News for July 29

Hate Motivated Gunman, Police Say

The New York Times and TruthDig report today that the man who police say entered a Unitarian Universalist church in Knoxville, Tenn., and shot eight people, killing two, left a four-page letter explaining that his act was motivated by his “lack of being able to obtain a job, and his frustration over that, and his stated hatred of the liberal movement.” 

Several bloggers are offering thoughts, opinions and condolences, including:

Joe Lauria at The Huffington Post | “The shooting at the Unitarian Church in Knoxville, TN on Sunday that left two adults dead and seven wounded was an unequivocal act of terrorism.”

GetReligion.org | “As this story continues to unfold, reporters must not only explain the shooter’s deranged motives but seek to explain how religious motivations guide the UU tradition. There is a rich history and legacy to explore.”

Blogging Faith | “A blog collecting messages of support for the Knoxville Unitarian community can be found here, and Unitarian Universalist Association President Rev. William J. Sinkford released a statement on the UUA web site.”

Street Prophets | “It would be reductive to say the least to lay the blame for the Knoxville shootings solely at the feet of conservative shock jocks. Adkisson struggled with alcoholism, job loss and other demons yet to be disclosed. Too, there is a dimension of brokenness and evil in tragedies such as this that can never be satisfactorily explained. I urge you to pray for the dead and for the families of Tennessee Valley. Pray as well for David Adkisson, a soul in free fall.”

Religion Dispatches | “Several people in the church in Knoxville stated publicly that they wished that Mr. Adkisson had sought help earlier, before he had become so violently deranged that he was willing to kill. When I read those statements of church members, I was reminded of another lesson I learned as a Unitarian child: that there is another way to respond to religiously motivated violence besides inaugurating a cycle of vengeance.”

Is It Pronounced Skiz-m or Siz-m? | Religion News Service 

Stephen Colbert interviews New York Times national religion correspondent Laurie Goodstein about the Lambeth Conference and gay ordination in a very succinct and funny five-minute clip.

For more on the Lambeth Conference, click here to see the latest story aggregated on the Pew Forum on Religion site, and here to read The Xenia Institute’s Clint Williams commentary on the hope for transformed relationships.

And as bloggers and commentators discuss gay ordination, the Boston Globe’s Articles of Faith blog discusses how the University of Chicago Divinity School’s Martin E. Marty revists women’s ordination in his latest Sightings e-mail newsletter.

Yeshiva Student Returns Obama’s Wall Note | Huffington Post

The yeshiva student who took the note left at the Western Wall by presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Sen. Barack Obama during his trip to Israel last week has apologized, saying “It was kind of a prank.”

Meanwhile, Mixed Multitudes presents a roundup of all the brouhaha surrounding the note’s publication, including a commentary praising the note’s comments. 

What Would Ataturk Do? | Pew Forum on Religion

A final battle looms to decide whether Turkey remains a secular republic faithful to Ataturk, says Mr. Karaman, or instead “becomes like Saudi Arabia.”