[bUqLfXRI]

I don't know if any of you are aware that the worst incident of school shooting in America has just occurred in Virginia.

At this point 22 students have been shot and killed.

Lord protect us and have mercy on us all.

In Christ- Fr Raphael

[chuviskkk]

Oh no! Lord have mercy! Lord have mercy! Lord have mercy!

[rassedgesse]

22!!!! May God have mercy on them and their families!

[Seiblybiozy]

I have heard the death toll is up to 32 now. Pray for those that are still hanging on in the hospital. Who prayers for the murderer?

When will it end? How much more pain can God endure?

20 He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming quickly.”
Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

[chuviskkk]

Who prays for the murderer?

May our Merciful and Loving Father have mercy upon the souls of all who died or will die in the tragic events at Virginia Tech. May our Merciful and Loving Father bring comfort and peace that is beyond words to all those who remain, especially upon the parents of the young man who perpetrated the crime.

Lord have mercy! Lord have mercy! Lord have mercy!

[18holesin]

May our Merciful and Loving Father have mercy upon the souls of all who died or will die in the tragic events at Virginia Tech. May our Merciful and Loving Father bring comfort and peace that is beyond words to all those who remain, especially upon the parents of the young man who perpetrated the crime.

Lord have mercy! Lord have mercy! Lord have mercy!

Lord have mercy.

[biannaruh]

.... and may the American government and related authorities finally have the gumption and spine to stand up to the "almighty" NRA and seriously tighten that nation's gun laws (or, should that be, lack of them).

While I am well aware this forum is for discussion of matters of faith, not politics, permit me to reproduce the following short letter from today's (April 19) edition of The Australian, the country's national newspaper:

I would like Charlton Heston to clasp the cold, dead hands of the 32 innocents today and still say that he believes in "guns for all".

I rest my case.

[MP+4]

Gun laws have nothing to do with what happened in Virginia. Vermont has the most lenient gun laws yet the least amount of crime in the U.S.A. That student could of gotten a gun whether legally or illegally.

Illegal guns are hard to stop from entering the country since millions cross the mexican/ american border everyday, many to smuggle in contraband.

In fact gun related murders in America are low compared to its population of 301 million people.
The myth that america is a lawless country is propagated by liberal media elites especially from Europe, a continent roughly the size of the United States who cannot stop the murder of serbs in kosovo. A continent which cannot stop violence in soccer games, the most recent being the death of a fan at the hands of hooligans in a volleball match in greece just last week! A continent which thinks riots in the streets is a form of protest. Its sad that these are the claims propagated from the most barbaric continent in the history of mankind.

[Trikaduliana]

Dear Olga

I am neither American nor a gun owner, but it could be very reasonably argued that the great number of murders were due to the fact that no students were allowed to carry arms. Had they done so then it is likely that the attacker would have been incapacitated very early on.

Even if there is strict gun control, as there is in the UK, this never applies to criminals, as can be seen from the fact that there is more criminal gun use than ever before in the UK, while ordinary citizens find it almost impossible to own a firearm.

Gun control does not necessarily make anywhere safer.

Peter

[Seiblybiozy]

I would like Charlton Heston to clasp the cold, dead hands of the 32 innocents today and still say that he believes in "guns for all". I suppose I cannot ask forgiveness if I post a very trite response. So, I suppose I should not do it. Or I should not ask forgiveness.

Before the gun, there was the bow and arrow and the spear and the javolin and the club and the blow gun and the sword and the knife and the batton and the iron claw and the guiltoin and the iron wheel and the rack and the wild beasts and the war machines and the gauntlet and the hot oil and the boiling water and the mountain side cliffs and fire and water and rocks and the jaw of an ***.

I think you see where I am going with this.

Guns don't kill people! People kill people!

They have for thousands of years. One day we will be killing each other with phasers and photon torpedos. Cain very much lives among us today.

[Scfdglkn]

As the mother of a teenager, I have talked with her and her friends about these tragidies. Their thoughts and views have opened my eyes greatly. For the most part, they don't blame guns, the media, video games, music or any of the other scapegoats we hear about. The two major things they focus on is the devaluing of human life and parent involvement.

With abortion being legal, many parents who are too busy for their children or treat them as an inconvenience, they don't see life as precious. So many kids are growing up without knowing that they are a child of God and that life is what He breathed into them, with love and purpose. They don't feel that their life is respected and don't respect the lives of others. They see human life as disposable.

Especially with the incidents in high schools, many ask where the parents are? How are students building bombs, gathering firearms, and planning these things in their homes without their parents knowledge? Aren't parents supposed to protect their children from the world and from themselves? What are they doing instead? These are the questions I've been asked by teenagers.

I see that there is also a huge lack of accountability to God for their actions. There may be some accountability to parents and law enforcement, but without respect, it's fairly meaningless. They need to be taught to fear God and His judgement from a very early age.

I don't pretend to be a perfect parent, but I am confident that there is not a place in my home that my daugther or her friends could hide anything bigger than a quarter for long without my finding it. I try to tell every child that enters my house that they are special and that God loves them. I ask them what's going on in their lives, and listen.

I'm sorry to go off on a rant here, but this is something that I am passionate about. I think that we're addressing this wrong and that Satan is doing a good job of keeping us distracted from the real solution. Putting God back at the center of our lives, our families, our schools and our communities is the only way to fix this brokenness.

Servant of Christ,
Sophia

[AnetTeilor]

The myth that america is a lawless country is propagated by liberal media elites especially from Europe, a continent roughly the size of the United States who cannot stop the murder of serbs in kosovo. A continent which cannot stop violence in soccer games, the most recent being the death of a fan at the hands of hooligans in a volleball match in greece just last week! A continent which thinks riots in the streets is a form of protest. Its sad that these are the claims propagated from the most barbaric continent in the history of mankind.

Hm you dont like us do you?