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Elizabethtown, Pa. - ONE year ago today, a shooter entered a one-room Amish school in Nickel Mines, Pa., dismissed all but 10 girls, and fired at them execution-style, killing five before shooting himself,

Within hours, the Amish community forgave the killer and his family. News of the instant forgiveness stunned the outside world – almost as much as the incident itself did.

READ MORE.

The snippet above is from a column written by Dr. Kraybill of Elizabethtown College, my alma mater. Today marks the one year anniversary of the Nickel Mines shooting, and as someone who was right down the road when this happened, I can say that it was horrifying to believe that someone could do something to these people.

Regardless of your religious beliefs, the Amish will help you. They are some of the kindest people in the whole world, perhaps second only to the Buddhist monks still living in monasteries in Asia. There have been all kinds of criticisms of the Amish over the years - their refusal to “join the 21st century”, their controversial shunning practices, their seclusion…but at the end of the day, if you are thirsty, they will give you something to drink and if you are hungry, they will give you something to eat. I’ve known a number of Amish people, and there’s not a single one I’ve met that wouldn’t rather give you the coat of his/her back and freeze to death than see you suffer in the cold. This religion is one of peace.

We remember, Nickel Mines families. Even if you can’t relate religiously, you perhaps have children or grandchildren of your own (or younger relatives). Can you imagine getting that news that your child was executed while at school? Schools are supposed to be a safe place for children.

This event was proof that forgiveness is a great healer. A while back, I challenged you to forgive someone who has wronged you. Today, I ask: Where are you with that goal. Have you forgiven that person, or are you working on it? We can’t always forgive as quickly as we’d like, but we can try.

JENA, La. - Thousands of chanting demonstrators filled the streets of this little Louisiana town Thursday in support of six black teenagers initially charged with attempted murder in the beating of a white classmate.

The crowd broke into chants of “Free the Jena Six” as the Rev. Al Sharpton arrived at the local courthouse with family members of the jailed teens. read more here.

This is the single most idiotic thing I’ve seen in the news today. Basically, here’s the issue: Three white kids hung nooses from a tree. They were arrested, but given a slap on the wrist and released. Six black kids beat someone unconscious. They were arrested and are being tried (including one juvie being tried as an adult).

“THIS IS RACIST!” everyone is screaming. Thousands are showing up to protest the court proceedings.

“THIS IS BULLSHIT!” I’m screaming.

Two wrongs don’t make a right, people. No, I don’t think that the three white teens should have be left off the hook. BUT WHAT DID YOU WANT THE SHERIFF TO DO? There are NO laws against hanging nooses in trees. None. Do you want the county to spend hundreds or even thousands of dollars to take these teens through a court battle only to find out that they win the case, or do you want them to just save the money and let them go off the bat. Protest the law all you want. Write to your congressmen. Hold a freaking rally to get the laws changed. That’s all really smart.

What’s NOT smart is protesting the release to six people who BEAT SOMEONE UNCONSCIOUS. Maybe I’m understanding this news story wrong, and please, please, please correct me if I am…but they could have KILLED this victim. And thousands of people want them released simply because it “wasn’t fair” that the white kids were released.

And what do you supposed will happen to the victim after they are released. THEY WILL KILL HIM. I know how these things work. I’ve seen it happen to good people. The person who snitches dies.

And these aren’t just innocent kids being set up to look like they did something worse than what they did. One of them even has a prior record. I’m willing to be that this group terrorizes others in their high school all the time. I’m willing to bet that their classmates breathed a sigh of relief and felt just a little safer when they got arrested.

No one brought race into this until the public saw pictures of the defendants. The law doesn’t see color - it only sees guilty and not guilty. I truly hope with all my heart that the laws do change so that no one can hang a noose from a tree in the future.

But I also hope that these six boys get punished to the full extent of the law. What they did was wrong, and if released, they’ll continue that lifestyle. If we want a safer, happier America in which to live, we have to pick our battles wisely. And this is an idiotic battle.

More than 100 delegates, including heads of state, Nobel Prize winners, Olympic gold medallists, global CEOs and the most influential thought-leaders will gather in New York City on September 23-25, 2007 at the second annual Global Creative Leadership Summit. Organized by the Louise T Blouin Foundation, an international non-profit organization, the conference will provide a new globalization platform from which to develop solutions in areas such as international trade, foreign policy, education, Africa and the environment. The event will be held at the Metropolitan Club (1 East 60th Street at Fifth Avenue, Manhattan).

