Keeping Faith After Columbine
While many students hoped returning to classes at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colo., on Tuesday would help put the pain of a tragedy behind them, others have found inspiration in the words of a shooting victim. CBS News Correspondent Bill Whitaker reports.
On April 20, Dylan Klebold, 17, and his friend, Eric Harris, 18, opened fire and unleashed bombs at the school. They killed 12 students and a teacher and wounded 21 before they committed suicide in the school library.
When 17-year-old Cassie Bernall was asked point-blank by one of the gunmen whether she believed in God, she answered yes and was shot dead.
Bernall's declaration of faith in the face of death has inspired young evangelical Christians. She's hailed as a martyr at rallies across the country.
At a rally in Florida on Tuesday, some of her classmates turned her simple response into a rallying cry: "Yes, I believe in God!"
She's become an inspiration and a challenge.
"It's just great how she actually stood up for Jesus, and she took the bullet for Christ," one young girl says. "And she's in a better place now, so I'm going to stand up for Jesus now."
Her death has galvanized a movement.
"She has been an example of it being in her heart, not just lip service," says youth minister Kelly Fellows.
An example those she inspired say they'll never let die.
"I've drawn a lot of strength in my faith to know that what she did, I can do," says Almarie Marshall.
But some observers fear all the talk of martyrdom has gotten out of hand.
"The real pain in the story is the loss of a child, and I think the other part is being hyped. I would relate to the loss, not the hype," says Lutheran Pastor Don Marxhausen of St. Philip Lutheran Church in Jefferson County, who is the Klebold family's minister.
Marxhausen told The Denver Rocky Mountain News Wednesday that Klebold's parents have written letters to some families of shooting victims and may meet with one family. He said he's had preliminary discussions with a pastor of the student victim's family, and hopes to bring both sides together with the help of a "neutral" counselor trained in reconciliation.
The letters have led to tentative discussions. Arrangements for one meeting are in an early stage and require careful work, said Marxhausen.
Marxhausen said he had not read the letters and doesn't know their content, but the newspaper said they were letters of "condolence and apology."
Thomas and Susan Klebold are in seclusion in the Denver area. Although they have not spoken publicly about the tragedy at Columbine, they released a statement four days after the shooting, saying they loved their son and were suffering. They offered an apology to all those suffering a loss from the shooting.