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NEWS FEATURE:
Religious Response to Va. Tech Tragedy
April 20, 2007    Episode no. 1034
Read This Week's November 7, 2008
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BOB ABERNETHY, anchor: Shock and grief across the nation this week after the deadly shooting rampage at Virginia Tech on Monday (April 16). Virginia Governor Tim Kaine declared this past Friday (April 20) a day of mourning. Kaine joined President Bush and other leaders at a special campus convocation Tuesday (April 17). He recalled the biblical example of Job:

Virginia Governor TIM KAINE: He was angry at his circumstances. He was angry at his Creator. He argued with God. He didn't lose his faith. But it's okay to argue. It's okay to be angry. Those emotions are natural.

ABERNETHY: In the wake of the tragedy, many students and their families sought comfort in faith. Lucky Severson has our report on those offering spiritual support to the devastated Virginia Tech community.

UNIDENTIFIED MAN #1: We just long to see your presence here at Virginia Tech, Lord.

Photo of Praying LUCKY SEVERSON: Days after the one they won't forget, Virginia Tech students gathered on the drill field in prayer circles, to remember and pray for the friends they lost.

UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: They loved their son, I'm sure, just like I love my children, Lord.

SEVERSON: Their first prayer was for the family of the killer and that there would not be a backlash against Koreans living in this country.

UNIDENTIFIED MAN #2: We're not here for a show. Just ignore the media that's here. And I ask the media if you would respect these groups to pray and seek comfort and guidance from God.

SEVERSON: With cameras in their faces they prayed for the future when the cameras would be gone and they could move on with their lives.

DENNY NISSLEY (Christ in Action Ministries): What I do is I share with them that there is a hope and a future. They're not going to be able to get their life back to normal, but what we want to do is help them create a new normal.

SEVERSON: Pastor Denny Nissley is one of dozens of other pastors here from near and far, representing several different religions. There are many international students here. Some were among those killed.

Photo of Ajerid KHALED ADJERID (Student, Virginia Tech University): In the Qu'ran it says that if a person kills one human life, it is as if he has killed all of mankind. And if someone has saved one human life, it is as if he saved all of mankind.

Reverend FRANKLIN GRAHAM (Billy Graham Evangelistic Association): I pray for the men and women standing in this circle even though they may represent other faiths.

SEVERSON: Reverend Franklin Graham was here along with 20 other ministers from the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, trying to answer some difficult questions.

Photo of Graham Rev, GRAHAM: They're angry. Where's God? I mean, why did he allow this to happen?

BRIAN POTERE (Student, Virginia Tech University): You just ask why, and you just ask yourself, "God, why would you do something like this? Couldn't you have stopped it?"

Rev. GRAHAM: God loves us. He's provided us a way to be with him in heaven. But there is a devil. There is evil in this world, and we have seen the face of evil manifest itself right here on this campus Monday. Lucifer, the devil, or whatever you want to name him, is real.

Photo of Bubb KATIE BUBB (Student, Virginia Tech University): They said yesterday at convocation that no good can come unless there's evil. So we had our evil on Monday at 9:30 in the morning. By 10:30 in the morning there was good coming from it.

SEVERSON: She means good because of the way the community has come together. This was a candlelight ceremony that began in solemn remembrance and ended in a rousing school chant.

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BRYAN SCHAMUS (Student, Virginia Tech University): Thousands upon thousands of Hokies were on the drill field last night doing football chants. Some people I guess at first maybe it looks like it's disrespectful and why are they doing that? But that's just spirit. It's our community.

Photo of Nissley Pastor NISSLEY: In a nutshell, I tell the students you have a choice. You can get bitter, or you can get better. You can run towards God, or you can run away from God, and that will determine your outcome.

SEVERSON: Students could be found in the chapels around campus. Those we spoke with said at first the horrible event challenged their faith, and then maybe even strengthened it.

Pastor GRAHAM: I think a lot of times it deepens our faith, because we've turned to God and asked him for his help. God supernaturally can reach into a person's heart and touch their soul with his presence.

SEVERSON: There were even ministers here to minister to clergy. Bob Barnes has had experience in the aftermath of both Columbine and Oklahoma City. He says the clergy who do grief counseling for months and sometimes even years often needs counseling themselves.

Photo of Barnes ROBERT BARNES (Presbyterian Disaster Assistance): The statistics from the loss of clergy after the Murrah bombing was up to 75 percent of clergy either left the ministry or got themselves involved in some kind of self-destructive behavior.

SEVERSON: Because they couldn't cope?

Mr. BARNES: As a direct result.

SEVERSON: Barnes says of all the struggling survivors it is often the kids, the students, who were the most resilient, who will move on.

Mr. BARNES: We also learned that when children are involved as they are here and were at Columbine, that it is almost counterproductive for adults to try to intervene in helping them without an awareness that they have their own social structure. In other words, kids are more resilient.

NASSIBA KHALED (Student, Virginia Tech University): I think it is something that we definitely can get over as a community and work towards. I mean, I think we will have to move on. We will move on.

Photo of Schamus Mr. SCHAMUS: We're never going to forget what happened April 16, 2007. It's like the new September 11 for the Hokie nation. It always will be. It's going to be hard to walk past those dorms, the classrooms. This place is so strong. We are who we are. We are going to move on.

SEVERSON: For RELIGION & ETHICS NEWSWEEKLY, I'm Lucky Severson in Blacksburg, Virginia.

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