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Item Description...
Product Description
THE TRUE STORY OF OCTOBER 2, 2006, WHEN CHARLES ROBERTS ENTERED AN AMISH SCHOOLHOUSE, bound and shot ten schoolgirls, and then committed suicide, stunned all who read the headlines or watched the drama unfold on television screens. Somehow, the senseless violence seemed all the more horrific against the backdrop of horse-and-buggy funeral processions and scenes of wide-eyed innocent children clad in bonnets and suspenders.But perhaps even more startling than the violence was the quiet yet powerful response of the Amish community offering unconditional forgiveness to the murderer and reaching out to his family with baskets of food and warm welcomes into their homes. Could such forgiveness be genuine, truly heartfelt? Surely there must be simmering rage behind those peaceful words. Jonas Beiler wondered. He had grown up in that very Amish community. His own pain of losing his daughter in a tragic accident years before resurfaced, and the lingering shadows of other life tragedies loomed darker. As he met with the grieving families, he could see how devastated and broken they felt, and yet he was drawn to the strength he saw in them. Outsiders, too, had difficulty understanding the rock-solid faith of the people in this Amish community. How could they forgive someone who killed their innocent daughters? How could they reach out and embrace his family, expressing unconditional love for them in these circumstances? Letters from around the world poured in, asking these universal questions in the face of suffering. And so began Jonas Beiler's journey into this story -- the story behind the headlines, behind the farmhouse doors, around the lantern-lit kitchen tables, at the local market, and alongside the tiny coffins. His quest is now yours to read. His discoveries yours to consider. Walk with those closest to the scene: an Amish grandfather, an ambulance driver, a surviving Amish schoolgirl, and volunteer firefighters. Even look on as the community demolishes the school where the murders took place and builds the New Hope School that holds no memories of bloodstained walls. Think No Evil is the first insider account of the tragic events, the personal victories and the daily Amish life in Nickel Mines, written by a native of the Amish community who still lives and works where most of his relatives are Old Order Amish. Against the rich and fascinating backdrop of Amish culture, Beiler reveals the best of the human spirit in the midst of the worst, and leaves us all drawn heavenward, the richer for it.
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Item Specifications...
Pages 213
Dimensions: Length: 9" Width: 6.2" Height: 0.9"
Weight: 0.8 lbs.
Release Date Sep 22, 2009
Publisher Howard Books
ISBN 1416562982
EAN 9781416562986
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Availability 43 units.
Availability accurate as of Sep 07, 2010 08:57.
Usually ships within one to two business days from New Kensington, PA.
Orders shipping to an address other than a confirmed Credit Card / Paypal Billing address may incur and additional processing delay. |
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 | Where Were the Amish Men? Apr 20, 2010 |
This is a moving account of the murder of five Amish school girls in October 2006 by Charles Roberts, a deranged killer. The two authors grew up Amish, leaving only when they became adults, so they provide an excellent account of why the Amish responded as they did, with forgiveness rather than anger. Just keep in mind that this book is not the Amish perspective on the tragedy. It is the perspective of two people who understand Amish beliefs and who write about them from a psychological and sociological perspective. They describe the modern psychological benefits of Amish forgiveness with more skill than they explain the deeper religious motivations that underlie them. These were, after all, men who chose to leave the Amish faith. They are understanding outsiders, but they are outsiders.
Unfortunately, I have the same grating frustration with the events this book describes as I do with the Rwandan genocide and with the 1999 Columbine massacre. Something that is clearly wrong--passivity in the face of violence and evil--is described as if it were a supreme good rather than a tragic failure. I described my frustration earlier in my this site review of a film on the Rwandan genocide. I'll describe it again here.
The best illustration what is right came over two thousand years ago when Greece faced death and enslavement from an invasion out of the East. The men of Greece are said to have left for battle with the words of their mothers, wives and daughters ringing in their ears. They were to return "with their shields or on them." The first thing an ancient soldier did when in breaking and running was to cast away his heavy shield. Returning with their shields meant that they had defeated their foe. Returning on their shields meant that they had been wounded or died in a battle that they had won. (If they'd have lost, their bodies would have been left on the field.) In short, the women of Greece were telling their men they had a responsibility to protect their families whatever the cost.
