{"id":9449,"date":"2024-03-05T13:44:34","date_gmt":"2024-03-05T18:44:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/christnewstoday\/?p=9449"},"modified":"2024-03-06T09:54:54","modified_gmt":"2024-03-06T14:54:54","slug":"attacks-against-churches-have-grown-by-800-in-less-than-a-decade","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/christnewstoday\/2024\/03\/attacks-against-churches-have-grown-by-800-in-less-than-a-decade.html","title":{"rendered":"Attacks Against Churches Have Grown by 800% in Less Than a Decade"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The Family Research Council (FRC) recently released a report<\/a> that showed a growing trend<\/a> of hostile acts being taken against US churches. The report detailed 915 incidents that occurred against US churches between 2018 to 2023. Incidents included acts of vandalism, bomb threats, arson, and gun violence. 463 of the incidents occurred in 2023 alone, doubling 2022\u2019s total of 195. The FRC obtained its data for the study through open-source documents, reports, and media outlets. Acts of hostility were found in all 50 states and Washington, DC, with the most incidents (91) occurring in California. The report noted that the large jump from 2022 to 2023 indicates \u201cthat hostility against U.S. churches is not only on the rise but also accelerating.\u201d<\/p>\n

The study found that the main acts of hostility towards churches were acts of vandalism. While the motive of many acts of vandalism against churches was unknown, the report did cite some specific incidents where churches appeared to be specifically targeted in 2023. It noted that vandalism against certain Ohio churches appeared to be political. Two churches had signs to \u201cVote No\u201d against Ohio Issue 1, which amended the state\u2019s constitution to protect abortion, torn down. Another incident involved a \u201cWe Stand with Israel\u201d sign outside a church being spray painted over with \u201cIsrael\u2019s Genocide.\u201d It also noted numerous church nativity scenes that were targeted in January 2023. The report includes a list of each incident and sources since 2018. The report noted that the increasing hostility against US churches appears in line with an American culture increasingly at odds with Christianity. \u201cAlthough the motivations for many of these incidents remain unknown, the rise in crimes against churches is taking place in a context in which American culture appears increasingly hostile to Christianity\u2026 \u00a0Americans appear increasingly comfortable lashing out against church buildings, pointing to a larger societal problem of marginalizing core Christian beliefs, including those that touch on hot-button political issues related to human dignity and sexuality,\u201d said the report.<\/p>\n

American churches are not alone in receiving growing hostility. In Canada, 33 churches have burned to the ground since 2021<\/a>, with 24 cases being related to arson. Hostility towards churches in Canada escalated after hundreds of allegedly unmarked graves of indigenous children were uncovered at residential schools were uncovered. To date, no remains have been uncovered<\/a>, but the outrage was so fierce that even the Pope apologized<\/a> about the residential schools on his tour through Canada. Tony Perkins, president of the FRC, stated governments also bear responsibility for the increasing hostilities. \u201cThere is a common connection between the growing religious persecution abroad and the rapidly increasing hostility toward churches here at home: our government\u2019s policies. The indifference abroad to the fundamental freedom of religion is rivaled only by the increasing antagonism toward the moral absolutes taught by Bible-believing churches here in the U.S., which is fomenting this environment of hostility toward churches,\u201d he said<\/a>. On X<\/a>, he called the hostility \u201cintimidation.\u201d \u201cIt\u2019s all connected. The Left\u2019s coordinated use of \u2018Christian nationalism\u2019 and the rise in hostility against houses of worship. It\u2019s an intimidation game designed to silence Christians and suppress our votes. Don\u2019t buy it.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Family Research Council (FRC) recently released a report that showed a growing trend of hostile acts being taken against US churches. The report detailed 915 incidents that occurred against US churches between 2018 to 2023. Incidents included acts of vandalism, bomb threats, arson, and gun violence. 463 of the incidents occurred in 2023 alone,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":462,"featured_media":9485,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fbia_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9449","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nAttacks Against Churches Have Grown by 800% in Less Than a Decade<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Incidents of arson, vandalism and other hostile acts against U.S. churches are on the rise according to report by the Family Research Council.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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