The man accused of assassinating the top Democrat in the Minnesota House held deeply religious and politically conservative views, telling a congregation in Africa two years ago that the U.S. was in a “bad place” where most churches didn’t oppose abortion.

The man accused of assassinating the top Democrat in the Minnesota House held deeply religious and politically conservative views, telling a congregation in Africa two years ago that the U.S. was in a “bad place” where most churches didn’t oppose abortion.

Vance Luther Boelter, 57, was at the center of a massive multistate manhunt on Sunday, a day after authorities say he impersonated a police officer and gunned down former House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, in their home outside Minneapolis. Democratic Gov. Tim Walz described the shooting as “a politically motivated assassination.”

Sen. John Hoffman, also a Democrat, and his wife, Yvette, were shot earlier by the same gunman at their home nearby but survived.

Friends and former colleagues interviewed by The Associated Press described Boelter as a devout Christian who attended an evangelical church and went to campaign rallies for Donald Trump. Records show Boelter registered to vote as a Republican while living in Oklahoma in 2004 before moving to Minnesota where voters don’t list party affiliation.

  • Snowclone@lemmy.world
    20·
    16 hours ago

    It’s amazing how many people use their religion to justify murder. I remember this guy killed his wife because he wanted to be married to someone else, and he was so Catholic he just couldn’t get a divorce. So he killed her. Now what’s strange is, if you ask most Catholics they’ll tell you murder is ALSO a horrible sin. Like. Go to hell sin. 100% going to hell. Where as divorce is… frowned upon? But it’s not as bad as murder.

    • burntbacon@discuss.tchncs.de
      4·
      10 hours ago

      The real answer to your unstated question is that they can (hopefully) get away with the murder and not be discovered. It would be nearly impossible to divorce without the entire community knowing.

      Most christians (conveniently) forget the little jesus parable about comparing the priest publicly donating and praying in the street to the woman quietly putting a much smaller amount in the donation coffers. To the modern christian, being a part of the ‘in-group’ by publicly making everything about their religion IS the way they engage with their religion. If they were to be rejected by the ‘religious community’ ONLY THEN would they care.