Editorial

Months have passed since Charles Carl Roberts, IV, shot 10

young Amish schoolgirls in their one-room schoolhouse and then killed himself. In West Nickel Mines, Lancaster County, Penn-sylvania, five girls died and five were critically injured.

More questions were raised about how the Amish community coped with this tragedy than were asked about why the killer did what he did. The Amish response to the murders was to ask the me-dia to stay away so they could pray, mourn, and bury their dead with-out intrusion from non-Amish in-dividuals. Their religion was their guide, and their strong community ties were their support. In a state-ment released to State Police, the Amish said, “We don’t know or understand why this happened, but we do believe God allowed this to happen” (Ortega, 2006, p. 13). A simple statement. No blame-laying. No second-guessing about

what might have been possible if theoretical steps had been taken. No hint of taking revenge on the kin of the murderer. No need to change anything. The state-ment concluded, “We wish ev-eryone God’s blessing and again we thank you” (Ortega, 2006, p. 13). There was great sadness and many tears, but no hysteria, no anger or vengeance. Accepting something as God’s will certainly removes the burden of harbor-ing hatred and seeking revenge. If it is God’s will, then ordinary human beings need not berate themselves for not having pre-vented a tragedy or accident.

The family of Charles Roberts reached out to the families of the murdered girls and asked to visit them. The families accepted their visits and added Roberts’ family to their prayers. When

funds were set up for the girls still in critical care, Roberts’ widow and children were included in the efforts.

different way of life and death

At a time when secular values and satisfying personal, individual needs and wishes reign supreme, such simple faith is startling and results in a profound wake-up call to those comfortable with mod-ern ways. In Amish communi-ties, both children and elders are valued, husbands and wives stay married, and neighbors know and help one another. As one re-porter put it, “When a barn burns down, the neighbors come and build a new one; no one calls an

the amish wayCoping with Tragedy

� December 2006

Editorial

insurance company” (Goodstein, 2006, p. 820).

Amish stoicism, faith, and ca-pacity for forgiveness were men-tioned repeatedly in the news, ac-companied by awe that these were still possible in the 21st century. The Amish came to America in the 18th century, seeking escape from persecution because of and intrusions into their religious be-liefs. They are Anabaptists, as are the Mennonites, but they have stayed even more separate and are called “The Old Order Amish.” As young adults, Amish people must decide whether they want to be baptized and become full com-munity members. Until then, boys and girls are allowed to do things that those who are baptized are not, such as watching television in non-Amish homes, riding mo-torcycles, using the cell phones of their non-Amish friends, or going to parties. If the choice is made for baptism, all of that changes, and adult expectations are for a simple, uncluttered, nontechnological life. Only 10% of Amish individuals choose not to be baptized; 90% stay within their communities.

The Amish have no churches and pay no clergy. Services are held in family homes, and the homes se-lected to hold the Sunday service and meal are rotated. Everyone cooperates to bring in the benches, move furniture, and then prepare, serve, and clean up after the meal. Children, adolescents, and elders are always present. There are no distracting sports.

Funerals are also held in the home. After a non-Amish funeral director embalms the body, it is returned to the family’s home for the wake and, a few days later, the funeral service. Neighbors dig the grave and help transport the plain

wooden casket to the burial site. Death is within the family, with a supporting community always present.

Amish people consider death a part of the natural rhythm of life. They believe there is life af-ter death. Their religious beliefs are “based on the teachings of the New Testament, which sees the person’s relationship to death as one of human temporality and divine eternity” (Bryer, 1979, p. 257). Benore and Park (2004) sug-gested that people who believe in life after death, as well as contin-ued attachment, or a sustained re-lationship with the deceased after death, are more likely to produce life-meaning positions that abate stress and engage in comforting coping strategies in bereavement.

unintended lessonsThe Amish religion forbids the

use of technological advances. They do not use electricity nor drive motor vehicles. They do not have telephones in their houses but may have one in the barn or dairy for business purposes; if possible, they try to have a non-Amish person do the calling for them. They have managed to stay insulated, not isolated, and to maintain what is meaningful to them (Kraybill, 1989).

Could you imagine, if for only a day, not being bombarded by telephone calls? E-mails? Elec-tronic messages of all kinds? Wouldn’t it be wonderful to call it a day when the sun goes down and eat by candlelight every night in the fall and winter? Waking up rested when day breaks has to be good for both physical and men-tal health. Taking a break from computers and other technologies would certainly improve our sense

of calm. The overload we consider normal is not considered normal by the Amish. They wonder why we think that creating new and better bombs and explosives is a good idea. They are too kind to suggest that we are mistaken, or plain stupid, but they just simply say that they do not think these technologies are good or neces-sary.

The tragic murders of the Amish girls provide unintended lessons. As we look at what a simple life, strong family ties, and religious heritage have to offer in a time of crisis, we may find our technological, frantic, and frac-tured way of life might need some adjusting.

referencesBenore, E.R., & Park, C.L. (2004).

Death-specific religious beliefs and bereavement: Belief in an afterlife and continued attachment. Interna-tional Journal for the Psychology of Reli-gion, 14, 1-22.

Bryer, K.B. (1979). The Amish way of death: A study of family support sys-tems. American Psychologist, 34, 255-261.

Goodstein, L. (2006, October 4). Strong faith and community may help Amish cope with loss. New York Times, p. A20.

Kraybill, D.B. (1989). The riddle of Amish culture. Baltimore: The Johns Hop-kins University Press.

Ortega, R.R. (2006, October 5). Rev-elations cast doubt on killer’s motive. The Star-Ledger, p. 13.

Shirley A. Smoyak, RN, PhD, FAAN Editor

The Editor thanks Patricia Piermatti, Librarian, The Rutgers University Library of Science and Medicine, for her help in finding resources.

Journal of Psychosocial nursing, Vol. 44, no. 12 