Can we really find a solution for world peace through a summit like this? After all, the bottom line for any summit is that participants want to “get their own way” in a peaceful manner. But is that even possible anymore? I suspect that this summit will be a rather happy, lukewarm meeting, but in general - has peace become an afterthought for our political leaders?

Or are we simply working for submission? Wars have always been about power and money, but they have also been about morals and values. They underlying strategy was to find a peaceful way to “win” the war. Look at the Revolutionary War, for example. Britain lost. In the history of the world, it wasn’t that long ago when they lost. Are they still mad about it? Nah. There was a clear winner and clear loser to that war of power, but the leaders from both sides came together to find a peaceful situation for everyone.

I don’t think there can be a peaceful end to any of the wars happening today, because peace isn’t really the main goal of both sides. The goal is power and money, and if peace happens good. If submission happens, well, we’ll take that too.

And that’s sad to me. It’s why I don’t support the War in Iraq. I 100% support our troops, because I think that they are trying to fight with peace in mind. But I don’t support the administration. Bottom line? THEY DON”T WANT US THERE. They don’t want to work out a peace for the world. They just want to rebuild and, in 10, 20, 100 years whatever, try to take us down again.

Can being more religious help this? I don’t know. But we are a country that is more atheist than not. I mean, even your typical Christian family…how often do they pray before dinner? How often do they go to church? How often to they read their Bible? Power and money have become more important that religion, and thus, more important than peace.

I wasn’t sure if I was going post about this today. It’s such a hard day for America, and it’s one of those situations where I just feel compelled to let the day pass by without adding fuel to the fire. However, Deb Ng at Freelance Writing Jobs posted a piece today that inspired me to write a post as well. My heart truly goes out to the families and victims of the terrorist attacks, and I wanted to share three stories.

The first story, of course, is “where were you”, because, as one person pointed out on Deb’s site, it’s like the Kennedy Assassination of our generation. You will always remember where you were. I was in high school. It was my junior year and our business teacher had signed some of my friends and I up for a program called “Building Leaders.” Once a month, we’d meet with other students from neighboring schools and do leadership activities, go on field trips, etc. Our first meeting of the school year was on September 11. We spent the day in a park, meeting one another and doing silly, stupid things like the human knot game. The lady who ran the program got the call very quickly and she made the worst decision possible - not to tell us. She decided that it would be a distraction to her program and she would instead tell us at the end of our day.

What right did she have. WHAT RIGHT? When we found out, one of the boys in the group started sobbing. He dad worked in the towers and all day, while he did “getting to know you” activities, his family had been trying to reach him. He didn’t come back the next month. I don’t know if his dad made it or not, but I like to think that he did and that he told his son to screw this stupid Building Leaders program. In any case, I didn’t find out about the terrorist attacks until about 2 PM that day. I was wearing a graphic t-shirt that read “I love New York”.

My second story isn’t really mine. I heard it from someone. I meet many, many people as a freelance writer, and met even more as a college student. Maybe I heard this on TV. Maybe it’s urban legend. I simply don’t remember who told me this story. I wish I did. If it was you, please let me know. In any case, it touched me.

The person was sitting in his/her office in LA about to do a teleconference with their sister office in New York. These people had the office right where the first plane hit. Everything during the meeting was going well, when suddenly they heard a loud noise and the screen went blank. They frantically tried to figure out what was happening in New York to cause a power outage, but they couldn’t get anyone from their office on the phone - not even on the cell phone. Finally one message came through from New York from the dozens of “What’s happening?” messages that were sent. Three words:

“We are dying.”

Lastly, I just want to note that this is an especially rough day for my boyfriend’s family. His sister was living in New York at the time and her husband worked in the Towers. When the first plane hit, everyone was told to sit tight, even as smoke came pouring through the vents. Having a bad case of asthma, her husband decided to go against the advice and leave because the smoke would bring on an attack. He was the only one from his office to make it out, as the Towers tumbled soon after. I have to admit that I’m not 100% sure I got the story right. I haven’t talked to him about it. I want to talk to him about it, someday. I want to hear his story. But now, it’s too soon. It may always be too soon.

The survivors today are scattered around the world. Some remained in New York to pick up the pieces. For others, that was simply too hard. People have lost friends, spouses, fathers, mothers, children. People born on this date have lost the ability to ever truly celebrate their birthday in complete happiness. People who were just children on this date grew up. The terrorist robbed us of more than some buildings and more even than the hundreds of lives taken that day. They robbed the whole country and created a crusade out of anger.

There’s one song in particular about the day that says “We’ll put a boot in your ass, it’s the American way.” And while I agree that action needed to be taken, it makes me pray that “putting a boot in their ass” isn’t the end result of all of this. I still hope for peace. I still hope for a better tomorrow.

