According to a report by the Family Research Council (FRC), attacks on Christian churches have increased significantly in the United States over the past five years.
According to the FRC, 2023 saw a record high of 436 attacks on Christian churches, including vandalism, arson, gun-related incidents and bomb threats. revealed.
These incidents were more than double More than the number of crimes in 2022 8 times The numbers occurred in 2018 and suggest that hostility toward Christian churches in the United States is “not only increasing, but accelerating,” the report said.
According to the report, in the 11-month period from January to November 2023, there were at least 315 incidents of vandalism, 75 incidents of arson or attempted arson, 10 incidents involving guns, 20 incidents of bomb threats, and 37 incidents. Other incidents occurred.
The increase in crimes against the church is a sign of a cultural shift in which American society appears to be “increasingly hostile toward Christianity,” and a “disintegration of society’s respect and respect for the church and Christianity itself.” The FRC observed that the
On Friday night, an Antifa mob in Portland, Oregon, attacked a local church and history museum. The attack is his second separate act of vandalism in the past 12 months. https://t.co/w0Z7F4LvIS
— Breitbart News (@BreitbartNews) April 18, 2021
Church buildings are targeted because they represent core Christian beliefs, “including those that touch on hot-button political issues regarding human dignity and sexuality,” the FRC suggested. .
The motives for vandalism and other crimes against churches are not always clear, but are often motivated by anger against the targeted church or political motivations over Christian teachings on issues such as abortion, same-sex marriage, and transgenderism. seems to be motivated by.
According to the FRC’s research, attacks on churches are not limited to any particular region or sector of the country, and have occurred in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. States with larger populations tend to report more incidents, with California having the highest number of incidents (33).
The FRC noted that its report is not comprehensive, as many acts of hostility against the church are likely not reported to the authorities or covered in the news or other online sources. , noted that the number of such acts is therefore “undoubtedly much higher than reported.” The numbers will be reflected in the report.
