Photograph by K. Mitch Hodge via Unsplash

Growing up in the Philadelphia area, I enjoyed the opportunity to visit to the Amish area, near Lancaster. I took drives all over the Amish countryside, past the homes without electricity, visiting the rural stores frequented by only the Amish, and throughout the winding back roads of the rolling hills of Lancaster County. I remember driving through Nickel Mines, not far from the Strasburg Railroad and the town of Paradise. I’ve driven by many a one-room Amish schoolhouse and witnessed the children laughing and playing in what looks to outsiders like costumes out of the 19th century. It was in a school like that, in Nickel Mines, that a gunman entered the schoolhouse one morning in 2006 and shot 10 girls, killing five instantly and wounding the others[i] before shooting himself.

One year later, in October 2007, Donald B. Kraybill wrote an article in The Christian Science Monitor titled “Why the Amish forgive so quickly.” Kraybill, who interviewed survivors and dozens of Amish following the tragedy, explained their extreme forgiveness this way: “Within hours, the Amish community forgave the killer and his family…. Members of the Amish community began offering words and hugs of forgiveness when the blood was barely dry on the schoolhouse floor. A grandmother laughed when I asked if the forgiveness was orchestrated. ‘You mean that some people actually thought we had a meeting to plan forgiveness?’” How… why…? That seems an impossible extreme. Their children were killed by this murderer, yet they forgive him?

My mother, later in her life, was in an abusive relationship with a controlling man and I believe the stress he generated in her soul is what caused her to have a heart attack and die. It did not even occur to me to rush to forgive him. Telling a woman who was sexually abused that it’s the Christian thing to do to forgive her abuser makes her a victim twice. How can anyone tell the victims of war, of injustice, of oppression that they should forgive the ones who have done evil to them? How to forgive someone who betrayed you… or continues to do so? The church has done a disservice to its followers when it tells them to shut up and put up, letting predators off the hook. In the case of the Amish, forgiveness does not relieve the perpetrator from accountability for the crime. Kraybill noted “the Amish are clear that it does not free the offender from punishment. Had the gunman survived, they would have wanted him locked up.”

The Amish did not insist that others must forgive perpetrators and then let it go. Yet their actions modeled their faith based on the teachings of the New Testament. Why do they forgive? Why are they predisposed to forgive? Kraybill explained, “Amish faith is grounded in the teachings of Jesus to love enemies, reject revenge, and leave vengeance in the hands of God. As a father who lost a daughter in the schoolhouse said, ‘Forgiveness means giving up the right to revenge.’  Unlike those who hire lawyers at every turn to protect their rights, the Amish yield to divine providence in the case of an unspeakable tragedy such as the one at Nickel Mines – believing that God’s long arm of justice removes that need for human retaliation. In the Amish view, forgiveness is a religious duty… The Amish refrain – ‘If we don’t forgive, we won’t be forgiven’ – shows a different impetus. Their salvation hinges on their willingness to forgive, a powerful motivation to extend grace to others. They cite the Lord’s Prayer, and Jesus’ story about an unforgiving servant as their motivation. One bishop, pointing to verses following the Lord’s Prayer, said emphatically, ‘Forgiveness is the only thing that Jesus underscored in the Lord’s Prayer’.” 

Perhaps the Amish are unique in their inclination to be predisposed to forgiveness. Kraybill observes: “For most people, a decision to forgive comes – if ever – at the end of a long emotional journey that may stretch over months if not years. The Amish invert the process. Their religious tradition predisposes them to forgive even before an injustice occurs.”

Heroes of the faith who, like Jesus, also experienced betrayal and evil acts attacking their efforts for good, spoke of forgiveness and appeared predisposed to forgive. Martin Luther King, Jr. said, “Forgiveness is not an occasional act; it is a permanent attitude.” Mahatma Gandhi, who influenced King, held fast to his belief that “The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.” God, grant us to become strong enough people to forgive. 

Those who care about social justice can have our best efforts tested by those who seek to undermine efforts to pursue fair treatment, equality, justice, hope, and help for those on the margins of society. To this day, we witness some in power who choose courses which are detrimental to those who need help the most. We may wonder how to forgive people who do not do justice, love kindness, or walk humbly with the Lord (Micah 6:8). Why should we forgive them, of all people? Forgiveness does not excuse their evil deeds, crimes, or abuse – accountability is necessary. It would be satisfying to see signs of repentance from them, if not even recompense to their victims. And yet, Jesus forgave from the cross: “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34). My faith compels me to forgive but compared to the Amish or the heroes of the faith, I have more work to do to become predisposed to forgive. And yet, their examples cause us to reexamine our beliefs about forgiveness.