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Topics => Faith & Family => Topic started by: IronDioPriest on March 06, 2011, 11:39:11 AM

Title: Amish Grace
Post by: IronDioPriest on March 06, 2011, 11:39:11 AM

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I watched a movie last night that affected me deeply, in a good way. It's called "Amish Grace" (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1559025/), and it is a dramatic account of the aftermath of the October 2006 schoolhouse massacre of 5 Amish girls in Nickel Mines, Pennsylvania.

I remember the media accounts at the time. The fact that the Amish community almost immediately stressed forgiveness of the killer was met with media incredulity, and when it became apparent that that was the sum-total of the story, the story was abandoned, and the massacre faded from the headlines.

This film stars Kimberly Williams-Paisley (whom you may remember as the daughter in "Father of the Bride") as a mother struggling with her hatred over the murder of her daughter, and her inability to relate to the community's rush to forgive - including her husband. The film does a wonderful, beautiful job of looking at this event from several different angles - from the viewpoints of several different people involved, and it does so objectively.

As the event occurs and everyone is left in its aftermath to deal with the consequences, broad concepts are examined with this tragic setting as a perfect backdrop. The film respectfully explores things like like forgiveness, hatred, evil, grace, God, religious dogma, loss and grief, judgment, and separatism. It is ultimately a film about the value of forgiveness, but it does not shy away from exploring things that all people of faith struggle with and question. Faith and forgiveness are explored honestly, daring to ask the most difficult questions without providing concrete answers, and yet in the end, faith emerges triumphantly above those difficult questions as the overriding and convincing theme of the film.

We can withstand much tragedy and strife with the application of faith, grace, love, and forgiveness - and the Amish community of Nickel Mines are a testament to it. I would highly recommend everyone see this film.

Title: Re: Amish Grace
Post by: John Florida on March 06, 2011, 12:38:47 PM

I've seen it and it does strike nerves with me because I'm not sure I have that kind of forgiveness in me.