Hate crimes and violence in America go on all the time. The latest outrage is directed against a Virginia congregation of the United Church of Christ — whose General Synod endorsed gay marriage this week. Here is a report on that — and a few others from the past few days.
Thanks to blogger and United Church Seminarian Chuck Currie for alerting the blogosphere to a viscious hate crime. Someone set fire to a UCC church in Viginia today. A local
newspaper reports that “The outside of the church was vandalized with anti-gay messages and a declaration that United Church of Christ members were sinners. The graffiti’s message appeared to be a reference to the
national church’s decision earlier this week to endorse gay and lesbian marriages. The United Church of Christ’s General Synod voted Monday in Atlanta to approve a resolution that is accepting of gay and lesbian marriages but is not binding on local congregations. A member of the congregation discovered the graffiti Saturday morning when he stopped by
to mow the grass. He went into the church building, and when he opened the sanctuary there was still a small fire.”
“I have no idea,” Currie writes, “whether or not the congregation at St. John’s Reformed UCC were in favor of the resolution passed by the General Synod of the United Church of Christ supporting gay marriage or not. That is irrelevant.”
“It is tragic that whoever committed this hate crime did so because they were misled into believing that supporting legal equality for gays and lesbians is sinful. It simply is not.”
“The rhetoric of the religious right and their allies in the political right, Currie continues, “who claim that homosexuality is a sin — must take some of the responsibility for the increase in hate crimes such as this one. Albert Mohler, the prominent Southern Baptist leader, has even compared legal and legislative decisions in support of gay marriage to the attacks against the United States on September 11th.”
“People hear that kind of hateful preaching and believe they are acting as faithful Christians as they torch churches or beat up gays.”
The United Church News further reports that “two other churches in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley were vandalized near the time the United Church of Christ’s Stillspeaking Initiative began running television ads welcoming all people, including gays and lesbians.”
Contributions to help the church can be sent to:
St. John’s Reformed United Church of Christ
1515 Arbor Hill Rd
Staunton, Va 24401
The Associated Press is also reporting that two, apparently
unrelated black churches were burned to the ground in Tennnessee, as well as a mosque in Indiana. The latter is being investigated as a hate crime.
Meanwhile, a clinic in Palm Beach, Florida was closed following a serious arson attack on Monday. The Ft. Lauderdale Sun-Sentinal reports that the arson follows a similar attack last year at this time. Terrorists often pick symbolic dates for thier crimes.
In this case, the Palm Beach arsonist torches clinics on or about the fourth of July. Domestic terrorism aimed at abortion providers has been going on for a long time, inflamed in part by the rhetoric of the leaders of the Christian Right, in much the same fashion that hate is directed against others.
Hate crimes and domestic terrorism take many forms. Sometimes that hate is directed against people because of their race, thier religion, their sexual orientation, or for excercising thier constitutional right to receive or provide reproductive health services to women.
It is time to extinguish the fires of hate.
[Crossposted from FrederickClarkson.com and Talk to Action
with the victims of hate is vital.
So is speaking out against the hate and the violence.
So is bringing opprobrium on those who contribute to the climate of hate.
So is asked our public officials and law enforcement officers at all levels we want to ensure that the violence does not spread.
This is absolutely despicable. This is, beyond a doubt, both a hate crime and terrorism.
hate crime is woefully in adequate. Terrorism is more appropriate. The aims of the people committing these acts is to get people to change their beliefs, principles and actions.
People fly planes into buildings, blow up trains, bomb women’s health clinics, and burn churches because they are filled with hate. That is terrorism.
I’m so sorry for the UCC church. Such hatred is the opposite of Christianity. And there’s this:
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 7/9/05) – The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) said today that the FBI is investigating an apparent arson attack on an Indiana mosque as a possible hate crime.
Local Muslim leaders and law enforcement officials told CAIR that a rock was thrown through a window of the Islamic Center of Bloomington sometime last night. Liquid “accelerant” was then poured through the window and ignited. The fire was extinguished before if could do major damage to the facility. A burned Quran, Islam’s holy text, was also found outside the mosque. …
Easier said than done.
Hate was a word seldom used in my vocabulary until BUSH came along.
Hate breeds hate and this President is full of hate-just look at all his Hateful Deeds…
he perfected the use of the word “evil” first used by Reagan.
Kind of hate rhetoric with a religious touch.
of course, where are the Justice Department’s priorities?
Environmental “terrorism”, that’s where:
Our right wing government WILL NOT investigate these kinds of crimes effectively, and dedicated professionals who try will not get the support they need. Remember the new homes that were torched last year, arson that was blamed loudly on environmentalists? Turned out to be six racists concerned about black families moving into the homes.
The two groups safest to hate and attack in this society are women seeking abortions and gays. I have NO faith that law enforcement will do anything about these arsons. Property is more important than people, especially “dirty sinners”.