Police: Man Yelled "Liars" Before Killing Three in Church

The article below appeared on CNN.com in August of 2007.  I copied it at the time thinking I would use it as a basis for a sermon at some point. This article is still floating around my paper piles, so I finally decided to post it here.  It continues to bother me, to weigh on my understanding of what Christians claim to believe versus how we act in the world.  Our actions should be a reflection of our beliefs, but often diverge to the point where it is impossible for those watching us to tell whether we are Christians or not.  

In the first century, the world had no problem discerning who Christians were because their words and actions differed greatly from those who were pagans.  Because they stood out they were treated differently from the pagans around them.  They were also treated differently from the Jews (remember that Christianity was a Jewish sub-cult).  Because the Jews had been around since before the Roman Empire their "odd" cultural customs were accepted by the Roman rulers when the land area of Palestine was conquered.  Since Christianity was a new cult that ran against accepted and prescribed behavior of Roman pagan culture, Christian quirks were not appreciated and often not tolerated.  Hence, at times, Christians found themselves scapegoats for events that were not of their doing (e.g. the fire of Rome under Nero), and refused to bend to the requirements of the emperor to worship who and how pagans did, and were therefore singled out for persecution.

Today, however, Christians are so integrated into society that more often than not, one cannot tell Christians apart from non-Christians in America.  I believe that theologically, there is still much that should separate Christians from the majority of people.  However, it is difficult to find differences between how we act as Christians and how non-Christians act.   

So here is the irony: this man accuses church goers of being liars, and I believe he is proven right.  

In the early church many Christians martyred themselves rather than deny their belief.  You don't have to read far in Paul's letters to find references to these self-sacrificing actions, although today we read these sections of scripture and consider them hyperbole.  They are not.  Paul uses real life consequences of being a Christian in his writings.  Yet today, in general, we do not see our Christianity of such consequence that we are willing to die for it.  

When did we stop believing our God was unworthy of the ultimate sacrifice?  When did we become so integrated into society that our belief has taken a backseat to our own self-preservation?  Do we now believe that our profession of faith is inconsequential because we have become such a pluralistic society?  

If so, why bother to believe anything at all? 

An add on question...what part does fear play if we believe in God and life after death? 

NEOSHO, Missouri (CNN) -- A man with a machine pistol stormed a southwestern Missouri church where his relatives were praying, shouting "liars, liars" as he opened fire and killed three people, police said Monday.

Police identified the gunman as Eiken Elam Saimon, 52.

He is charged with three counts of first-degree murder, four counts of first-degree assault, one count of armed criminal action and one count of felonious restraint for holding the congregation hostage, said Newton County Prosecutor Scott Watson.

A fifth count of assault is pending, Watson said.

Watson told The associated Press Saimon targeted church elders. "It appears that the shots that were fired were not at random," he said.

Saimon entered a not guilty plea during a brief arraignment Monday in Newton County Circuit Court. The judge set his bail at $1 million, reduced from the original $5 million, and set a hearing for September 18, the AP reported.

Newton County Sheriff Ken Copeland said Saimon is being held in an isolation cell under heavy guard.

Saimon shouted "liars, liars, you're all liars" before opening fire with a semiautomatic machine pistol commonly known as a Tech-9, Police Chief David McCracken said.

When police arrived, Saimon had surrounded himself with 30 to 40 hostages in the sanctuary and "he was holding a female hostage at gunpoint," the chief said.

Witnesses told police that Saimon held a gun to one man's head and asked if anyone in the church was willing to trade their life for the man's, an investigator said. After no one stepped forward, the gunman shot the hostage, he said.

Five people were wounded in the Sunday afternoon attack at the church in Neosho, about 120 miles northeast of Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Killed in the shooting were Kernal Rehobson, 43, Intenson Rehobson, 44, and Jesse Ikoshia, 53, Watson said. They were not friends or relatives of Saimon, Watson told the AP.

Prosecutor Watson also said Saimon also is a suspect in the alleged sexual assault of a 14-year-old girl Saturday. The girl is a relative of Saimon's, although authorities did not explain how the two were related, AP reported.

Wounded were Jim Handy, Melihna Tarra, Dahnny Jack and Handy Kendey, Watson said, adding that his office is awaiting the name of a fifth person who was wounded.

The wounded were transported to area hospitals, at least one of them by helicopter.

One of them required surgery, and two others were still in the hospital Monday, McCracken said. All are in fair condition and are expected to recover, the chief said.

Police received a report about 1:54 p.m. (2:54 p.m. ET) that someone was shooting inside the 100-year-old First Congregational Church.

A group of Micronesians was holding a service at the time, McCracken said. Saimon is Micronesian.

Micronesia is a series of islands in the western Pacific Ocean.

Saimon had three guns, including the 9 mm semiautomatic Tech-9 and a small-caliber handgun, McCracken said.

He ordered the children in the church to leave without their parents, McCracken said. The kids were all accounted for and were not harmed, he said.

Saimon is married and has a family, Copeland said.

The shooter was holding as many as 50 people hostage inside the church when officers arrived, authorities said. Police apprehended Saimon without incident after a hostage negotiator spoke with him for five or 10 minutes, McCracken said.

"He made the decision that it was not his day to die," the chief said Monday. "It was hard to tell which way he was going to go until he dropped the weapon.

Source: CNN

Please feel free to leave your comments.  I'd love to know what you think.