Columbine High School

2886 Words6 Pages

COlumbine High School

On the morning of April 20, 1999, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold approach Columbine High School, in Jefferson County, Colorado. Armed with one 10-shot Hi-Point model 995 carbine rifle, one Intratec AB-10 (TEC-9) pistol, two Savage 12-gauge shotguns, and as many as ninety-five explosive devices, Harris and Klebold enter the school near the cafeteria. Upon doing so, they are met with the words that God commanded unto Moses on Mount Sinai: Thou Shall Not Kill. Harris and Klebold tremble in fear and shame for what they have come to accomplish. Dropping their weapons, the boys fall to their knees, bow their heads in penance, and pray to God for forgiveness.

Instead of that scenario the boys fired off an estimated 900 rounds into the bodies of their fellow classmates, teachers, and, eventually, themselves; it is doubtful that the killers knew their bullets would also become ammunition for the Christian Right's own agenda. But the seemingly unchecked anathema of school violence is now a selling point in the Christian Right's campaign to legislate morality, and the killing at Columbine is exhibit A. As ridiculous as it sounds to some that Harris and Klebold would suddenly abandon such murderous thoughts, many members of the Christian Right believe that the power of the Word is so inescapable and forceful that even the most vile intentions can be instantly quelled by one glance at the Ten Commandments.

House Majority Whip Tom DeLay would be the first to install a copy of the Ten Commandments in our local schools. He himself believes that the Word would have felled Harris and Klebold: "'I got an e-mail this morning that said it all. A student writes, 'Dear God: Why didn't you stop the shootings at Columbine?' ...

... middle of paper ...

...at disservice when they become secondary to a political agenda. By so denigrating the Ten Commandments, the Christian Right not only defiles what is most holy about them but also effectively throws sand in the face of the public, obscuring the very real consequences of displaying them in public schools.

Works Cited

Nietzche, Friedrich. "On Truth and Lying in a Non-Moral Sense." The Birth of Tragedy and Other Writings. Ed. Raymond Geuss & Ronald Speirs. Cambridge UP, 1999.

People For the American Way. 4 April 2001. <http://www.pfaw.org>

Teva. 4 April 2001. Teva. 17 April 2001 <http://www.teva.com.>

Shoes of the Fisherman. 4 April 2001 Shoes of the Fisherman. <http://www. shoesofthefisherman.com>

Henderson, Charles. About Christianity. 4 April 2001. <http://www.christianity. about.com/religion/christianity/ library/weekly/aa062299. htm>

Open Document