Think No Evil: Inside the Story of the Amish Schoolhouse Shooting...and Beyond

Indepth research into the Amish school shooting and the forgiveness that followed

Think No Evil by Jonas Beiler and Shawn Smucker is an inside look at the Nickel Mines Amish School shooting of October 2, 2006. Beiler grew up in an Amish home before deciding at the age of 15 to live on the outside, so he has a unique perspective to share on this story that captivated the nation. The world couldn't look away as the news came in about a man who walked into an Amish school, sent out the boys and women, tied up the girls, boarded over the doors and windows and then proceeded to shoot all ten of them before taking his own life. The Amish community immediately offered forgiveness to the shooter and his family, reaching out to them again and again in a way that the world couldn't seem to understand. Beiler uses his own life story and the history of the Amish to offer a foundation for the unbelievable forgiveness the Amish offer those who hurt them. He tells the story of what happened in that small classroom with equal amounts of detachment and compassion. Churches spend millions of dollars a year trying to attract media attention to the story of Jesus without much sucess, but the Amish, who shun modern life conveniences, including the media, created a world wide sensation and curiosity about a God who empowered these people to offer such loving forgiveness. Their story is one of learning for all of us. Refusing to forgive only hurts the victim by creating a lifetime of hurt and bitterness, a lesson the Amish have learned through their history of non-violent resistance and martyrdom. It was difficult at times to read the words through the tears, but unlike most true crime books that are written to titillate with prurient details, he keeps the details about the shooter's actual intentions and what happened between him and the girls to a minimum, maintaining their dignity and privacy without sacrificing the power of the story.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Watched the lifetime movie

It was really good and i wanna know more!

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