You can't have a national tragedy without at least one religious zealot crawling out of the woodwork and spouting off about the downfall of America. And lo, American Family Association news director Fred Jackson is up to the task.

On his horrifying radio show AFA Today, Jackson explained how this country has gone to shit — and why that made James Holmes open fire on a crowded theater.

In the community there were community standards that reflected biblical principles, whether people knew it or not, the standard in the community was based on Scripture. In that short period of time, roughly forty years, we have seen such a transformation in values in our communities, whether it's rural or whether it's big city. I have to think that all of this, whether it's the Hollywood movies, whether it's what we see on the internets, whether it's liberal bias in the media, whether it's our politicians changing public policy, I think all of those somehow have fit together — and I have to say also churches who are leaving the authority of Scripture and losing their fear of God — all of those things have seem to have come together to give us these kinds of incidents.

You know a statement is shocking when the unironic use of "internets" is the mildest offense.

It gets worse, naturally.

Jackson and his co-host, AFA Journal's Teddy James, tied the shootings to the lack of prayer in our public schools, and churches that — heavens forfend — embrace their gay members.

I think the sources of this is multifaceted but you can put it all I think under the heading of rebellion to God, a rejection of the God of the Bible. ... We've been dealing Teddy and I know the AFA Journal has been dealing with denominations that no longer believe in the God of the Bible, they no longer believe that Jesus is the only way of salvation, they teach that God is OK with homosexuality, this is just increasing more and more. It is mankind shaking its fist at the authority of God.

To which James helpfully responded, "And God will not be silent when he's mocked, and we need to remember that."

This message isn't just offensive: it's impossibly muddled. Was God acting through a lone gunman? Or did Holmes snap because he wasn't forced to pray in school? Most importantly, does anyone still believe this horseshit?

Right Wing Watch has the audio if the transcripts weren't nauseating enough.

[Image via AP]