As the nation comes to grips with yet another mass shooting — this one at Michigan State University in East Lansing on Monday night, in which three students were killed and five injured, according to officials — Gov. Gretchen Whitmer ordered U.S. and Michigan flags within the state capitol complex and on public buildings and grounds in Michigan to be lowered to half-staff on Tuesday, February 14, in honor of the victims.
"The whole state of Michigan is wrapping its arms around the Spartan community today," said Gov. Whitmer, in remarks released via a press release on Tuesday.
"MSU's campus is a special place for so many that is now the site of a tragic and senseless act of violence," she also said. "I'm heartbroken for the victims and every student, parent, faculty, and MSU staff member affected by last night's events."
MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY SHOOTING: LATEST UPDATES
She also thanked law enforcement, first responders and medical professionals on the scene as well as others.
"We must work together to end this gun violence," added Whitmer, "that claims the lives of too many Americans and upends the lives of countless others every day."
A number of faith leaders on Tuesday shared thoughts about the shooting, with many offering prayer, counsel and solace to those affected as well as Americans all over the nation.
Walker Wildmon, CEO of the American Family Association Action (AFA Action) in Tupelo, Mississippi, said via email to Fox News Digital, "America is in a state of moral decline at a faster pace than many of us would have predicted."
He added, "This tragic shooting in Michigan is just another reminder that evil exists and that we are all in desperate need of a higher power to rescue us."
He said that "that higher power is Jesus Christ, the son of God. May our nation wake up from this moral spiral and turn ourselves to God for salvation."
Alex McFarland, a youth, culture and religion expert based in Greensboro, North Carolina, said in comments shared with Fox News Digital, "The shooter must have become hopeless in a world he felt is meaningless, and this led to a horrible, deadly result."
However, he added, "with the God of the Bible, there is hope. With Christ, we have everything we will ever need — hope, purpose, a clear compass of right and wrong. How desperate it is for our nation to return to these things."
Ryan Bomberger, chief creative officer and co-founder of The Radiance Foundation, "a faith-based, educational and life-affirming 501c3 nonprofit" located in Northern Virginia, told Fox News Digital on Tuesday, "We hate violence, in and out of the womb. When places we should regard as safe are turned into environments of death, we rightfully want answers."
Bomberger also said, "It’s hard to grasp the careless disregard of human life by those who carry out such wicked acts of brutality. Anthony McRae, the killer who committed suicide, will never face justice for the slaughter of yet more innocent human lives."
Bomberger also commented, "We won’t stop praying for healing for families and friends devastated, praying for wisdom in addressing evil, and praying that we learn to love one another more."
Brandon Jenkins, pastor of Arkoma Bible Studies in Rockwall, Texas, told Fox News Digital that in the wake of Monday night's "senseless act of violence" in East Lansing, we must consider "a new approach" as Christians.
"We must pray for peace, maintain hope that hearts will change and act accordingly to protect people," he said.
"As a Benzonia, Michigan, native, this shooting hits my heart because this is home that is hurting," he continued — noting that Christians "are called to protect."
"Look no further than God's role for human beings," he also said, referencing Genesis 1:28, which reveals that "God blessed humans and said to them, ‘Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.’"
He also challenged faith leaders to "be the voice for change."
Said Rabbi Kirt Schneider, based in Columbus, Ohio, "This escalation of disorder in our country can only be solved when we as individuals and as a nation turn to God and come into divine order."
He added that the current "downward spiral" of society "will be fixed when Jesus the Messiah returns."
Fr. Jeffrey Kirby of Indian Land, South Carolina, told Fox News Digital, "We are told by Saint Paul, ‘Where sin abounds, grace abounds more.’ We need this saving truth in this sorrowful moment, when violence has struck and innocent life has been lost."
He added, "People of faith and good will are called to rally their spiritual sorrow and agitation and to channel their energies to fight for goodness and to seek peace in our society. This is not a time for anger."
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Nor is it, he also said, "a moment to allow political partisanship or despair to paralyze us. We need to look for new ways to address the problems and concerns of our society that lead to violence and devastation."
Fr. Kirby noted, "We need to ask hard questions about family life, public virtue, mental illness, gun control, social alienation and cultural expressions that promote and encourage brutality. We need a society where people are accepted, goodness is preserved and love triumphs."
While "such a society is never easy," Kirby said it "requires faith, virtue and ongoing efforts by parents, families, schools, other social institutions and public authorities. Whatever efforts are needed, their labors and sacrifices are worth the benefit of having a healthy, virtuous and safe society."
