An answer to a simple question

The Friendly Atheist asks why the media isn’t mentioning the Christian faith of the San Bernardino school shooter.  I’d say because it appears the shooting was a crime born of domestic violence, not religion.

If an Atheist gunned down a clerk during a stop-and-rob holdup, there would be no reason to mention he was an atheist.  If a Muslim killed a bride to be who jilted him, the fact that he was a Muslim shouldn’t come into play.  If a Buddhist went crazy and killed someone for cutting him off on the Interstate, his Buddhism is likely irrelevant.

If a Methodist, on the other hand, went in and killed a person in the name of his Methodist religion, or because the person rejected Methodism, or some other reason directly linked to his Methodist faith, then that should be mentioned.   Just like in the past when zealous fundamentalists killed abortion doctors.  Or if a Christian killed a bunch of Muslims because they were Muslim, that’s newsworthy.  Or, of course, if a Muslim or Atheist kills in the name of their respective faith claims, their beliefs should be examined.

If their faith, lack of faith, or whatever faith was not the basis for the crime, then there is no reason to mention it.  Even if he was a pastor or priest, it might be newsworthy.  But it seems at this point that the shooter’s religious beliefs, whatever they may have been, played no role in the crime.  Hence, no mention.

Next simple question.