Knoxville, Tenn. police has released a statement that a letter in the car of church shooter Jim D. Adkisson reveals that he targeted the congregation due to its liberal views on civil liberties and women’s and gay rights. Adkisson killed two people at the Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church in the middle of a children’s performance.
Chief Sterling Owen IV said Adkisson had a “stated hatred of the liberal movement.” He is now charged with first-degree murder. Among the complaints against the church was its founding of a chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union.
The children were performing “Annie” when Adkisson decided to kill people in the name of the true faith. According to reports, Greg McKendry, a 60-year-old usher and board member at the church, blocked the killer and was his first victim, click here.
It is simply astonishing that even a demented killer would think that God would want him to mow down Christians who are not sufficiently conservative, including children. Some reports indicate that he had problems with Christians in general, click here. It takes a lot of hate to walk into a scene of children performing in a religious sanctuary and turn it into a place of massacre. Of course, as with the Virginia Tech massacre, the story also reveals the best of humanity in those adults who confronted his man at the risk of their own lives. Had he not been restrained by church members, the death toll might have been much greater.
Ironically, the ACLU and these church members would likely be the first to defend Adkisson’s rights as he faces a potential death penalty for his alleged crimes.
For the latest on the story, click here.
The most astonishing thing about this article was the following line:
“It is simply astonishing that even a demented killer would think that God would want him to mow down Christians who are not sufficiently conservative, including children.”
Yet supposedly sane people in America and Israel, the Zionists, including Bush never “astonish” people in the media when they kill Palestinian, Iraqi, Afghani Muslim AND CHRISTIAN children (yes, suprisingly some Arabs are Chirstian). I guess Romney was partially right that Jesus was an American.
This is a racist incident because this white man is not used to losing his job like a black man, hispanic, oriental etc…
This white man snapped like a twig off a tree as soon as he found out he lost his job.. No one in his family never lost a job…
I know people do not want to hear the awful truth… but this is all true..
Life in America
“Ironically, the ACLU and these church members would likely be the first to defend Adkisson’s rights as he faces a potential death penalty for his alleged crimes.”
ALLEGED CRIMES!?!? What is the matter with you? There’s a church full of witnesses, the guy was caught red handed. Maybe you and this guy both think Unitarians aren’t sufficently conservative/Christian/Republican/ so we reserve judgment when they are killed? I bet you don’t say bin Laden was the “alledged” mastermind behind 9/11.
Just makes me wonder… why is it that in America, only the right wingers respond with violence, threats, and intimidation? The biggest domestic terrorists of the last 30 years have all be radical right wingers. If anyone ought to be locked up without trial, it should be the right; they have a demonstrated track record of mass murder.
Rafflaw wrote:
I agree with the ACLU that the death penalty is never the answer. However, this is another tragic example of religous crazies who believe that God does not believe in living the tenets of Jesus Christ by helping all who need help. It is so sad that people aren’t even safe from the fanatical religious right in church.
*****************
Rafflaw, I agree. I am opposed to the death penalty regardless of the crime, but this nutcase can sit in prison on a life without parole sentence. Whether he calls himself “christian” or not, he’s definitely a danger to ANY community, and shouldn’t see the light of day again.
Zakimar,
You may be right, but Bush was probably under the influence when he allegedly heard from the “Big Guy”.
This guy modeled himself after Bush. When people have different religious views, kill them. The only difference, God told Bush directly.
Gerald,
Not liking Christians doesn’t make you an atheist. I know several people who have problems with Christianity in general, but believe in a God of some sort (most are deists). There’s a huge bias in this country where we assume if you’re religious you’re a Christian and if not, an Atheist.
Bartlebee,
You hit the nail on the head. Why do these crazies always look so crazy?
😐
This guy looks like he also resents barbers.
wc3:
It is you who are wrong.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2008-07-27-tennessee-shooting_N.htm?loc=interstitialskip
The fellow resented liberals AND Christians, and figured that he would go down taking his anger out on people who represented both objects of his disdain. As much as you might like to make Adkisson out to be a member of the religious right going after liberal Christians, the facts are the opposite: the fellow was an atheists who killed Christians because of their beliefs.
