I could hear the phone ringing as I turned my key in the lock. I didn’t get in the house in time to catch the call, but a second call came within minutes.

“I have sad news. There’s been a shooting at the Knoxville UU congregation. Seven people were taken to the hospital. One man has died.” Shock, grief, horror washed over me. I felt frightened and confused. The caller reminded me that she had once been a member of that congregation. Her own sadness and fear resounded in her trembling voice.

When the call ended I began what would be a two-day effort to try to understand what happened and why. I found out later that a second person had died. Killed were Greg McKendry, 60, and Linda Kraeger, 61. I thought of my colleague, the Rev. Chris Buice and the ordeal that was now before him and his congregation as law enforcement investigators and the press arrived to begin an investigation into this tragedy.

It seems now that James David Adkisson, 58, an out-of-work trucker, was a man who was beset by profound and debilitating mental health issues. A gifted musician, a sometimes charmer, he was also an angry man who was looking for someone or something to blame for the mess that was his life.

As I read news reports and e-mails from people who knew him, it became clear that he was struggling against a system that seemed, to him, to be stacked against him and he decided to blame “liberals.” If he had to suffer because of their beliefs, he was going to take as many of them as he could with him as he carried out his suicidal plan.

I’ve read in some accounts that he was a fan of certain “right-wing” commentators who rant against “liberals” and “liberalism.” Some commentators have suggested that the best way to address a “liberal” is with a baseball bat. I’ve been told that on a news program there was a discussion of how our nation would be better off if Barack Obama were assassinated. Given the security that is afforded a presidential candidate, I guess that mowing down folks at a Sunday church service seemed like a viable alternative to Mr. Adkisson.

Yes, I know that there are “liberal” and “left wing” commentators who have no love for those on the other side of the fence. I’ve heard some very nasty words used to describe President Bush, Vice President Cheney, the late Rev. Jerry Falwell and others in that camp. But to date the worst threats I’ve heard suggested impeachment of Bush and Cheney, not assassination.

I also hear and read claims from conservatives that we are a Christian nation, rooted in the teachings of Jesus. Given this, I would make this proposal to any and all who believe that hate-mongering is a respectable way to use our nation’s airways, our free press, or to make a buck.

Love your political or ideological enemy. Stop using hate-filled words to create an atmosphere of division that makes it OK to take out someone who sees the world differently than you do. And if you find yourself tempted to stir up hatred and fury against those you dislike, try this: Close your eyes and imagine a young girl covered in the blood of the man who saved her life, crying hysterically because someone walked into her church with a gun and started shooting people in the pews who held a faith that was “liberal” or “conservative.” Then ask yourself if this is really what our America values or the teachings of Jesus stand for.

Rev. Christine Brownlie has been the full-time minister at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of the New River Valley in Blacksburg since 1999. The opinions that she offers are her own and do not necessarily represent those of her congregation.