Kentucky Shooter Joined an Atheist Group, but Couldn't Stop ALL These Students from Praying

Kayla Root : Jan 26, 2018
CBN News

Despite the tragedy, many are speaking up to remind the community to pray for the shooter as well.

(Kentucky)—[CBN News] Students across Kentucky are banding together in support of the victims of Tuesday's tragic school shooting. (Photo: Students at Paducah Tilghman High School pray/Twitter/via CBN News)

A 15-year-old student gunman targeted students with a pistol just before 8 a.m. in the common area of Marshall County High School in Benton, Kentucky where students gather before class. Two students were murdered and at least 18 more were injured.

While many Kentucky students are wearing the school's colors and flooding social media with encouraging words, students at several different high schools have gathered together in prayer.

Students at a neighboring school, Paducah Tilghman High School, organized a prayer circle Wednesday morning in sub-freezing temperatures. Several peers from the victim school also joined.

The support of the community is stretching far with many students recounting the events of what happened that day and noting, "You never think it'll happen to you, until it does."

Following suit, students, teachers and staff at other schools around the state joined in prayer while wearing Marshall County High's colors of blue and orange.

Some of the outpouring of support via Twitter:

@mcwalker03
Ballard Memorial is with you. We pray for a special kind of healing as you all deal with such grief that we can not understand. We pray for each and every person effected by today's tragic event. Together you can conquer such loss. #MarshallStrong

@AllieHughes99
Yesterday stood still for Marshall County and they are not alone. Pope County is behind you and support you. Not just for Marshall but for everyone.
We may be small but we are #MarshallStrong

@Brady_Smith15
Last week, there were about 15 in our FCA meeting. This morning, over 150 got together to pray for the events that happened yesterday. No doubt in my mind that God is using this tragedy so we can give Him glory. Good job, MHS! #MarshallStrong

Police have not yet confirmed the identity of the shooter, but kids at the school have identified their fellow classmate.

While a motive has not been released, screenshots of the suspect's now-deleted Instagram account are circling the internet and show him quoting Joseph Stalin in his biography and declaring himself a member of the "United Church of Bacon."

The so-called "church" identifies as being "skeptic" and "atheist" and was founded in 2010. Now claiming to have 13,000 members, their site claims to "doubt religion" and was started "as a protest... to start a real, legal church with a funny name and then demand the same rights as mainstream religions."

Despite the tragedy, many are speaking up to remind the community to pray for the shooter as well.