On a special ending note, I’d like to give my full support for our troops who are still dying for “the American way.” These men and women are doing what they think is best to keep our country safe, and although I don’t always agree, I do feel honored that my liberties are so important to other people. In particular, two of my friends - Paul and Andy - are soon leaving to go to the Middle East. I pray for their safety and that I will be able to welcome them home safely someday.

This week marks the two-year anniversary since hurricane Katrina devastated the southern United States along the coast. Unfortunately, there are thousands of people still displaced. Can you imagine loosing all of your worldly possessions and living in a make-shift house or trailer…for TWO years. People simply don’t have the money to get their lives back together and after the media attention died a few months later, so did the support from the rest of the country.

Many of the places where people are now living are low quality and hot spots for crime. It’s not just bachelors living here–there are families with small children suffering every day because their insurance did not cover the damages to their houses.

Today, take a moment to say a prayer for these people and, if you can, make a small donation–even if its only $10–to one of the countless funds set up to help the victims that are almost drained. Every little bit helps.

“One of my coworkers was buying a new house so we went to Google maps to look it up. It’s a satellite image so you can zoom in and see an image of the actual house. Another co-worker walked by and said, “What, are you selecting a target?” — An Arab male finance professional

SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 28 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — A new study reveals that workplace unfairness costs U.S. employers an estimated $64 billion per year in turnover of managers and professionals, in addition to costs from decreased sales of products and services and damaged employer reputation.

(more…)

Ok, I know that there are people out there who don’t let their kids read Harry Potter. And honestly, I think some parents are letting their children read them at too young of an age. They are a bit gruesome in places, and although we shouldn’t shelter our children, we definitely should make sure that things are appropriate for certain age leaves. But I digress.

What really bothers me is the people who use religion as a way to to to censor Harry Potter and other books where characters use magic. Today, Kelly at Tiny Treasury, talked about Laura Mallory, one of the most famous anti-Potter mothers in the United States. She in June, she actually took her case to the Supreme Court, trying to get them banned.

Here’s the thing. Even if the books DO promote witchcraft (they do not), why is it to be assumed the Wicca and other pagan religions are hurting our children? We still say “under God” during the pledge of allegiance and we still allow books like “Are You There God?, It’s Me, Margaret” to have a place on the shelves of our libraries. From the perspective of someone practicing Wicca, aren’t those things as harmful to them and their children as Harry Potter allegedly is to Christian children?

The answer is no. I don’t care what religion you are, if you do not allow your children to explore and learn about other religions, that how can they truly be Christian? I firmly believe that to be a true Christian you have to have a choice, and to have a choice you must learn, from an unbiased perspective, about other religions. Only then can you really accept that Jesus is your savior and all other religions are false (if that’s what you choose to believe).

All I’m saying is that a good parents shouldn’t have to worry about Harry Potter or about “Under God” or whatever. If you want your child to grow up as a Christian or an atheist or anything in between, that’s great–but let him or her actually decide that. Otherwise, their allegiance to your religion is false. They only subscribe to it because they don’t know any better.

I’d be really interested to hear from people on both sides of this debate. Should Harry Potter be banned? Does it teach children bad things?

Harry Potter, religion, Wicca, witchcraft, banned books

I’d just like to take a moment to ask you all to pray or think happy thoughts or send well wishes, etc for the miners that have been recently trapped due to an earthquake. The range in age from 20-60 and many are fathers and husbands. My own father works in for a mining company, and although he doesn’t actually work IN the mines (he works outside, helping with loading, separation, etc), I’m still very aware of the dangers of the job these men do.

No matter what your religion, take a moment to think about these people today, and count your blessings that the people in your family are home safe tonight.

Polish Formula One driver Robert Kubica sidestepped a claim on Thursday that he owed his life to the miraculous powers of Pope John Paul II.

The 22-year-old comes from Krakow, the late pontiff’s home city, and has long raced with John Paul’s name on his crash helmet.

Read more of the story here.

Source: Yahoo News

Unfortunately, sometimes religion simply breeds hatred. In my personal opinion, this is not the religion’s fault most of the time, since the vast majority of religions are peaceful at heart. This is the fault of the practitioners, and of the leadership. And that’s a shame.

Two tennis stars recently announced that they were joining forces because they are great friends and have styles that fit well together. The problem? Sania Mirza is a Muslim and Shahar Peer is a Jew.

