Pastors and Conservative Leaders I was moved by the reactions of journalists and artists who mocked the prayer and called attention to the ban on drag show in Tennessee amid the Christian elementary school massacre that killed six people Monday.
As the nation grapples with the deaths of three adults and three children at Covenant School in Nashville, Tennessee, religious leaders have responded to criticism from journalists, commentators, artists and activists who mocked the prayer and blamed conservatives for it. Banning children’s drag shows Not guns.
Family Research Council President Tony Perkins reiterated that people should still turn to prayer as a way to confront the “spiritual battle” that “is raging for our country and our culture” and that “targets our children”.
He added, “We must return to the only lasting source of hope and freedom – the Lord Jesus Christ.” “The Church must stand uncompromisingly on the truth of God’s Word, which is the source of hope and freedom. Nothing Washington does will matter until we acknowledge and address the moral decay and brokenness that plagues our culture.”
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Senior Presbyterian covenant pastor Chad Scruggs lost his 9-year-old daughter, Haley, during the massacre on Monday. Two other students, aged 9, Evelyn Dechhaus and William Kenny, were also killed during the attack, as well as the school’s janitor and father of 8 Michael Hill, principal Kathryn Consey and substitute teacher Cynthia Beck.
Curtis Hook of the right-leaning Media Research Center, which practices the same Presbyterian faith as the school, said the coverage was “appalling”.
“Media coverage is completely tainted by the facts of the case as both the site and the victims are outside of what one might view as the traditional liberal secular world in which much of the journalism profession operates. So, there is indeed prejudice and a lack of compassion and knowledge about the victims of this school that Run by a right-wing church, Presbyterian Church in America.” But besides the rough bias, the coverage has been appalling due to the fact that the victims represent the kind of worldview that the left views as backward and unsavory and whose very existence contributes to the suffering of the groups they hold dear—proponents of abortion, the LGBTQ community, traditional views on sex, etc. that “
A police officer comforts a mourner outside Covenant School in Nashville, Tennessee on Tuesday, March 28, 2023. On Monday, six people — three adults and three children — were killed inside the school in a mass shooting. (KR/Mega for Fox News Digital)
The shooter, who was killed at the scene during a shootout with responding officers, has been identified as former student Audrey Hill, who has also been identified as transgender.
Despite the tragedy and loss of life, many public figures criticized conservatives and Christians for their faith and prayers.
“As a country, we owe these families more than our prayers. We owe them action,” President Biden said during a speech on Tuesday’s shooting.
Tennessee Governor Bill Lee tweeted, R. , said he was “watching closely” the tragic situation in Covenant on Monday, asking people to “please join us in praying for the school, the congregation, and the Nashville community.”
Associated Press reporter Kimberly Crosie-Lee blasted, who in 2019 “He said he believed that if Tennesseans prayed to God for the benefit of the state—specifically mentioning school shootings—that God would answer those prayers. Since then, Lee has resisted calls to strengthen gun control laws—a common theme in Tennessee.”
“If thoughts and prayers alone had worked to stop gun violence, there would have been no Christian elementary school shooting,” it is your actions — including weakening state gun laws — that are killing children in Tennessee. Shame on you. Covenant School,” tweeted activist Shannon Watts of Moms Demand Action in response to Lee’s call to prayer.
Left-wing sportswriter Mike Wise responded in agreement to a Twitter user who said, “I don’t condone Audrey Hill’s actions, though I understand their anger at the state of bigotry brainwashing children through religious indoctrination. The truth is, this human is still known as That kid who attended that school and carried that pain into adulthood.”
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“This is as deep and true as it gets. Thank you,” Wise wrote in his response on Twitter.
Progressive talk show host David Bachman mocked the Covenant School community for not “praying enough.”
“It is absolutely amazing that there was a mass shooting at a Christian school, given how often lack of prayer is responsible for these horrific events,” he wrote in a since-deleted tweet. “Is it possible that they were not praying enough, or properly, despite this being a Christian school?”
Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, R. , those who said “thoughts and prayers are not enough.”
“The Covenant School incident was horrific,” he wrote on Twitter. “For everyone who says ‘thoughts and prayers are not enough’, I agree. Ask why every single senator voted against the bill to double the number of police officers in the school. An armed officer could have stopped this madness, before a child was killed.”
A mourner visits a memorial outside Covenant School for the six victims killed in a mass shooting in Nashville, Tennessee on Tuesday, March 28, 2023. On Monday, three adults and three children were killed inside the school. (KR/Mega for Fox News Digital)
TV writer Lee Aronson mocked The Prayer and criticized recent Tennessee legislation passed this month that bans drag shows on TV. Public property and near schools.
“Dead, deformed babies = Thoughts & Prayers™ Drag Queen Story Watch = Impassioned condemnation & priority legislation,” he tweeted. “The thing is, if we gave an assault rifle to every drag queen, the Republican Party would make Story Hour a national holiday.”
Many others have criticized the state for Banning withdrawal offers and emphasizing the gender of children rather than guns.
“Drag shows and sex confirmation sponsorship for minors were banned in Tennessee this month, while assault weapons remain legal,” Newsweek wrote on Twitter.
“Thank God, Tennessee protected children from the horrors of alleged drag and sponsored gender confirmation so they could be shot at school by AR-15 instead.Alejandra Caraballo, a civil rights attorney and Harvard clinical instructor, has since said in a limited tweet.
“Hidden smears” have marked press coverage, Hook said, such as ABC’s Terry Moran noting that “Earlier this month the state of Tennessee passed and the governor signed a bill banning transgender Medicare to minors.”
“If this were a Trump supporter wearing a MAGA hat killing three children and three adults inside a mosque, the media coverage would be teeming with stories making broad generalizations about Christians and conservatives, suggesting they pose a danger to the rest of us,” Hook said.
Despite the criticism, many religious and Christian leaders have remained strong in their determination that prayer is the way forward to deal with the pain surrounding the tragic event.
“Prayers for the families of the victims of the Nashville Christian School shooting,” Giano Caldwell, a political analyst and Fox News broadcaster, wrote on Twitter. “There is an attack on our faith and our children that must end.”
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Christian singer Lauren Daigle held a vigil for the victims of the Nashville shooting Monday night instead of her previously scheduled concert.
“Today’s filming is truly heartbreaking for the Nashville community and all affected by it. I will be postponing my performance tonight, and instead host a community-wide prayer vigil,” the star shared on Instagram. “To everyone who was planning to come out, please continue to join us as we participate in a time of prayer and worship to honor the victims and all those in need.”
“To those in the local Nashville area, if you need a safe place to come to pray, grieve, and be with your community, please join us. Doors open to all. Same location. Same time. With all my love and support, Lauren Daigle,” she wrote.
Covenant School released a statement Monday asking for “privacy while our community grapples with this terrible tragedy – for our students, parents, faculty and staff.”
While law enforcement is conducting its investigation, the school has indicated that it is aware that there will be a lot of interest, discussion and speculation about what happened, but has stated that it will continue to prioritize the welfare of their community.
“Our society is heartbroken,” the statement said. “We mourn the terrible loss and are traumatized by the horror that shattered our school and our church. We focus on loving our students, families, faculty, and staff and beginning the healing process.”
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“We appreciate the outpouring of support we have received, and are incredibly grateful to the first responders who acted quickly to protect our students, faculty, and staff,” the statement concluded.