Investigators say Minnesota man vandalized church building; set it on fire

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A Minnesota man, 31, has been arrested for a fire at a church building that inspectors say was intentionally set.

Jessie Tyler Bromaghim, 31, faces felony counts of arson, criminal damage and attempted vehicle theft after being accused of starting a fire and tipping over a statue at St. Mary’s Immaculate Conception Church, according to a report from The Winona Daily News.

The fire was set Wednesday.  Channel 5 television reports seven fire departments responded to the fire.  Their quick actions prevented structural damage to the building.

A sheriff’s office news release says investigators found vandalism inside the sanctuary.

Bromaghim is held in the Buffalo County Jail in lieu of $10,000 bond.

He is scheduled to appear in court May 23.

No motive for the arson or vandalism has been announced.

Do we have evidence of God’s hand in creation?

While my faith is not based on scientific discovery, I find evidence of God’s creation interesting.  I also find it interesting to note how strongly some anti-theists work to discredit evidence of God.

Just one of the evidences, often called the “fine-tuned universe” goes something like this: against incredible odds, the numbers in basic physics are exactly what they need to be for life. They have to be so precisely what they are for life that it stands credulity on its head to say that it happened just by chance.  The ball had been thrown into the anti-theists court.  Discussion of the latest physics of the matter was avoided by anti-theists, at least until the multiverse theory came along.

The multiverse theory threw the ball back into the theists’ court.  It provided a refutation to the fine-tuned universe.  The rebuff at that time was basically this: There are so many plausible variations in a multiverse that at least one fine-tuned universe would be expected. Now, talk of the latest science was in fashion again among anti-theists.  The ball has been shot back to the theists’ court.  Then, a new paper was published following the death of Stephen Hawking and the ball had been returned.

The last published paper by Stephen Hawking and Thomas Hertog says if a multiverse exists, it would not have an infinite number of physical properties.  If the infinite number of possible physical properties goes away, then the multiverse theory is not the kill shot to the fine-tuned universe as previously thought.

Throughout all of this fuss about fine tuning, and other evidences of God, I find it amazing how some anti-theists accept or reject the physical evidence as an indicator of God based on whose court the ball happens to be in at the time. At the end of the day, a relationship with God has nothing to do with the latest scientific discovery.  It has everything to do with our acceptance or rejection of God and his precious gift of salvation.

Have you accepted his gift?

Romans 1:19-20

because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, that is, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, being understood by what has been made, so that they are without excuse.

Surveillance video leads to arrest in FL church building vandalism

Florida church vandalism
                Christopher Joseph Trout (St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office)

PORT ST. LUCIE – A Florida man was arrested this week for vandalizing a church.  The arrest came after media in Port St. Lucie, Fla broadcast surveillance images of Christopher Joseph Trout, 29, damaging property belonging to the New Jerusalem Church of God, according to a report from WFLX television.

Trout was directly linked to the crime by evidence found inside his car, according to WPTV News.

According to jail records Thursday morning, Trout is charged with damaging prop-crim misch church synagogue mosque or religious article.  His bond is set at $10,000.  He also has a Leo Baker Act hold.

Report: Utah man causes more than $10K damage to church, struggles with arresting officers

Church criminal
(Photo: Washington County Sheriff’s Office)

A Utah man was arrested Monday after police say he caused tens of thousands of dollars in damage to a church building.

According to the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, Charles Gregory Logan, 23, is charged with multiple felonies and misdemeanors, including disorderly-fight, interfere with arrest, assault-simple, criminal mischief and burglary. The charges were filed Monday after police say they found him inside the church.

KSL television reported a church volunteer spotted Logan smashing a chair and table in the ladies dressing room.  She called for help.  Logan is said to have struggled with church employees who attempted to detain him until police arrived.

A report from Desert News says when officers tried to arrest Logan, “he refused several commands to stop resisting and actively resisted attempts to place him into handcuffs. After a few minutes of struggling with Logan, he was taken into custody,”

According to Jail records Tuesday, Logan has been released on bond.

Bomb explodes on property of Texas church

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BEAUMONT, TEXAS – A building owned by a southeast Texas church that runs a Christian school was damaged by an explosion early Thursday morning, according to a report from KRIS TV.  The explosion was caused by a bomb left at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church sometime between the end of services Wednesday evening and early Thursday before children arrived at the nearby school campus according to Click2Houston.

Beaumont, Texas Police Department spokesperson Officer Haley Morrow told Texas Gospel the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives and the FBI are investigating the incident.  Officer Morrow said

A police department news release says officers were called to the church property around 9 a.m. to investigate Criminal Mischief.  An officer who responded to the call found damage from what appeared to be a previously-detonated package.  Only minor damage was done to the building.

The Beaumont police chief said during a news conference that parts of the investigation are confidential and he would not say if there is any connection to an explosive device found at a local business earlier this year.