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In Michigan, authorities say they continue to look for a clear motive behind the attack on a Latter-day Saint (ph) house of worship on Sunday morning. From Grand Blanc, Michigan, NPR religion correspondent Jason DeRose reports that people both inside and outside the Latter-day Saint community are raising concerns that anti-Mormon sentiment may be behind the massacre.
JASON DEROSE, BYLINE: A local politician, Kris Johns, says he was canvassing recently when he knocked on the door of alleged shooter Thomas Jacob Sanford.
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KRIS JOHNS: And after a short while it - the conversation went to the Church of Latter-day Saints, Mormonism.
DEROSE: Johns made these comments on a local Michigan webcast called "Keeping It Real."
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JOHNS: And he just made the position multiple times that Mormons are the Antichrist.
DEROSE: The Trump administration has referred to Sunday's attack as anti-religious. And the governor of Texas says he's increasing law enforcement efforts around houses of worship due to the spate of recent attacks on religious people and institutions. Local and federal officials here in Michigan are calling the attack targeted, but they're not yet calling it anti-religious or anti-Mormon.
JEFFREY SCHAUB: As you might expect, our members are quite shaken in spirit and in body. And it hurts.
DEROSE: Bishop Jeffrey Schaub is a leader of the congregation that was attacked on Sunday.
SCHAUB: The amount of unity and love that has been shown within our congregation is truly a testament of the love of our savior, Jesus Christ. It's only through him that we can love so deeply during these times of trials.
DEROSE: The Mormon community here in Michigan is small and close-knit. Brandt Malone lives about half an hour south of Grand Blanc, but he and his family were often at the church building here for events.
BRANDT MALONE: My wife and daughter were up there the night before because they had a youth activity. And it really - telling my 12-year-old daughter about what happened, it really shook her up because she was just there.
DEROSE: Malone says he's been thinking a lot about the biblical character of Job, who was suffering and despondent because he felt abandoned.
MALONE: And there's a part in that story where his three friends come to him, and they just sat with him. And if I remember my Bible correctly, they sat with him for three days and didn't say anything. My thought has always been, you know what? If that's what will help our congregation, then so be it.
DEROSE: That's why Malone came to Grand Blanc yesterday and today to volunteer. He's also been dwelling these last several days on a story from the Book of Mormon.
MALONE: An angel asks this prophet - his name was Nephi - knowest thou the condescension of God? Meaning, (crying) do you understand what's going on here? Do you understand that God is going to descend from above and come live among mortals? And Nephi responds and says, I know God loveth his children, nevertheless, I do not know the meaning of all things. I don't know why this happened, but I know God loves his children.
DEROSE: A love that brings solace but not answers to a traumatized community.
Jason DeRose, NPR News, Grand Blanc, Michigan. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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