Here are some faith-related links about the Arizona shooting that claimed the lives of six people — including 63-year-old U.S. District Judge John Roll and 9-year-old Christina Green (in an oddly awful bookend, she had been born on 9/11) — and has left Rep. Gabrielle Giffords fighting for her life:

• In Tuscon’s Wake, ‘We Pray to Be A Channel of Peace’ (Whispers in the Loggia)
• Religious Leaders Call for Calm, Civility (Religion News Service)
• Jared Loughner and the Sad Relief of a Muslim (Jalees Rehman for The Huffington Post)
• Memo Notes Giffords’ Judaism in Motives of Alleged Attacker (JTA)
• Catholic Community Grieves Arizona Shooting Victims (Catholic News Agency)
• Ghosts in Arizona Tragedy (GetReligion)

It’s also worth noting that tragedies sometimes bring out the best in people — for a recent example, check out this story about Egyptian Muslims stepping up to protect their Christian neighbors in the wake of the New Year’s Day attack on a Coptic Church. And with the Arizona shooting, which prompted President Obama to lead Americans in a moment of silence today and will be the focus of a bipartisan congressional prayer service Wednesday, it seems that the increasingly divisive, heated rhetoric from politicians like Sarah Palin and other prominent talking heads may finally be toned down to a healthier level.

Or, maybe not? Share your thoughts in the Comments section below.

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