What Orlando teaches us about God, faith

I have written this same column for the children of Newtown, Conn., for the worshipers at Mother Emanuel Church in Charleston, and now, regrettably, I must again memorialize the innocent young adults killed early Sunday in Orlando Fla.

According to media reports, the young man responsible for these brutal crimes swore allegiance to ISIS as he was committed his despicable and unspeakable acts of mass murder at a nightclub whose clientele were primarily members of that city’s LGBT community. I always feel torn between focusing on the victims versus the perpetrator of such acts of terror and violence.

In some respects the degree of cruelty and barbarity of the criminal triggers a kind of obsessive focus on him, and on the fervor of the perverse religious ideology that propelled him to such heinous crimes.

The victims are a different category because getting our thoughts around forty-nine dead and an equal amount or more of wounded starts to stretch beyond comprehension. The full gamut of human emotions encircles us - fear, shock, hatred, anger, grief, and a desire for vengeance, among others.

Where do we find sanity?

How can our faith traditions help us in this hour of unfathomable violence and carnage?

The facile route here is to accuse the Muslim community of complacency, for now the terrorists are not only foreign imports but home grown Americans who betray the very basis of civilized society and, in the name of their Islamic faith, wreak terror in America.

Social media from these horrid militant terrorist organizations celebrate these actions and more especially during the holy days of Ramadan.

But American Muslims are equally horrified by these events and others that have occurred in recent months, and do their best to work with authorities. Despite those efforts, sadly, there is no denying that the murders in Orlando contribute to a greater anti-Muslim feeling in America.

I would hate to imagine - and refuse to believe - that our revulsion at such crimes will inevitably lead this country toward a generalized hostility against all Muslims, just as I would hope that all whites are not viewed as potential killers when white racists murder blacks.

Do we, as people of faith, bear some responsibility to address these issues? Of course we do. It is too easy to say that the criminal who commits murder does not deserve to be seen as an adherent of that religion. We need to move beyond this type of denial and ask ourselves what more we can do, as communities of faith, to educate and embrace the values of tolerance and peace.

In Proverbs Chapter Six says: “Seven things are an abomination to the Eternal: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood; a mind that makes wicked plans, feet that are quick to run to do evil, a false witness who utters lies, and one who sows discord among brothers and sisters.”

We have witnessed these characteristics in Omar Mateen, the man who slaughtered those young people in the night club. The question is what do we do?

In these moments of a national tragedy, religions must call upon us all to stand together, not only as people of faith, but as Americans who feel the pain of this most recent act of terror.

Sometimes all we can do is to pray and to find hope and comfort in the one God who created us all.

So I share this prayer with you from my tradition with the hope it will help to find a common bond of strength and consolation at this hour.

“We stand in grief with the devastated families in our nation. We weep over the incomprehensible loss of life. We cry out with shock, confusion and pain. We mourn together over this senseless act of violence and destruction. Be with us in this time of sorrow and fear.

“Help us God to offer comfort to those whose hearts are shattered. Rekindle hope and trust and courage within us and them. Help us, O God, to sustain our belief in the promise that even in the darkest times - even when we feel most discouraged - there is reason to trust that love is never extinguished and that light and spirit will prevail.

“Help us, O God, to rededicate ourselves to building a better world that is safer for our children.

“Help us, O God, to rededicate ourselves to building a world that is safer for all people. During these difficult days and nights, O God, bring comfort and peace and hope and light to broken hearts in a broken world.”

This story was originally published June 14, 2016 at 6:19 AM with the headline "What Orlando teaches us about God, faith."