I will be blunt. Why were all ten victims shot by Charles Roberts and all five who died girls? The little one-room schoolhouse wasn't a school for girls. There were about as many boys present as girls, some as old as twelve. Those girls died for two reasons. First, because Charles Roberts, in his perverted grief over the death of his daughter, intended to target girls. And second, because the boys in that school did nothing to stop him, meekly doing as they were ordered, leaving the classroom and standing outside as the tragedy unfolded.
That's why I captioned this review, "Where Were the Amish Men?" These boys growing up to manhood in the Amish faith had not been taught that they had a role they could not avoid, the responsibility of the stronger sex to protect their little sisters and the young girls in their neighborhood. And that responsibility was not lessened by the fact that acting meant facing danger and even death. Amish men are certainly excellent farmers and businessmen, what some women call 'good providers.' But they're of little value when evil comes knocking.
In short, while the authors clearly want us to be impressed by the Amish faith they left behind. I'm not. The Amish have grossly overemphasized one virtue, forgiveness, while wholly neglecting another of greater importance, our responsibility for the lives and safety of others. If those Amish boys had been properly raised, taught to become men when men are needed, that little Amish community would have had far less to forgive. Yes, one or two of the boys might have died as they attacked the 200-pound Charles Roberts en masse, but they would have bought precious time for all the girls to escape and, once the girls were safe, all but perhaps one or two of them could have made their escape, leaving Roberts with no one to kill but himself.
The Amish have made a tragic mistake, one that is now centuries old. There is evil in this world, genuine evil that must be fought, defeated and destroyed. We can't delegate all that responsibility to those who respond to 911 calls. The same Jesus who talked about forgiveness also told his disciples "let him who has no sword sell his robe and buy one." Evil and violence must be met with courage, strength and, yes, counter-violence. Forgiveness is necessary after the fact. But it is not enough.
--Michael W. Perry, Untangling Tolkien: A Chronology and Commentary for The Lord of the Rings | | |  | A let down Mar 28, 2010 |
I read Jonas' account of the lives taken at the school house. His major plot line was forgiveness. I knew that the Amish put forgiveness, a virtue shared by the whole community.
LMN ia airing a movie based on the happening surrounding the shooting of 10 children. This movie tells a very different story from Jonas' book.
In Amish Grace the LMN movie, focuses on one mother who cannot forgive the man who killed her daughter. Jonas book leads us to believe that all of the parents forgave the shooter. Jonas failed to share the whole truth. | | | | Think No Evil Mar 26, 2010 |
Think No Evil: Inside the Story of the Amish Schoolhouse Shooting...and Beyond, by Jonas Beiler, with Shawn Smucker
In October 2006, the world was shocked when a man entered an Amish schoolhouse and shot 10 girls inside, and then killed himself. When the Amish proceeded to forgive the killer, the concept of Amish forgiveness may have shocked the world even more.
Jonas Beiler is perfect to tell the story of the Nickel Mines schoolhouse shooting. While he was raised in an Amish family, he chose not to be baptized and left the Amish way of life. Eventually he became a counselor, and had a unique understanding of the struggles the Amish victims and their families went through after the shooting, and the modern world's incredulity that the Amish could forgive the gunman.
In a half true-crime, half autobiography book, Beiler sets the scene of the Nickel Mines community, details some of his own life, and describes the horrific shooting. While he does heavily concentrate on forgiveness, the writing isn't overly preachy. Beiler presents why the Amish forgive, and the benefits it gives them, and asks readers to consider doing the same.
I enjoyed this book, mainly for the insights into the Amish way of life.
4/5. | | |  | I searched for people to forgive Mar 12, 2010 |
I bought this book because I have experienced the outrageous power of forgiveness already. But this book helped me feel the power of letting go in a visceral way that is otherwise easy to miss in the blinding tsunami of the feelings of hurt.
When I got the book, I sat down to read a chapter or two one evening. Hours later I finally got up from that chair when I ran out of pages. I doubt if I was ever captured by a book the way this one grabbed my heart. I wept for hours and literally scanned the years of my own history to find people to forgive.
Then I bought 4 cases and begged all my friends to sit down and read it right now. This book is one of my favorite treasures, ever. You gotta read Think No Evil | | |  | I couldn't get through this book. Feb 1, 2010 |
| I am sorry I have to leave a fairly negative review of this book as he has a perfect score. I just couldn't get into it. It was well written but didn't interest me though I was very interested in the story. I may try again to finish it but after a couple of attempts I have moved on to other readings. | | | Write your own review about Think No Evil
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