“We’re playing tennis, we’re not making statements. We’re just here to play tennis and we’re here to perform and be the best we can be.” read more

I agree that if you’re going to partner with anyone on anything, you have to have similar values/morals…but almost all religions DO have similar values/morals! If the girls didn’t feel comfortable playing with one another, they wouldn’t be playing. It’s a bit sad that the world can’t let them simply enjoy being a team, as well as being friends.

**On another note, I’m finally going on a much-needed vacation! Next week, you’ll see some posts by a few guest bloggers from around the network–these are not views that I necessarily agree with myself in all cases, but they are important views to read in a quest to find religion. See you all when I get back in July!**

tennis, Shahar Peer, Sania Mirza, India, Pakistan, Muslim, Islam, Jew, Jewish, tennis stars

I’m all for finding religion in everyday life…but I was a bit awestruck when I saw that the Vatican had released a new document for travelers–the Driver’s Ten Commandments. Not that its not a good idea, but I mean…it’s a bit weird that the Vatican too ktime to prepare it, don’t you think?

In any case, it is important to remember that this document comes from PEOPLE not from GOD, but there are some great key points here, and if it helps make driving safer, I’m all for it.

The “Drivers’ Ten Commandments” (with my little comments)

1. You shall not kill.
(aka, slow down and THINK when you’re driving.)

2. The road shall be for you a means of communion between people and not of mortal harm.
(huh? isn’t this reiteration of don’t kill with cars?)

3. Courtesy, uprightness and prudence will help you deal with unforeseen events.
(aka, stop flipping people off and let someone cut ahead of you once in awhile.)

4. Be charitable and help your neighbor in need, especially victims of accidents.
(good advice is underlying here–you should learn what to do in an emergency so that you’re prepared to call 911 and do first aid)

5. Cars shall not be for you an expression of power and domination, and an occasion of sin.
(aka, buy a smart car to get you around, not a flashy car that is bad on gas and high on emissions)

6. Charitably convince the young and not so young not to drive when they are not in a fitting condition to do so.
(again, there’s good underlying advice here–be a parent, not a friend. Not everyone is ready to drive at 16 years old.)

7. Support the families of accident victims.
(I like this one–give help where you can, when you can.)

8. Bring guilty motorists and their victims together, at the appropriate time, so that they can undergo the liberating experience of forgiveness.
(this seems like a commandment for a judge, not for the everyday person. I think it would be better to call for the guilty to seek forgiveness and the victim to work toward forgiving)

9. On the road, protect the more vulnerable party.
(I guess that means be respectful toward a car if you’re a 18-wheeler…which makes total sense!)

10. Feel responsible toward others.
(the best advice–if we all feel a little responsible for other all the time, there would be less stupid mistakes and more happy people in the world!)

Ten Commandments, Ten Commandments of Drivers, Driver’s Ten Commandments, Vatican

When I opened my home page this morning, I skimmed over the headlines briefly and this one caught my eye. 8 deaths in Iraq???

Unfortunately, I (like many Americans), tend to forget that the men and women overseas really are in a lot of danger. This isn’t D-Day, with thousands of people dying at once, but slowly the death toll is rising. This, friends, is why millions are calling for the troops to come home.

At the same time, I have to wonder–how many civilian lives have they saved being there? Have they prevented another 9-11? Does this justify their deaths? We may never really have an answer to these questions.

To the mothers and fathers and children and spouses and friends out there, however, the number of deaths means less than the death of just one–the person they love. These are people. These are good people.

Even if you don’t agree with the war, even if you don’t agree with what the United States stands for, even if you believe that these men and women are misguided and shouldn’t have enlisted, don’t forget that these are people. Pray for the people, and pray for strong leadership that will make the right decisions. 8 sons/daughters/spouses lost their chance to come home yesterday.

With an average of more than six children per family, the typical haredi (believing in strict rabbinic law) Jewish woman has little time to invest in a career.

Haredi Jews adhere to strict traditional rabbinic authority – and that means being a part of Israel’s renowned high-tech industry is all but impossible. The problem for Haredi women, who wish to be part of the industry, is two-fold – the long hours and a working environment which includes men.

A number of outsourcing companies in the local council of Modi’in Illit are trying to overcome these obstacles by creating workplaces which more or less employ only haredi women.

Read the rest of this story here.

I’m sure by now you know that Rev. Jerry Falwell died this week at the age of 73. He was the founder of Liberty University and one of the most fundamental evangelic preachers of our time.

It’s hard for some people to not rejoice in his death. Falwell began his career strongly promoting segregating between the races, and gave a famous speech against civil rights in 1965, where he referred to the uprising as the “civil wrongs movement.” Over time, his goals shifted. He advocated for the school voucher program because he believed that many public schools bred atheists, and his main hope was that some day schools would be run completely but the Church. He also took a strong pro-Israel stance and believed that the problems in the Middle East were a prelude to the Apocalypse.

