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PHILADELPHIA 鈥� The massacre at a gay nightclub has tested the limits of the 鈥渓ove the sinner, hate the sin鈥� approach to homosexuality by conservative religious leaders.

The faith leaders have overwhelmingly expressed grief over the loss of life in Orlando, led vigils around the country, offered counseling for the crowds of mourners and free funerals for the victims. But it has been less common for religious conservatives to note that the gunman specifically targeted lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. Gays and lesbians say the omission compounds the pain of the shooting.

鈥淭his was a place where people came together 鈥� LGBT people 鈥� and if you erase that part of them, you鈥檙e not actually praying for people, you鈥檙e praying for an abstraction,鈥� said the Rev. Paul Raushenbush, a gay American Baptist pastor and a vice president at Auburn Seminary in New York. 鈥淚n order to truly honor these lives, we鈥檙e not going to erase them and we鈥檙e not going to erase them in church.鈥�

Authorities are still trying to understand the motivation of gunman Omar Mateen, who had expressed hatred of gay people and sympathy for Islamic extremists before his rampage left 49 people dead at Pulse dance club last Sunday. The shooting has laid bare ideological divisions over gay rights, gun control and Islamic terrorism. Many conservatives argue that LGBT advocates are trying to politicize the attack by complaining about the wording of statements of prayer and concern.

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However, Presiding Bishop Yvette Flunder of the Fellowship of Affirming Ministries Network, an association of mainly black and gay churches, pointed to the shooting at the historically black Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in South Carolina a year ago, and noted, 鈥渨e did not hesitate to say that the victims in Charleston were black.鈥�

鈥淭his is a time to grieve, to mourn and to consider what it means to stigmatize people,鈥� said the Rev. Raphael Warnock of the historic Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, who supports gay marriage as a civil right. 鈥淩eligious communities have played a particular role in 鈥� marginalizing gay and lesbian and transgender people.鈥�

The tragedy prompted an outpouring from more liberal religious groups that included special attention to LGBT people. Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton, of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, said the gunman seemed to believe that 鈥渢he LGBTQ community was severed from our common humanity.鈥� The Central Conference of American Rabbis, which represents Reform Jewish clergy, said the group was 鈥渙utraged that LGBTQ people have been massacred because of their gender identity and sexual orientation.鈥�

Conservative religious leaders were just as vocal and emotional in their remarks, but the focus of their statements varied.

The Rabbinical Council of America, the major association for Orthodox rabbis, decried 鈥渕urderous attacks in the name of religion鈥� and said 鈥渘o individual or group should be singled out鈥� the way the victims were. The president of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops, Archbishop Joseph Kurtz of Louisville, Kentucky, offered prayers and called for 鈥渆ver greater resolve in protecting the life and dignity of every person.鈥� The Southern Baptist Convention, at its annual meeting this week, passed a resolution extending 鈥渓ove and compassion鈥� to all affected by the shooting and saying they consider the victims 鈥渇ellow image-bearers of God and our neighbors.鈥�

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But none of these statements specifically mentioned that gays and lesbians had been singled out.

On the other hand, the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference, an association for Latino evangelicals, which helped local churches organize a vigil Wednesday in Orlando, issued a statement calling for 鈥渞adical love鈥� for all, citing gays in particular, despite the conference鈥檚 theological opposition to same-sex relationships.

鈥淲e鈥檝e preached to our people that everyone 鈥� every race, every culture, every orientation 鈥� they鈥檙e made in the image of God,鈥� said the Rev. Tony Suarez, executive vice president of the leadership group, in a phone interview. 鈥淭hat doesn鈥檛 always mean we agree with everyone鈥檚 decision, but we respect their humanity.鈥�

In St. Petersburg, Florida, Bishop Robert Lynch took the rare step for an American Roman Catholic bishop of saying faith groups had a role in fueling violence like what happened in Orlando.

鈥淪adly, it is religion, including our own, which targets, mostly verbally, and also often breeds contempt for, gays, lesbians and transgender people,鈥� Lynch wrote on his blog. 鈥淪ingling out people for victimization because of their religion, their sexual orientation, their nationality must be offensive to God鈥檚 ears. It has to stop.鈥�

The Rev. Joel Hunter, pastor of the evangelical Northland, A Church Distributed, in the Orlando area, said the attack and its aftermath have led him to reflect on how he has spoken about the Bible and LGBT people in the past.

Hunter, who has been a spiritual adviser to President Barack Obama, spent the week in community meetings and at events in response to the shooting, leading to the pastor鈥檚 first introduction to Carlos Smith, the government affairs officer for Equality Florida, an LGBT advocacy group. A photo of their handshake, taken by a local reporter, has drawn attention on social media.

鈥淭he fact that I didn鈥檛 know him was indicative of the cubicle all of us have been operating in and my lack of relationships that I鈥檓 now regretting,鈥� Hunter said in a phone interview.

鈥淢y relationships and respect for LGBTQ people will not depend on any specific theological finding,鈥� Hunter said of how he will re-examine his approach to gays and lesbians. 鈥淢y recommitment is to focus on living out the basic nature of God 鈥� love 鈥� and leaving the judging up to Him.鈥