The recent anniversary of the violent attack on Capitol Hill on January 6, 2021 has launched several debates as to what truly occurred on that day when civilians breached security at the federal government building and continued to destroy and vandalize property. Now, several Christian leaders are speaking out on the historic event, which threatened U.S. democracy at its core.
"When you're thinking about moral responsibility, we can't avoid the issue of the 45th president of the United States, Donald J. Trump," Albert Mohler, president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary argued in his podcast. Trump famously gave a speech on January 6, in which he called upon supporters to voice out their concerns against the results of the 2020 Presidential Election, which he said was won through cheating and manipulation.
"It's true that the passions behind the events were incited and inflamed by President Trump," Mohler remarked. "The mob was encouraged by the president, first of all, to gather on the mall, and then he used language that could well be understood to have incited the mob to move on the United States Capitol."
In his infamous speech on January 6, 2021, Trump said that "we're going to walk down to the Capitol, and we're going to cheer on our brave senators and congressmen and women...We have come to demand that Congress do the right thing and only count the electors who have been lawfully slated."
The Republican leader added that "I know that everyone here will soon be marching over to the Capitol building to peacefully and patriotically make your voices heard." Trump also encouraged them to "fight like hell. And if you don't fight like hell, you're not going to have a country anymore," as quoted from AP's transcript.
Mohler remarked that Trump was responsible for "undeniable sins of both commission and omission on that day." He added that Christians in the U.S. must now be aware of the "political crisis" the country is facing today. At the same time, he urged Christians to understand that this "political crisis" is also a "moral crisis."
Meanwhile, Franklin Graham of Samaritan's Purse condemned the actions of those who "stormed the Capitol, destroying property, even causing injury and death," who he described as "wrong," Christian Headlines reported. He remarked that the patriots who stormed the Capitol last year, while frustrated at the "greed and corruption of politics," should not have attacked and destroyed property. The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association CEO also called upon the faithful to pray for the country and its leaders.
Darrell Scott, a pastor at the New Spirit Revival Center, took a political approach to commemorating the January 6 attack, remarking on Twitter that Democratic leaders opposed "destruction, theft [and] arson" of national monuments and such, but the events on January 6 "6 was simply a case of the 'Chickens coming home to roost,'" arguing that Democrats "thought 'protest' was OK [until] it was on their steps."
EDITOR'S NOTE:
It's worth noting that according to earlier reports, leftists were already having a protest outside the Capitol even before President Trump finished his speech at the Ellipse. They were also the first to break into the Capitol.
And while it's entirely possible that the situation and Trump's comments helped strengthen the people's resolve to fight for a fair election, his supporters who trooped to the Capitol were not violent as mainstream media reported, but were peaceful according to footage.
Trump actually wanted to deploy the National Guard to the Capitol ahead of January 6, 2021, but House Speaker Nancy Pelosi denied his request because of "optics."
Trump and his supporters, in fact, were even cleared by the FBI of any involvement in the planning of the attack, described by former Capitol police chief Steven Sund as "coordinated."
Several reports indicate that the commotion was caused by leftists disguised as Trump supporters. These leftists were responsible for inciting violence in the Capitol. Some leftists also admitted to teaching federal agents how to infiltrate the throng of Trump supporters.
It's also worth noting how recently, the Department of Justice itself admitted to sending out "commandos" to the Capitol on that fateful day, with orders to "shoot to kill."
