Why is a mass shooting in a church worse than other mass shootings?

by undercover 12 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  undercover

  I'll preface this by saying that I was horrified by the news of the shooting in Charleston, a town that I visit quite frequently, and I know where the church is. I don't mean to make light of the situation, but my question is serious, after having watched news pundits, politicians, neighbors, friends, express shock, horror and outrage over the events.

  They, like me, were shocked by the school shootings, and the theater shootings, and other mass shootings. But I sense a different shock, a different reaction, to this event. More hopelessness in their reactions, as if to say, 'if you can get shot in church, you can get shot anywhere'. They've hinted, if not outright said, 'this is the worst that can happen'.

  Why? Why is a shooting in a church where nine people are killed worse than twelve people killed in a movie theater? Or worse than twenty-six killed in a school shooting? How is sitting in a church safer than sitting at school, or work, or in a theater? All of these murders were equally abhorrent, and whether they were praying, watching a movie, or sitting in a classroom, the location doesn't matter. They were innocent people murdered.

  If this event stands out from the others, it's because these people were singled out because of their race, not because they were in church. I think more focus should be on that. This was a hate crime, not some nutjob going psycho. This was planned, and his victims were picked out for one reason...their race. That is the truly horrifying aspect.
• 

  sir82

  Churches in general, and that exact church in particular, are loaded with symbolic value.

  Here is a pretty good summary of why.
  
• 

  BluesBrother

  Symbolic....maybe and important to the black community , if they worship - but is it a worse crime ? Not in my book.

  Human life is human life wherever it congregates and we are all equal . I guess the media like to make a lot of it . It gives the copy writers a lot of scope if they can write about people gathered to hear about the love of God and kneeling to pray etc....
• 

  undercover

  I'm a little familiar with the history of the church, and Charleston's history with slavery up to, and during the war (and subsequent aftermath). Thanks for the Slate article, sir82. When speaking in specifics, it does add to the equation.

  But the reactions from people I was originally referring to weren't in the know of the church, or even the city. The reactions I witnessed were coming from people who had no clue as to the significance of the building, the city, the history. They were just appalled that it could happen in a church, as opposed to say, the mall.

  I really think some people believe that God, or his spirit, or whatever, is present in these buildings and there is true sanctuary in these buildings. So, when their sensibilities are upset with this kind of event, they are more shaken than when it happened in a movie theater. Truth is, location doesn't matter. There is no sanctuary if someone wants you dead enough bad enough.
• 

  OnTheWayOut

  Tragedy in a southern church full of African Americans takes us (and especially the media) back in our minds to a time when such places were bombed or torched by white men with sheets on their heads. It cries of hatred. Churches get more sympathy in the media because of the ideal that they are places where, as Barack Obama said, people seek solice and peace.

  This article that sir82 linked is very fair about it. We imagine that such places are set apart from other spheres in life and when we hear about tragedies, we think how that is so much hatred against such innocent people. But of course that isn't typically true as black churches (and others) are often political centers that would make them more valuable targets in any hatred wars than any campaign offices.

  Politicians must be the slicksters they are and put these tragedies right up there with school shootings, and to be fair, there are typically plenty of innocent children in the church. The media will always be over-the-top.

  Besides neighborhoods, churches and schools are the main place where segregation is the norm. Charleston has a history of banning blacks from Christian churches even though the white people in them had a hand in converting the blacks to begin with, so churches of their own were formed by blacks and they have tended to stay segregated all these years later.

  Well, a white man might really stand out in a black neighborhood and put people on guard so that he may not be able to kill so many. But people in a church might just think he's another Christian that didn't realize how much he stands out.
• 

  Laika

  They were following their faith by 'welcoming the stranger' into their community. There's something disturbing about how Dylann Roof used that welcome against them.
• 

  CalebInFloroda

  I have been following the news on this for hours but I've missed people saying this criminal act was worse than other mass shootings.

  I don't think it's a competition. But if ever there was something to call "evil," I think this was it. I mean, many of us don't claim belief in religion on this site and may have quite a reason to be angry and even against religion.

  But this young man did something both sacrilegious and vicious. He came to them, gained their trust by sitting with them during their Bible study and then shot them while telling then that they deserved to die because in that murderer's eyes their lives didn't matter. It was a disgusting act in a line of similar horrific crimes where people think their views are so superior that others deserve to be judged worthy of a bullet that will steal away their life.

  Many here may have deep, deep hatred of religion and believe religious people are duped, and I know people may have very, very valid reasons for their stand, but this was something far different, more than merely negative, something terribly unjust and uncalled for. It was disgusting and evil, especially in the way it was carried out.
• 

  nonjwspouse

  Roof is has a truly evil and disturbed mind. In the likes of Hitler. Mussolini, Mao, and the rest who have no conscience. He was just a loner with no other power, so he planned this horrific terrorist racial crime to promote a riot, claiming credit for himself. UGH he is truly sick.

  He also got a huge backfire in his plans. No riots, only outpouring of love and comfort through the entire community of all races. Excellent that he did not achieve the racial hatred he planned on.
  
• 

  Village Idiot

  undercover,

  "Why? Why is a shooting in a church where nine people are killed worse than twelve people killed in a movie theater?"

  What Laika and CalebInFloroda said. Those people actually interacted with their shooter and put trust in him. I speak as an atheist.
• 

  Simon

  It is a bizarre thing where the reason for doing something changes how serious it's supposed to be as though it matters to the victims.

  • Man shoots 9 people. Oh that's terrible,
  • They were all black. OMG, it's a HATE crime !!!
  • They just happened to be black, he had a thing about Honda Civic drivers. Erm ... not sure how to feel.

  I don't think shooting 9 people could ever be anything but a hate crime. Hardly a love overdose. How does the reason for doing something terrible change how terrible it is?

  Same with the victims. If we're going to put people on a pedestal and say they were "more" victim because they were church going then doesn't that by definition mean that other people are less important? And since when does going to church mean anything about how good anyone is?

  I happen to think it is more of a loss when an innocent child or law abiding citizen doing no one else harm is killed for no reason than when some criminal drug low life is shot ... but when the latter happens we're chastised if we point out their criminality and told that all lives matter. But do they really? Equally? Despite all the words, the honest reactions would suggest not.