The Texas Church Shooting

The shooting that took place at a small church in Sutherland Springs, Texas has the country mourning and scrambling for answers and fighting over the ins and outs of what has happened and for tighter gun control laws. 

When I hear eye witness accounts of what took place my heart actually aches over the sheer hatred that can cause such an event. Make no mistake, this WAS a hate crime! In my opinion ALL crime is a hate crime because you see Jesus said that we are to love our neighbor as ourselves. Only hatred in a person's heart can motivate to steal, to murder, to rape, to lie, to mock and ridicule or what have you towards another person. 

I am also proud and excited over heroes that stepped up and tried to intervene and stop what was happening. Praise the Lord such people still exist! 

I find it quite interesting that the media and even law enforcement are quick to say that this was not religiously motivated even though the man shot dead or wounded nearly every person present at the worship service in the church. This included infants! Eye witnesses said that if a child or baby cried the man targeted and shot them in cold blood. How does one do that?! Shoot a baby?! He yelled as he ran in "Everyone die!" Now, it is claimed that it was not religiously motivated just because there was a domestic dispute going on between the shooter and some of the church members. Really? Since the shooter is dead, I'm not quite sure how you can make that claim with certainty.  Would the media still claim this if the shooting had taken place in a mosque under the same circumstances? --with knowledge of a domestic dispute? - probably not. It would be claimed as a "hate" crime.

I believe if it was just domestic dispute related then the man could and probably would have chosen to go to their home and shoot the relatives. There is a reason he chose their church and church family! We may eventually know or we may never know but it could be possible that he was so angry at his wife or in-laws that he wanted to cause harm to anyone they held dear or it could have been that he hated anyone and anything to do with Christianity. Why did he choose the church setting? Why did he target every person in there he could see, even babies and children? 

One thing I believe we can be certain of is that he had no respect for human life. Personally, I believe he had no care of God or His Word. Crimes of passion are not usually premeditated. They are heat of the moment type of settings where anger takes over and crime is committed. This shooting was done with much thought and premeditation. 

Now, there are those out there running off at the mouth about Vice President Pence going to Sutherland to offer condolences and prayer to the victims and the town. Really? Can you be less sensitive and compassionate?! Pence and Trump are condemned no matter what action they take. In some opinions it is either not enough or too little too late or wrong timing, etc. I'm thankful our Vice President is a man of prayer and that he's vocal about it! I pray daily for God to give us leaders in this country who truly seek His face and His Wisdom. I'm thankful for the local pastors in the Sutherland area who have stepped in and rallied around the town and the church and lead in prayer on national tv. Prayer makes a difference! Prayer moves God! If you don't believe in it, that's your business but shut up about it when others rely on it for their very existence! Who is Pence hurting by going to Texas to pray with victims? It always seems to be okay for Jesse Jackson or Al Sharpton to fly somewhere and stir up hate and keep people divided but let someone in a leadership position go pray and everyone acts like it is a felony. No one is making you stand there and hear the prayer or take part. Leave Pence alone because there are people in Sutherland Springs, Texas hurting and who will be comforted by his coming.