This last Wednesday the 17th,
at a historically black church in Charlestown, South Carolina a lone gunman
gunned down nine worshipers after sitting for an hour with them during an
evening Bible study. This was truly a despicable evil act, yet at the same time
I see the good that has come of this mass killing.
The people of Charlestown and the rest of
South Carolina and indeed the rest of the nation came together in healing
and prayer and solidarity. Yes, there are a few Race baiters and those who
would wish to divide as the shooter wished to do, but they are few.
In the immediate aftermath of the tragic
event, we had not only the city of Charlestown comes together in a united
showing of support for the families of the nine victims, but we also saw said
families offer forgiveness to the shooter. That right there is what it all
means to be a Christian.
When something bad and traumatic happens
to you, it is all too easy to let anger take over and to hold grudges. This in
the long run only harms not only you but also everyone around you and the whole
community. The fact that not only have all the victims families and that whole
church community effected was not only able to let go of any such anger but
come out and forgive the shooter right away, its self speaks volumes about
their character.
Despite how terrible and evil the
shooting of the nine were, it and other such evil acts does have good outcomes
in that they remind us that despite all our defenses we also have a whole lot
in common and that we are all human.
The shooter Dylann Roof, a 21-year-old
white man was motivated by race according to survivors and the police
investigation. His goal seems to have been to start a Race war. In this he did
not succeed. In fact, I would say that he did just the opposite; he brought the
whole city of Charlestown regardless of Race together as they mourn those who
died. This here is proof that the nation has come a long way from its troubled
past and has indeed made great strides in becoming a post racial society.
With how the whole city of Charlestown is
acting after the tragic shooting has inspired the rest of South Carolina and
the nation as a whole; it shows us many things, but above all it shows us that
good nay great things can and does happen despite and even because of bad/evil
things. Yes, evil exists in the world, but so too does good and in fact good
uses the bad to make things better. My heart and prayers go out to the families
and friends of the nine who were brutally struck down, God Bless!