(The Center Square) – Nearly all U.S. House Democrats voted against a resolution condemning attacks against anti-abortion facilities and churches. The vote came after a report was published showing violence escalated against churches and pro-life groups last year ahead of and after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.
The House passed the measure 222 to 219 Wednesday mostly along party lines. Three Democrats voted for it: Reps. Vicente Gonzalez of south Texas, Chrissy Houlahan of Pennsylvania and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez of Washington.
The resolution “condemns recent attacks of vandalism, violence, and destruction against pro-life facilities, groups and churches” and “calls upon the Biden Administration to use all appropriate law enforcement authorities to uphold public safety and to protect the rights of pro-life facilities, groups, and churches.”
There have been at least 420 hostile acts committed against primarily churches in America over the past five years, according to the report published by the Family Research Council.
The Washington, D.C.-based Christian public policy advocacy organization analyzed publicly available data from January 2018 to September 2022 and reported that it identified at least 420 acts of hostility against American churches in 45 states and the District of Columbia. The greatest number occurred in California and Texas, the two most populous states. None were reported in Delaware, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire and Vermont, according to the report.
Overall, 57 “pro-abortion acts of hostility” against churches were identified, with violence increasing last year from January to September leading up to and after the Supreme Court decision. Concerned by increasing attacks on pregnancy centers and churches, 19 attorneys general last June called on the Department of Justice to investigate.
The FRC report, “Hostility Against Churches Is on the Rise in the United States,” shows a trend of increasing hostility against churches over the past five years that includes arson and arson attempts, assaults, bomb threats, gun-related incidents, among others.
Increased incidents of vandalism, including destruction and defacement of property, ransacking, theft, and destruction of church property were “likely symptomatic of a collapse in societal reverence and respect for houses of worship and religion – in this case, churches and Christianity,” the report states.
“Americans 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.”
Many Democrats who opposed the resolution said they did so because it did not also condemn attacks against abortion facilities.
“This resolution fails to acknowledge decades of well-documented violence against reproductive health care providers in this country, and in failing to do so, it fails us all,” Rep. Lizzie Fletcher of Texas said, according to The Hill.
Of the attacks on churches and pro-life facilities, there were 342 occurrences of vandalism, 58 arson attacks or attempts, 12 gun-related incidents, 11 bomb threats, and 19 others, including assault, threats, interruption of worship services, among others. Another 20 covered more than one category.
Of the 420 incidents, California had the most with 51, followed by 33 in Texas, 31 in New York and 23 in Florida.
The analysis was published after the FBI reported 240 anti-Christian “hate crimes” had been recorded in its Uniform Crime Reporting Program in 2021, up from 213 in 2020, 217 in 2019 and 172 in 2018.
FBI data was consistent with the FRC findings. In 2018, FRC found 50 acts of hostility committed against churches; from January to September 2022, it found 137.
The report notes that such acts of violence “are a matter of religious freedom. Religious freedom is not maintained by good laws and policy alone: it also relies on cultural support.”
FRC President Tony Perkins has called on the Biden Administration to better protect churches and religious freedom, noting, “the Biden Department of Justice has so far largely ignored these growing attacks on churches and that is creating an environment of lawlessness around the country.”
He added, “Christians must not live in fear. We must not be intimidated; we must continue to stand upon the truth of God and defending the freedom of all to live out their faith free from the fear that they will be subject to a violent attack.”
(4) comments
And where are the Republicans urging investigation and prosecution of antisemitic and Islamophobic hate crimes? Antisemitic hate crimes were drastically undercounted in 2021 and still represent 50% more in that year than the bogus numbers the FRC throws out here.
Always sad to see the Gazette syndicate this sort of crap.
As a Christian I’d like to set the record straight. In May of this year, for example, the House of Representatives passed a resolution condemning anti-semitism by a vote of 420 to 1. I don’t know who cast the one vote against the resolution, nor do I care. The fact is, over 200 Republican representatives voted fir the resolution.They, in turn, represent millions of Republicans who condemn anti-semitism.
