According to a report from Family Research Council (FRC), attacks against churches have nearly tripled in the first quarter of this year compared to the same time frame in 2022. The types of acts identified include vandalism, arson, gun-related incidents, bomb threats, and more.
Since the launch of the report six years ago, FRC has recorded acts of hostility against churches, and right now, 2023 is on track to having the highest number of incidents ever.
Arielle Del Turco, author of the supplemental report, tells AFN one of the reasons is politics-based soft-pedaling.
"If the punishment that these criminals are getting is not enough to deter new would-be criminals, there's a serious problem," she asserts. "It's only going to cause this problem of acts of hostility against churches to continue."
Del Turco, who serves as the director of FRC's Center for Religious Liberty, makes note of one particular case in which the Biden administration recommended no jail time for a pro-abortion zealot who committed crimes against a pro-life church and assaulted a church employee.
"This is extremely serious," Del Turco contends. "To recommend that this person receive no jail time for it is completely unacceptable, but I think it really points to the Biden administration's priorities, and I just don't think they're prioritizing religious freedom."
She says the president has been very selective in determining prosecutions for crimes against churches, and that needs to stop.