He is well known in recent years, however, for his strong views against homosexuality. After 9-11, he said,

“I really believe that the pagans, and the abortionists, and the feminists, and the gays and the lesbians who are actively trying to make that an alternative lifestyle, the ACLU, People For the American Way, all of them who have tried to secularize America. I point the finger in their face and say ‘you helped this happen.’”

He was also known for calling AIDS a way for God to punish the GLBT community for their “sins.” This is the particular viewpoint that is causing his death to raise cheers and sighs of relief in the gay community.

And that, my friends, is something that I find disturbing.

Falwell may have had some extreme views, but rejoicing in death is never the answer. Personally, I choose to acknowledge the pain and sadness his friends and family are feeling right now. Also, instead of celebrating his life in a way that promotes his views (with which I disagree for the most part), I will instead choose to look at the good things we CAN take about from Falwell. Before your pop the champagne cork, consider the following take-home lessons:

1. If you have a belief, stand up for it. Today, too many Christians simply believe what they believe and keep it at that. They see wrong and let it continue being wrong. They’re afraid or embarrassed to give an alternative, religious point of view. Falwell was not. Regardless of whether he was right or wrong, he was willing to take a definite stance. He believed in himself.

2. Protect and defend yourself. It’s worth it. When someone attacks you, the Christian thing to do, we are taught, is to turn the other cheek. However, it is my personal belief that one can turn the other cheek without being a doormat. If someone attacks you, don’t attack them back, but please defend yourself and your values. If you don’t, their opinion begins to be regarded by others as fact. Falwell, after being the subject of a parody by Hustler magazine, took the case to the courts to defend himself and his reputation. He ultimately lost after a number of appeals, but he didn’t simply allow someone to make fun of his beliefs without attempting to set the record straight.

3. Seek better education. At the risk of sounding cliche, the children are our future. There are a lot of things wrong with the educational system in general, and while I do not believe that they should be run by religion, I do admire Falwell for working to provide what he saw as a better educational experience for children and young adults everywhere. If everyone worked for better education for our children, we’d have a more informed future in general.

4. Determination is everything. There were a lot of people–and I mean a lot–who disagreed with Falwell. That didn’t stop him. He was sued a number of times. That didn’t stop him. For goodness sake, people mailed him purple Teletubbies in anger! THAT DIDN”T STOP HIM. Do you see where I’m going with this? Falwell’s message may not be one that I enjoy, but I do admire his determination to continue with his work, even in the face of adversary.

In the end, I will not be sad that a part of the hatred in this country has died. His words inspired people who were less eloquent and less religiously-minded than he, and who were set on hating others. He gave them reasons to justify their hatred. Yes, I am glad that is gone. I will not, however, celebrate his death. It is important to see the good in every situation and to leave the judging, as always, up to the Divine.

Jerry Fallwell, homosexuality, God, religion, death

Who knew coffee could create such a stir in the religious community? According to reports, the following message, printed on Starbucks coffee cups, has some Christians in a tizzy:

“Why in moments of crisis do we ask God for strength and help? As cognitive beings, why would we ask something that may well be a figment of our imaginations for guidance? Why not search inside ourselves for the power to overcome? After all, we are strong enough to cause most of the catastrophes we need to endure.” -Bill Schell

The cup is part of a campaign that’s been going on at Starbucks for years now to include insightful and interesting quotes from customers to spark debate and conversation. The fact that some people are upset at Starbucks for using this quote is exactly what is wrong in the Christian world today.

Five Idiot-Proof Reasons not to be Upset at Starbucks:

1. The quote is not against completely God. It is telling people that it is silly to take problems to God when he’s already given us the ability to handle the problems ourselves.

2. It recognizes that no one knows if God exists, but it does not specifically say that there is no God. It simply states the fact that we don’t know.

3. The opinion is specifically meant to spark debate. This cup’s quote gives you, as a Christian, an avenue for rebuttal to those around you. Speak your mind, don’t boycott Starbucks for allowing you to do so!

4. It is clearly stated on the cup that the opinion of Bill Schell is not the opinion of Starbucks. While they did make the choice to put the quote on the cup, they do not necessarily agree, and they are providing a forum on there website to discuss all of the quotes.

5. It’s a coffee cup.

Source: PopBuzzUk

Starbucks, coffee cup, Starbucks quote, coffee cup quote, coffee, Christian, Bill Schell