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Letter from one of our readers, sent after the Virginia Tech shootings:
On Thursday, 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 to
our national leaders during this special session of Congress was painfully truthful. They were not prepared for
what he was to say, nor was it received well. 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. The following is a portion of the transcript to the editor. (From Rhonda Gauthier)Since the dawn
of creation there has been both good & 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, 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 happened 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 a s
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. W! e 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!"
On Thursday, 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 to
our national leaders during this special session of Congress was painfully truthful. They were not prepared for
what he was to say, nor was it received well. 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. The following is a portion of the transcript to the editor. (From Rhonda Gauthier)Since the dawn
of creation there has been both good & 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, 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 happened 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 a s
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. W! e 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!"
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