On
Thursday, May 27, 1999, 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. 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-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 dies 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 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 makeup, we create a void that allows
evil, prejudice, and hatred to rush in and reel 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 way 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 squelched! 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 of God!
As my son Craig lay under the table in the school library and say 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 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. 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!!!
Thank you. |
