Out of respect for the nine people murdered in Charleston, South Carolina’s Emanuel A.M.E. Church during last Wednesday night’s bible study, I am holding Part 2 of our 3 part series – A House Divided –until next Friday, June 26^th.

Most politicians and many others have weighed in on this horrific crime.  Here are some of their comments.  As you read them, consider their substance and tone – whether or not they have sincerely expressed their feelings, or if they have politicized the event.  With these things in mind, which – if any – of the comments quoted here rises in you estimation, to the level of being “Presidential,”  Rank them in order from most (1) to least (6) “Presidential.”  We’ll tell you who was quoted and how you received their message.

A.______ “We have to have a candid national conversation about race, and about discrimination, prejudice, hatred. The people who do this kind of dastardly, horrible act are a very small percentage. But unfortunately public discourse is sometimes hotter and more negative than it should be, which can, in my opinion, trigger people who is less than stable to do something like this.”

“I think we have to speak out against it. Like, for example, a recent entry into the (    ) presidential campaign said some very inflammatory things about Mexicans. Everybody should stand up and say that’s not acceptable. You know you don’t talk like that on talk radio. You don’t talk like that on the kind of political campaigns. I think he is emblematic. So I want people to understand, it’s not just him, it’s about everybody. The second thing is guns. Let’s just cut to the chase – it’s guns.”

B.______“A church is called a sanctuary because it’s a place of refuge and respite from the earthly and connects us to the heavenly. The Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, S.C. became a scene of unspeakable carnage because an evil person violated the sanctuary where earth and heaven meet and turned it into a place where earth and hell meet. No civilized person can react except with revulsion to such a senseless, cowardly, and despicable act. And for it to happen in one of America’s truly great and gentile cities adds to the horror. All Americans join in the condemnation of this act, but for Christians, such horror is especially painful because a holy place for peace and prayer has been infected and desecrated by demonic violence. The prayers that were interrupted by a mass murderer will be continued by a grieving nation.”

C.______  “The tragic and senseless murders that occurred in the sanctuary of Emanuel AME Church were the acts of pure evil.  To kill in a place of peace and in the House of the Lord is revolting and cowardly.  My wife (   ) and I extend our deepest sympathies to the victims of this despicable horror.  We pray for the victims and for their families to find peace, solace, and comfort during this difficult time.  And we pray for law enforcement and the entire Charleston community as they come together through the ties that bind them together.”

D._____ “( )and I know several members of Emanuel AME Church. We knew their pastor, Reverend Clementa Pinckney, who, along with eight others, gathered in prayer and fellow ship and was murdered last night, and to say our thoughts and prayers are with them and their families and their community doesn’t say enough to convey the heartache and the sadness and the anger that we feel.

“Any death of this sort is a tragedy. Any shooting involving multiple victims is a tragedy. There is something particularly heartbreaking about a death happening in a place in which we seek solace and we seek peace, in a place of worship.

“Mother Emanuel is, in fact, more than a church. This is a place of worship that was founded by African Americans seeking liberty. This is a church that was burned to the ground because its worshipers worked to end slavery.

“When there were laws banning all-black church gatherings, they conducted church services in secret. When there was a nonviolent movement to bring our country in closer line with our highest ideals, some of our brightest leaders spoke and led marches from this church’s steps.

“This is a sacred place in the history of Charleston and in the history of America.”

E.______ “The tragic shootings in Charleston, South Carolina yesterday are a manifestation of the evil that has gripped our society.   Many of us have allowed the purveyors of hatred and division to create conflict between the races, the genders, religious groups, age groups and income groups. The Bible says that a house divided against itself cannot stand. With external jihadist forces trying to destroy us, why would we aid them by engaging in self-destructive behaviors stimulated by hate?

“We must remember that we are a pluralistic society with many components and many beliefs. If we are to live together peacefully and with prosperity, we must learn the true meaning of tolerance, and that it goes in both directions.

“I join with millions of Americans in praying for comfort for the families who lost loved ones in that tragedy. Someone close to me lost relatives last night in that tragedy. We all lose when senseless tragedies like this remove vibrant lives from our midst. May God give us the ability to rise above hatred and join hands and recognize that our strength is in our unity and love heals all wounds.”

F.______ “This morning we are all trying to make sense of this senseless act. This is pure evil. It’s infuriating. Mankind’s capacity for evil is horrific.

“I’m enraged by this ungodly act and my heart breaks for these families. I hurt for them.

“To happen in a place of worship is unconscionable. They were opening their hearts to God and lifting their concerns up to Him.

“Every American needs to take a few minutes today, and in the days to come, to pray for the families of those murdered last night. They all need the comfort and peace only God can provide and we should all pray they will find it.

“We also need to ask everyone who might know this suspect to have the courage to come forward and help the police apprehend him. Justice must be done and this killer must face the consequences of his awful actions. This monster needs to hunted down and brought to justice.”

Quotes cited from:

Hot Air.com, Foxnation.com and Washington Post.com