(TheProudRepublic.com) – A recent report reveals a worrying rise in hostility against churches in the United States.
The Family Research Council’s latest findings show that such incidents have more than doubled in 2023. This marks a significant increase and a concerning trend over the past six years.
The report titled “Hostility Against Churches” documents 436 acts of hostility across 48 states and Washington, D.C. from January to November last year. The Family Research Council has been tracking these events since 2018, noting a total of 915 acts of hostility in this period.
Tony Perkins the president of the Family Research Council pointed to a link between the treatment of religious freedoms in the U.S. and abroad. “There is a common connection between the growing religious persecution abroad and the rapidly increasing hostility toward churches here at home: our government’s policies,” he said. Perkins criticized the government’s approach to religious freedoms and moral teachings suggesting these policies contribute to the hostility.
California experienced the most incidents in 2023 with a count of 33 followed by Texas with 28. Interestingly Hawaii and Wyoming reported no such incidents. The nature of these hostile acts varies with vandalism leading at 315 instances followed by 75 acts of arson which included 20 bomb threats.
Arielle Del Turco the Director of the Center for Religious Liberty at the Family Research Council described the impact of these acts as “religious intimidation.”
She emphasized the message these incidents send about the community’s acceptance and respect for churches. “They send the message that churches are not wanted in the community or respected in general” Del Turco stated.