Concerning Islamophobia, there been numerous condemnations of Islamophobia, from political leaders, community leaders, religious leaders, eyc.
On a personal level, as a Christian, I feel honored to be “grafted in” the family of Abraham’s and the New Covenant Jesus introduced to the world. He never denied his Jewish identity.While I’m not ethnically Jewish, I do wear a cross of David around my neck, my way of identifying withe the worldwide community of Jews. I’ve traveled to Israel six times, prayed at the Western Wall with Jews and Christians, broken bread with Jews in their communities, trudged along the Golan Heights and the roads going to Nazareth, Jerusalem, etc. I’ve told everyone I know that if there was any city in the world I would live outside of America it would be Jerusalem. I think there many, many Christians like me.
Concerning Islam, in my career as an engineer I ince had the opportunity to mentor a young Palestinian. I loved him like I would my own brother. While we had religious differences, our common tasks and brotherhood prevailed. After the Oklahoma City bombing he came to work and expressed his concern about anti Islamic responses to the attack and what ot might mean to the safety of him and his children. I told him that he and his family could stay with my wife and we would do our utmost to ensure their safety. Here too, I think there are millions of my fellow Christians who feel the same way.
Concerning the “crap” about pro life and family centers, I am also pro-life. I’ve protested, in accordance with our law. I’ve carried a sign. I’ve been whacked around like a piñata, I’ve been cursed. I’ve debated the issue on college campuses, I’ve offered to take on responsibility for the life of the unborn child of a professional peer because she feared the child would have a disability. I’ve cried tears of joy when I met that child and held him my after she decided to let him live.
I don’t see those pro life views the defense of groups and institutions who do their best to preserve life as crap. I’m proud to be associated with them.
While, sadly, it’s true that the curse of bigotry is still alive, it’s also true that it sometimes comes cloaked in self deceit and so called decency.
There is no "cross of David." You are not part of the worldwide community of Jews. Appropriating Jewish symbols and identity *is* antisemitism, the same way as a non-Native person trying to claim a dreamcatcher or burning sage is appropriating ritual objects that don't belong to them. "I love Jews so much, look at Israel" isn't the support of Jews you think it is, not when we're talking about hate crimes against Jews in the US. And since the OKC bombing was committed by white supremacists, sheltering a Muslim man isn't the support you think it is either.
We agree on one thing though, there are many many Christians like you, ones who think they're somehow doing good, but are far more willing to think about Jews "over there" as the ones they like while being perfectly willing to discriminate against and tolerate discrimination against Jews here in the name of a Christian nation where your thoughts on what God would want govern the choices available to everyone else.
I doubt it will mean anything to you, but I’ll give it one more try.
Paul, in addressing Gentile believers wrote.
“But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, although a wild olive shoot, were grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing root of the olive tree“
Romans 11:17
The symbol I was speaking of is sourced in two faiths - the cross which is the enduring symbol of Christianity and the star of David, which Jews have almost universally recognized as their national symbol since the 19th century. It also memorializes the tragedy of what Jews have had to endure for millennia. The symbol I wear is one of my statements of Christian faith and timeless truth that, as such, as such I am also grafted in to the vine of the covenand God established with Abraham.
This is the type of necklace I wear:
https://www.kay.com/star-of-davidcross-charm-14k-yellow-gold/p/V-431224308?cid=PLA-goo-E-Commerce+-+PLA+-+P2+-+Fashion+-+Charms&gclid=CjwKCAiAwomeBhBWEiwAM43YIJe0C8bM9pbyeRvgNfmvpnar2zMwCv6_nXISMKErYdLfcusIn7CpMBoCUPEQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds
I don’t expect you to respect it, nor do I care.
I have never discriminated against, hated, or acted violently against Jews, Muslims, or any other race or ethnicity. I share these convictions with milions of my fellow Christians worldwide.
Your inflammatory remarks and accusations cannot take that away.
I am who am. I believe what I believe.
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