THOUGHTS OF A GRIEVING PARENT

This is how one parent who lost his daughter to a school shooting feels about God being removed from our schools, prayer being prohibited, guns being blamed for the actions of people. I've added the video excerpt from Carl Sagan's "Pale Blue Dot" as a reminder of who we are, how insignificant we are in this vast and mighty universe, and how foolish we as humans can be. We can be power hungry and selfish creatures who have somehow forgotten the most important thing about being who we are, which to me is love:
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"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. 

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 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 away 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. 

"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!"
- Darrell Scott 
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This next part was written by my friend in reply to the post itself and I wanted to add what he said below. This sentence is the only thing I wrote in this post.

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"A Poem Presented To Congress 
by the father of a columbine victim's 
father. 
People with an atheistic mind set have made it clear
they want no part of God. 
They've chase Him out of every nook and cranny
And God being the loving Father He is has 
complied with their wishes. And the first thing they do in 
the face of tragedy is yell where is your God now.
The Atheistic mind set gives no hope to the vast majority.
To say we are no more that a electro static charge on the
neuro pathways of our sub atomic particulate brains, that we 
have no real control over anyways. Leaves people without
hope.
 There is a God who has a Son and He is coming soon.
You don't know anything about Him because you truly
don't want to know. You think you know something because
of stuff you heard from others who have heard from
others. You choose to believe any historic fact except  biblical
fact. Which coincides with all historical fact. 
Who would want to live in a world with no hope, well slowly but 
surly they are making themselves known"
                                                        -Edward W.