The United States has experienced a significant rise in attacks on Christian churches over the past five years according to a report by the Family Research Council (FRC).
In 2023, there were a record number of 436 attacks on Christian churches, which included vandalism, arson, gun-related incidents, and bomb threats, FRC revealed.
These incidents were more than double the number perpetrated in 2022 and more than eight times the number that occurred in 2018, suggesting that hostility against Christian churches in the U.S. “is not only on the rise but also accelerating,” the report found.
In the 11-month span from January to November 2023, there were at least 315 occurrences of vandalism, 75 arson attacks or attempts, 10 gun-related incidents, 20 bomb threats, and 37 other incidents, the report noted.
The rise in crimes against churches is symptomatic of a cultural shift in which American society appears “increasingly hostile to Christianity,” FRC observed, and reflects a “collapse in societal reverence and respect” for churches and for Christianity itself.
Antifa rioters in Portland, Oregon, attacked a local church and a historical museum Friday night. The attack marks the second time each has been vandalized during the past twelve months. https://t.co/w0Z7F4LvIS
— Breitbart News (@BreitbartNews) April 18, 2021
Church buildings are targeted because they symbolize core Christian beliefs, “including those that touch on hot button political issues related to human dignity and sexuality,” FRC proposed.
While the motives for vandalism and other offenses against churches are not always clear, in many cases they seem motivated by either by anger toward the targeted church or by a political motivation against Christian teaching on issues such as abortion, gay marriage, or transgenderism.
The church attacks are not localized in one region or sector of the country, FRC found, but have occurred in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. States with higher populations tended to report a greater number of incidents, with California having the most incidents (33).
FRC noted that its report is not comprehensive since many acts of hostility against churches are likely not reported to authorities and/or are not featured in the news or other online sources, and so the number of such acts is “undoubtedly much higher” than the number reflected in the report.
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