year-old church.

On the eve of Father's Day in 2015, a striking piece of news in South Carolina shocked the United States. In this crazy shooting at the church, a total of six women and three men were shot and killed on the spot. Among them was 41-year-old Clementa Pinckney, a pastor and Southern activist who has long been committed to fighting police brutality. A senator from the California State Assembly who was also an influential advocate of the civil rights movement was shot and killed by a 21-year-old youth in his church, Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church.

South Carolina church massacre

The crime occurred in Charleston, a city on the Atlantic Ocean. It is known as the "Holy City". There are many churches in the city, and there are various creeds introduced by multi-racial immigrants. The church is an African-American church with a history of 200 years.

It was initially determined that the murder was caused by racial hatred. There were 13 people in the church at the time, including the gunman. The gunman sat silently at first and participated in a Bible study class with others for an hour. At 9 p.m., he suddenly stood up, drew a . 45-caliber pistol and started shooting, and changed the magazine five times. All nine victims were All were shot multiple times. Before leaving, the murderer stood in front of a survivor and shouted hot words of racial hatred before walking out of the church.

The murderer, Dylann Roof, a young white man, showed no remorse on his face after he was arrested the next day. The media reported that a friend of the murderer revealed that he had heard him say a lot about hating blacks and supporting apartheid policies. He relayed: "Black people have dominated our world. Someone has to do something for the white race. I am going to trigger a civil war." Roof's Facebook account also shows that he is a white supremacist.

According to statistics from the Southern Poverty Law Center in 2014, there were 784 hate organizations in the United States. According to the Hate Crime Statistics Act of 1990, it is defined as "those that highlight prejudice against race, gender or identity, religion, disability, sexual orientation, or ethnic origin." crime".

The FBI announced that this type of organization planned 5,796 activities in 2012, mostly targeting African Americans. Nineteen of these groups are based in South Carolina, which is one of five states in the country that does not have hate crimes laws. Hate groups active in the state include six New Confederate groups advocating southern secession, the anti-immigration movement America is Enough, the racist skinhead movement, three neo-Nazi groups, and even black secession. Molecular organization "Islamic State" and so on.

▲The murderer Dylann Roof was arrested the day after the crime.

Who can understand the sinister nature of the human heart?

Police said the suspect Roof was arrested in March and April this year for drugs and trespassing. The jacket Roof wore in the Facebook photo was embroidered with apartheid-era South African and Zimbabwean flags, supporting segregationism, but most of his Facebook friends were black.

Roof's uncle described him as "very quiet and soft-spoken." A high school friend said that Roof was smart and had black friends, and never thought he would do such a thing. Another friend pointed out that Roof would occasionally say discriminatory remarks, but would then say he was just joking, so no one took it to heart. Ruf actually planned to commit suicide by drinking bullets, but he failed because he ran out of bullets. Therefore, he did not resist at all during the extra time.

According to common teenage shooting cases in the past, most of the perpetrators came from broken families, and Roof was no exception. Paige Mann, stepmother who divorced Roof’s father because of domestic violence, said: “He was originally a happy person who would An ordinary kid who goes to church and respects African Americans." Thinking that he would cause this disaster was completely misled by the "Internet Devil." Ruf closed the door and immersed himself in front of the computer every day, spending a lot of time reading the "bad things" on the Internet that corroded the soul. These comments made him full of hatred. Roof's family was shocked and thought he was just "a lazy kid like his peers."

The family should be shocked that the child is no longer the same as before, but they have no idea!

I forgive you!

The day after the shooting, the victims' families expressed forgiveness, showing that they had different lives. The video of the scene was widely circulated on the Internet, attracting attention and widespread response from all walks of life. Netizens who watched the video were all moved and deeply realized that the core of Christian faith is "love" and "forgiveness."

The video begins with the daughter of a victim. The first sentence is: "I forgive you." and said: "You hurt me, you hurt many people, but I forgive you, I have mercy on your soul!" A family member of a victim also said: "I forgive you, and my family forgives you, but we hope you will take this opportunity to repent. Repent! Confess your crime! Give your life to the most authoritative person." Christ, let Him change you, He can change your life, no matter what has happened to you."

Another mother choked back her grief and said, "On Wednesday night, we welcomed you into our Bible study class with open arms, and you killed some of the most kind people I know... just as we were studying The scripture class said, we are glad you came, may God have mercy on you!”

The granddaughter of one of the victims continued: "Even though my grandfather and others died at the hands of hatred, everyone is crying out for your soul, which proves that they live in love and that this legacy of love will continue. Go down, so "hatred" will not prevail." Only one family member chose to remain silent.

Finally, a woman made the perfect conclusion: "Don't let hate win. I admit I was very angry, but one thing that comes to mind is that my sister always taught us that our home is made of love. Family, so we will not allow "hate" any room to exist, so we must forgive, I pray to God for you, ask God to have mercy on your soul, and I also thank God that when you are tried before God, I will not. You will see, may God bless you.”

