Another Columbine?

"You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.' But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, 'Raca,' is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, 'You fool!' will be in danger of the fire of hell." (Matthew 5:20-22)

On this anniversary of the 1999 Columbine High School attack in Colorado, five teenage boys were arrested. They were accused of plotting a shooting rampage to kill other students in their High School in Riverton, Kansas.

These suspected teenagers are 16 to 18 years old, apparently loners who like playing violent video games on the computer. They planned to kill about a dozen popular students. There are speculations that there might be bullying, name calling, chastising at these suspects.

Are they merely copy cats? Victims seeking revenge? Conditioned to violence? Whatever the reasons, there is no justification to murder. It is true that kids can be very cruel to each other. Parents need to know what is going on in their children's life and seek help early.

Thank God that a woman in North Carolina saw the warning signs on Myspace.com, chatted with one of the boys to get more details, and reported to authorities in her state.

Copyright © 2006 Winnis Chiang, Parenting ABC