“It is simply astonishing that even a demented killer would think that God would want him to mow down Christians who are not sufficiently conservative, including children.”
Since you certainly know that your statement regarding this Adkisson fellow is A LIE and that Adkisson is AN ATHEIST who was much more likely influenced by the writings of people like Christopher Hitchens, Richard Dawkins, and Sam Harris than any Christian theology or belief system, I demand that you update and correct your statement and acknowledge your prejudice (in the original sense of the word since you pre – judged Adkisson to be an evangelical or fundamentalist Christian) and your grotesque error arising from it, as well as admitting that you did not even have the personal character or decency to acknowledge your mistake initially. Second, please know that the Olympic bomber Eric Rudolph, the Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh, and the Columbine shooters Dylan Harris and Eric Klebold WERE ALL ATHEISTS WHO FOR VARIOUS REASONS DESPISED CHRISTIANITY. Somehow, I don’t think that we are going to be seeing you write an entry on that one …
Bucko,
Well said.
Why isn’t the title of these stories, “Hero give his life shielding children from semi-automatic shotgun carrying crazy”? The fact that one unarmed man stood in the face of a semi-automatic shotgun, and took the force of the blasts is simply AMAZING and a sign of the goodness of the human spirit. How many people would do that? I guess the word “hero” is overused these days, but I cannot think of a truer case of heroism if the reports are accurate.
And then three unarmed men jumped the shooter and pinned him so he was able to fire only 3 of 70+ shells. That’s good stuff too.
This congregation did some pretty commendable work.
rafflaw
1, July 28, 2008 at 12:56 pm
I agree with the ACLU that the death penalty is never the answer. However, this is another tragic example of religous crazies who believe that God does not believe in living the tenets of Jesus Christ by helping all who need help
Exactly. The irony here is, the LAST thing Jesus would have done, or taught someone to do, is shoot people.
If these pinheads would try reading the New Testament instead of using it to smack people on the head with, then this sort of stuff wouldn’t happen.
CC,
I agree that too often, religion comes with a free rifle to every paying customer.
I ask that you reconsider your statement that the problem only resides in Middle America. The Iraq war was began and continues on account, not of middle America, but for the richest, most highly educated percentile of our population. This problem crosses all class lines and it crosses the international date line as well.
Guns and religion – I wonder why everyone in Middle America smarted when they heard that – because to a large extent it’s true – in fact the complete sentence should read – use GUNS to further RELIGION – how are our very own local right-wing crazies different from the Islamic fundamentalists they claim to hate?
@wc3
My thoughts exactly!!!!!
It’s almost as if people can’t wait to pin the “religious intolerance” tag on these crimes, and then eventually it comes out that the perpetrator is some religious fanatic.
Very Sad! Both the story and the article.
When I first read about this this morning (following the same link to the same story on CNN), the story was full of quotes about how the guy got upset whenever the topic of religion came up… implying that he was some kind of radical atheist.
Hmmm… and now when they actually have some facts in hand (the letter the shooter left behind)… it turns out the his motives were a hatred of liberals and the progressive social attitudes embodied by this congregation (it’s a unitarian church).
The quotes about his supposed discomfort with religion are now gone from the article.
So my question is: was the original news report based on assumptions indicating a bias towards religion (at least by this particular media organization)?
This is such a tragic and unwelcome reminder of the pain and brokenness in our sinful world. Our prayers go out to our brothers and sisters in Tennessee as they mourn in this time of loss. I pray that, though difficult, events like this will help unify the church in the hope of the Gospel.
I was thinking about this today and found that Christianity Today is offering a free resource called “Confronting Gun Violence.” I’ll include the link below for any of you who are interested. While we can never predict when an act of violence might occur, this download offers some precautionary measures churches can take to safeguard their people and facilities.
Again, my deepest sympathies go out to our friends in Knoxville and I pray that we can learn to prevent such tragedies in the days to come.
http://store.yahoo.com/cgi-bin/clink?yhst-78230354700659+8NQpna+cogunviatchd.html
I agree with the ACLU that the death penalty is never the answer. However, this is another tragic example of religous crazies who believe that God does not believe in living the tenets of Jesus Christ by helping all who need help. It is so sad that people aren’t even safe from the fanatical religious right in church.