Church shooting information emerging

The early spin and folklore, as I expected, was that the shooter "picked out this church to shoot up" because it has "welcome gays signs" and is "fighting for social justice." I have read endless comments based on that assumption.

Well, and here is an article with interviews with attendees who explain that actually the shooter's abused ex-wife did attend that very UU church years ago. Soooooo.... while he obviously was a disturbed hater, it's not like he picked out these poor people at random because they were the shining castle on the hill of tolerance. It's all the more terrible to me, actually, that he planned to kill every person in the assembly that his ex wife attended.

http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2008/jul/28/woman-accused-shooter-hated-anyone-different-him/

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This article is just the beginning of the examination of the life of a lost and disturbed, violent person who spun out of control for decades.

I think all churches need to resist covering themselves in the glory of martyrdom when these events happen, because it usually is more complex, and more about the shooter than being about "you" or your faith.

I am so dismayed by what happened. But no one is really in a position to draw conclusions about their own faith and those of others (I don't mean the shooter, but the general "discourse" that has swirled around this event). If that were true then everyone would have to give the "win" based on number of martyrs to Christians.

So, as I said after OK City, and after September 11, 2001, while we are all eager for the facts, it's far too soon to demonize-or cover one's self with glory (except for of course the innocent victims and heroes in the shooting)-based on some theological or spiritual interpretation.

I hope that all the surviving victims pull through and that somehow the children and innocents who witnessed this and suffered so much will recover.