Posted on 08/30/2010 1:46:40 PM PDT by markomalley
VISALIA, Calif., Aug. 30 (UPI) -- A California man who died in a gun battle with police after fatally shooting a Mormon Church bishop felt wronged by another church bishop, his brother said.
Police identified Kenneth James Ward, 47, of Modesto, Calif., as the man who shot to death Bishop Clay Sannar, 42, at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Visalia Sunday before dying in a shootout with police less than 2 miles away, the Visalia Times-Delta reported.
Mike Ward of Bakersfield told the newspaper his older brother Kenneth took their grandfather's handgun and shot Sannar, a father of six, because he believed he had been "shunned to hell" by another bishop in 1988.
That could explain why Ward walked asked for a "bishop" or "president" when he walked into the church and shot Sannar, his brother said, but Kenneth did not know Sannar.
After shooting Sannar, Ward called police, then led officers to his childhood home, where he was killed by officers.
Visalia Police Capt. Rick Haskill said Sannar was shot several times, the Deseret News in Salt Lake City reported.
Prop 8?
If the guy was holding a grudge since 88, I’m guessing just a garden variety nutjob.
If this guy felt his Bishop 30 years ago as condemning him to hell (which is not what Bishops do, they try to get people to forsake their sins, and embrace the Atonement) then he was likely involved in serious morality issues. This is just my opinion of course, but the article says he was mentally ill. A lifetime of guilt from a horrible habit of repeated sin just might do that to someone.
JMHO
“shunned to hell”
There is no such thing in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. There are other churches that “shun” people but not the LDS. When someone screws up, we are taught to love that person even more until they come back to full fellowship.
LOL...
Good point. I was kind of wondering if homosexuality was his reason for feeling like he had been shunned. The fact that the homosexuals seem to be encouraging violence would explain why he became violent after 20 years.
The media isn’t going to be too forthcoming if that’s the case.
Yes, it is too bad he didn't find forgiveness of his sin through the atonement of Jesus Christ. He might have felt like he could never be perfect enough to earn God's love. Such a tragedy!
Why did the repoter not ask the brother why he felt shunned?
It seems to me to be the obvious follow-up question.
Love the sinner, hate the sin.
It’s called agency. Some people do, some people don’t.
Look, for example, at Glenn Beck’s story. He certainly embraced the Atonement and changed his life around.
I am still trying to figure out where being gay is in the article?
Media isn’t trained to ask proper questions, much less proper follow-up questions. They have no common sense, they still don’t know why people aren’t buying their papers. Besides why waste time on a question that has an answer that probably won’t fit the media template for the story, it’d just be cut out anyway.
I keep telling the paper promo guy at my food store trying to offer me a free copy that I don’t have a bird. He keeps asking me if I want one.
It wasn’t. I’m just wondering if that’s why the guy felt that he had been shunned some 20 years ago.
Apparently that particuliar Mormon church didn’t “love this guy all the more, until he returned to that group”...
It is really a shame these 6 kids will not have their father...heartbreaking for them. How do you possibly explain this to children? Very sad ordeal.
That’s why there is no use speculating. But I am certain this man never found saving grace through the atonement. How do I know?
I haven’t seen the mention of his being gay...or that he was mentally unstable....(other than a family member saying he was so and why that was) anywhere other than implied here on FR. Maybe someone could enlighten with a link?
Man, I have been feeling the special love all day long on FreeRepublic - I just can’t wait to get back in </ sarcasm>
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