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And Cassie Pulled the Trigger...
zombiegirl
beating the drum of the lifelessin a dry wasteland Veteran
Just heard that Flyleaf song "Cassie" the other day and it got me thinking. For those of you that are not familiar with this song or the person, from the Cassie Bernall wikipedia page:
"Cassie René Bernall (November 6, 1981 – April 20, 1999) was a student killed in the Columbine High School massacre, at age 17.
Initial reports suggested that one of the assailants, either Eric Harris or Dylan Klebold, asked Bernall if she believed in God moments before fatally shooting her. She was reported to have answered "Yes, I believe".[1] This story led to Bernall being presented as a martyr by some Christians, and served as the inspiration for several songs, including Michael W. Smith's "This Is Your Time"[2] and Flyleaf's "Cassie." [3]
In the months following Bernall's death, her mother, Misty Bernall, issued the book She Said Yes: The Unlikely Martyrdom of Cassie Bernall. In this book Misty Bernall discusses her daughter's turbulent teenage life, spiritual conversion and martyrdom.
Most examinations of witness testimony state that Cassie was not asked anything before she was shot.[4][5][6][7] According to witness Emily Wyant, who was hiding under a wood table with Cassie, Eric Harris said "peek-a-boo" before shooting Cassie, while Cassie continued to pray silently.[7] However, in her book "Day of Reckoning: Columbine and the Search for America's Soul," reporter Wenday Murray Zoba noted that Cassie's companion misidentified Cassie's shooter, which compromises her account. It has been documented that a similar exchange took place between Klebold and Valeen Schnurr, a student who was wounded in the library that day. Some have speculated that this exchange was mistakenly attributed to Bernall."
I think that article summarizes all aspects of the situation pretty well. Cassie has since become a martyr of a sort, although no one is really sure if any of it is true or not. But aside from skepticism, the more important thing about the story is what she stands for. People have since used her supposed bravery to represent that one should not deny God even at the risk of death.
A quote from the Flyleaf song, "Cassie":
"How many will die?
I will die.
I, I will say yes.
'Do you believe in God?'
Written on the bullet.
Say yes to pull the trigger.
'Do you believe in God?'
Written on the bullet.
And Cassie pulled the trigger.
Do you believe in God?
Do you believe in God?
Do you believe in God?
And I will pull the trigger."
Pretty powerful stuff. I find myself wondering, would this sort of action be considered "skillful" from a Buddhist standpoint? Forget the "God" part of it, what I'm wondering is, is it truly better to uphold the five precepts and sacrifice yourself with one simple word? Somehow, for me personally, I don't think it would be worth it to put my loved ones through all of the suffering just because I refused to lie, even if it violates the precepts.
"Cassie René Bernall (November 6, 1981 – April 20, 1999) was a student killed in the Columbine High School massacre, at age 17.
Initial reports suggested that one of the assailants, either Eric Harris or Dylan Klebold, asked Bernall if she believed in God moments before fatally shooting her. She was reported to have answered "Yes, I believe".[1] This story led to Bernall being presented as a martyr by some Christians, and served as the inspiration for several songs, including Michael W. Smith's "This Is Your Time"[2] and Flyleaf's "Cassie." [3]
In the months following Bernall's death, her mother, Misty Bernall, issued the book She Said Yes: The Unlikely Martyrdom of Cassie Bernall. In this book Misty Bernall discusses her daughter's turbulent teenage life, spiritual conversion and martyrdom.
Most examinations of witness testimony state that Cassie was not asked anything before she was shot.[4][5][6][7] According to witness Emily Wyant, who was hiding under a wood table with Cassie, Eric Harris said "peek-a-boo" before shooting Cassie, while Cassie continued to pray silently.[7] However, in her book "Day of Reckoning: Columbine and the Search for America's Soul," reporter Wenday Murray Zoba noted that Cassie's companion misidentified Cassie's shooter, which compromises her account. It has been documented that a similar exchange took place between Klebold and Valeen Schnurr, a student who was wounded in the library that day. Some have speculated that this exchange was mistakenly attributed to Bernall."
I think that article summarizes all aspects of the situation pretty well. Cassie has since become a martyr of a sort, although no one is really sure if any of it is true or not. But aside from skepticism, the more important thing about the story is what she stands for. People have since used her supposed bravery to represent that one should not deny God even at the risk of death.
A quote from the Flyleaf song, "Cassie":
"How many will die?
I will die.
I, I will say yes.
'Do you believe in God?'
Written on the bullet.
Say yes to pull the trigger.
'Do you believe in God?'
Written on the bullet.
And Cassie pulled the trigger.
Do you believe in God?
Do you believe in God?
Do you believe in God?
And I will pull the trigger."
Pretty powerful stuff. I find myself wondering, would this sort of action be considered "skillful" from a Buddhist standpoint? Forget the "God" part of it, what I'm wondering is, is it truly better to uphold the five precepts and sacrifice yourself with one simple word? Somehow, for me personally, I don't think it would be worth it to put my loved ones through all of the suffering just because I refused to lie, even if it violates the precepts.
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Comments
I heard of this particular urban legend soon after the shootings, and found out it wasn't even true, just the same old persecution complex that many Christians hold. "Non-Christians want to kill me for being a Christian." They refuse to admit that just as many Christians kill people in the name of Christ. Truth is, people kill people in spite of and because of religion all the time.
So even if this girl was asked the question, she would have been shot no matter what her answer, because the deranged killer was shooting anyone unlucky enough to be in the school. Had nothing to do with God.
But should you lie at the point of a gun? I've never had a gun shoved in my face, and even so, I can't actually see where my answer to any question would make a difference in the shooter's actions. But if so, my honest answer is, I would say and do whatever it took to get the killer to stop killing people if possible. Beyond that, it's not about truth or lie. It's about helping people in a dangerous situation. You don't want anyone to be killed, and you don't want the guy with the gun to make the terrible mistake of shooting someone. If you focus on that purpose, the actions will follow.
....but back on topic. i never really felt that cassie was used as a big "oooh us christians have it so hard! look how we are persecuted!" ploy... but i suppose i can see where you get it from. i guess i was more disturbed by the fact that her supposed actions were glorified. but perhaps my problem is that i DON'T believe in god. i guess if you live in fear of a vengeful ruler that will possibly send you to hell for all of your eternal afterlife, you might consider saying "yes" as well.
I don’t care how people do it and what they believe in or not. This runs deeper.
I think in such an extreme situation some people can have a huge realization.
Maybe it just happens to them: “Dropping body and mind” at the moment of death.