Voice 1
Hello. I’m Marina Santee.
Voice 2
And I’m Liz Waid. Welcome to Spotlight. This programme uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.
Voice 1
It was October 2006. A man entered a small school. It was in Pennsylvania, in the United States. He tied up ten school girls. Then he pulled out a gun. And he shot them. These girls were between the ages of six and thirteen years old. They were Amish girls.
Voice 2
The Amish people are a particular group of Christians. They believe they should live simple lives. Most of them do not use electricity, watch television or drive cars. Many of them are farmers. Or they make goods that they sell in their own stores. Their clothes are simple too. They usually wear dark colours - black, blue and brown. The women wear white hats. They also wear white aprons over their clothes. The men wear wide hats made of straw. Married men grow their facial hair, but unmarried men have no beards. The Amish believe that they should separate themselves from the world. They do not want the ideas of the world to influence them.
Voice 1
The Amish are very peaceful. They do not fight in wars. And they do not believe in violence of any kind. So why would anyone shoot an Amish person? It is a mystery.
Voice 2
The man responsible for shooting the girls was Charles Carl Roberts. His job was to drive a milk truck. Mr. Roberts got milk from Amish farms. He lived near the Amish school. Mr. Roberts was a troubled man. He had a difficult past. And he was angry about it. He had no anger towards the Amish. But he still chose to hurt the innocent little girls. After he shot the children, he used a gun to kill himself. The police and ambulance drivers arrived at the school. They tried to help. But it was too late. Ambulance drivers took the girls to hospital. Several of the girls died.
Voice 1
This tragic event shocked the world. But the Amish remained calm and peaceful. Their reaction created international interest in the Amish way of life. People began to ask questions. Who were the Amish? And what were their values?
Voice 2
Ancestors of the Amish came from Switzerland and Germany. In the seventeen hundreds, they moved to the United States. They left their home country to have religious freedom. But they kept their tradition and culture. Today, most Amish live in three states: Pennsylvania, Ohio and Indiana. There are around one-hundred and fifty thousand [150,000] Amish in the United States and Canada.
Voice 1
Among the Amish, there are several different groups. The older groups limit the use of modern technology the most. For example, they will use only gas lights. And they will not permit telephones in their houses. The newer groups permit more technology such as modern farming machines. And they can even own cars. All these groups may have different ideas about technology. But they are linked by language. At home, most of them speak an old form of German. But they learn English at school to communicate with their neighbours. They even call non-Amish people ‘the English’ or ‘Englishers.’
Most Amish families have many children. They want their sons to be farmers. But farm land is becoming difficult to buy. Land is costly. And many other people are moving to the areas where the Amish live. So land is hard to find. The Amish farming lifestyle is being threatened. So the Amish are finding new ways of surviving. They have opened stores that sell hand-made furniture. They are working in factories. And some are permitting visitors to come to their houses. They cook delicious fresh meals for the visitors for a reasonable price.
Voice 2
Families are very important to the Amish. Communities are important too. The people work together. For example when one family needs a farm building, the others help to build it. When one family suffers, the other families support that family. So the shootings of October 2006 affected the whole community. The community immediately came together to support the girls’ families. But this is not all they did. They also offered support to the killer’s family - the Roberts. This shocked many people around the world.
Voice 1
Daniel Esh is an Amish man. He had family members in the school. But he was not angry at the Roberts family. In fact, he wanted to help them! He said,
Voice 3
“I hope they stay around here. And I hope they will have a lot of friends and support.”
Voice 2
The Amish had funerals in their homes for the young girls. Hundreds of Amish went to each funeral. They rode to the funerals in their horse-pulled vehicles. The bodies of the girls lay in hand-made coffins - wooden burial boxes. The coffins were open. The dead girls were wearing white dresses and white hats. The Amish did not talk about death. Instead they talked about life in the next world. After the funerals the people went to the cemetery. There they buried the bodies.
Voice 1
The killer, Mr. Roberts also had a funeral. About seventy-five [75] people attended. This included his wife Marie, family members and friends. However, almost half of the people at the funeral were Amish! They did not know Mr. Roberts. But they wanted to show respect to his wife Marie. They knew that she must be very sad. And that she must now raise three children alone.
Voice 2
Many people sent money to help the Amish families. Usually the Amish do not accept money or help from other groups. But they have agreed to keep this money. They want to show that they accept other people’s kindness. They will use the money to pay for the hospital costs of the girls. But the Amish did not forget about Marie Roberts. They asked people to send her money. They want to make sure that she has help.
Voice 2
Tom is an Amish storekeeper. He explains how they were able to forgive,
Voice 4
“We are not unemotional. There is sadness. But we have to follow our faith. Jesus told us to love our enemies. He can turn your enemy into your best friend. That is faith.”
Voice 1
Through forgiveness the Amish are able to find peace. They have lived peaceful lives for hundreds of years. And they will continue their way of life in the years to come.
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