Letters to | the Editor
To the Editor:
We of the fellowship of First Congregational United Church of Christ, Red Oak, decry the horrific killings Orlando, Fla., on Sunday, June 12. We pray for victims, families and friends.
We also pray for the shooter and his family, and for all who, like him, are also victims of rage and violence. We pray that God will touch their hearts and minds and give them peace.
We believe Jewish, Christian, and Muslim faiths share a common foundation of the God of love. We call upon their leaders and believers to speak out against the perversion of this basic message -- God is Love. Muslims are wrongly blamed for actions of domestic terrorists. We know that our Muslim neighbors and friends are faithful and loving people.
We are an open and affirming church. We declare God’s love for ALL of humanity, in all of its diversity! Our LGBTQ friends and neighbors are beloved members of our family, created in the image of God, and violence directed at them is an affront to us and to God!
We call upon Congress to enact stricter gun legislation. We know that guns of alarming power and heinous efficiency are readily available for legal purchase and have been in the wrong, albeit legal, hands time and time again. The answer to gun violence is NOT to encourage more gun sales or to encourage concealed carry laws.
Rev. Donald W. Morgan
First Congregational UCC Church, Red Oak