The law can only cause death once to the flesh and blood, but God's judgment is the eternal death of the soul. As a Christian, in addition to feeling heavy pain in my heart, I may even think about how a heart that has been captured by the devil can be as hardened as Pharaoh back then, even when God sent ten plagues and remained unmoved. At this time, can we better understand God’s intention that “it is not that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance”?

The most precious gift God created for man is free will. He does not force us to choose to trust Him, including whether we are willing to obey and believe in His salvation and will. It also includes the choice to hate and do some despicable things. Even the laws laid down by man cannot stop the endless vendettas, and there are still many hidden sins.

Religious laws cannot save people. The life of those who do evil must be completely renewed. But the renewal of life requires practice, and doing evil is easy.

▲Emmanuel African Methodist Church met on time on the Sunday after the murder.

Teenager fifteen or twenty

After this incident, I believe gun control will be discussed again. So, what happens after the discussion?

Taiwan has recently had several random killing cases that shocked the society by killing innocent people. The suspect in the 2014 MRT case, Zheng Jie, was also 21 years old. Both of them choose to kill kind-hearted people who are defenseless and defenseless. They are both quiet otakus who become addicted to the Internet after dropping out of school. They have no goals in life. One likes to kill people on game websites, and the other likes to watch games that incite racial discrimination. Speeches also sow the seeds of disaster when young people are fifteen or twenty.

Twenty-one years old is such an exciting golden age. Morrison, who came to China for love, went from not knowing Chinese to becoming a pioneer in sinology research. He was once just an ordinary boy, but he had an extraordinary and wonderful life. The turning point was when I accepted Jesus as my Savior at the age of fifteen and repented and was reborn.

According to records, Morrison went to London to receive formal seminary education at the age of 21. However, before he was baptized as a boy, he was idle and under bad influence. He met actors from a traveling theater troupe and drank and drank with them. Talk dirty and indulge yourself. Fortunately, he had been taught the knowledge of the Bible since he was a child. His parents attached great importance to their children's religious education, and soon Morrison stopped playing. Later, he was influenced by missionary and preaching magazines published in Edinburgh and London, which inspired him to aspire to carry out missionary missions to foreign cultures overseas. He became the first missionary to enter China since Martin Luther's Reformation in 1807, and influenced thousands of people who followed him. Tens of thousands of young people came to China to preach.

Many missionaries who came to China were called by God when they were teenagers. A choice they made in their teens changed their lives and the modern history of the Chinese people. They choose unreached peoples and unreached lands, and are so eager to preach the gospel to China, which does not even have a single Christian, is of a completely different race, and even hates foreigners, that they are willing to sacrifice their lives.

Why do some people decide to spread the gospel when they are young, actively try to save souls in the world, go to far-flung areas with cultures and races that are completely different from their own, are willing to face conflicts between different ethnic groups and cultures, and bear the brunt of the local people’s suffering? Even if they are spurned and humiliated, they still have to complete their mission; but some people become brutal murderers when they are young because of their intolerant values and hatred of races of different skin colors?

▲Love from God can tear down high walls and various barriers. This is also the message brought to everyone by the families of the victims after the incident.

Get rid of humiliation and become a noble vessel

The Bible writes in 2 Timothy Chapter 2 verses 21-22: “If a man purifies himself from what is base, he will be a vessel of honor, sanctified and useful to the Lord, prepared for every good work. You are to Flee youthful lusts and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace with those who pray to the Lord out of a pure heart.”

In the United States, at the age of 18, you can get a driver's license, the right to vote, and the freedom to marry; at the age of 21, you can drink alcohol. Nowadays, it means that you are an adult at the age of 21, but what about your mind? Whether your mind is immature or your mind is healthy cannot be judged by sight.

The selfish desires of young people can have good roots and can also create evil consequences. In the era of Internet information explosion, there are all kinds of strange information on the Internet, and there are also many poisonous roots that lead people to do evil. It is not just murderous online games, but also many paranoid and weird thoughts. These are Teenagers who are easily tempted, brainwashed, and influenced by their central thoughts cannot resist. Carefully observe the children closest to you or the teenagers who stay in the room all day in front of the computer and have little contact with others. Before we blame, shake our heads, or give up, in addition to praying for them, we also ask ourselves whether we really understand what they are doing at this moment. What are you thinking? playing what? what did you see? what do you like? Or need something?

Late at night! What are your children doing? This may be the most distressing thing for parents in this era of Internet information explosion!

Author profile

Wu Limin, a volunteer at Bethel Center, came to the United States with her husband in 1987 and has a son and a daughter. I have been engaged in financial computerization work in Taiwan and American companies for nearly 30 years. I retired early in 2011 and currently work part-time as an accountant in a printing company. I co-organize the "Dream Workshop" with my classmates to support media promotion and education and serve as a marketing planner.