Tag: Persecution

Four teens arrested for NC church vandalism

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James LaGrange Murphy

UNION, SC – Four vandals have been arrested for an attack at a South Carolina Baptist church on July 7.

According to a report from The State, the vandals who damaged the building of the Welcome Baptist Church are all in their teens; three are juveniles.

A Union County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson said the Family Life Center had “Hail Satan” carved into one of the columns, and two plastic columns were burned.  The spokesperson identified James LaGrange Murphy, 18, as the non-juvenile who participated.  The names of the other three are not released because of their age.

The damage to church property is estimated at less than $600. It has not yet been determined if the attack will be classified as a hate crime.

State-Sanctioned Church in Shandong Province of China Demolished

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International Christian Concern (ICC) has learned that on July 17, more than 70 police officers and workers forcibly demolished Liangwang Catholic Church in China’s Shandong province. Liangwang Catholic Church is a state-sanctioned church and had been registered since 2006.

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Teens arrested for church arson

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Two teens have been charged with arson for a 2017 fire that destroyed the sanctuary building of a Las Vegas Church.  Police are not releasing the names of the two because of their age.

 

(2017 File video story from the Las Vegas Review-Journal)

According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, the fire caused $1.3 million in damage to the Zion Methodist Church.

A spokesperson for the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Wednesday said the teens are charged with arson, conspiracy and burglary.

A motive for the criminal act has not been announced.

New Hampshire man gets 25 years for church arson, assault

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A New Hampshire man who pleaded guilty to setting fire to a Baptist church building has been sentenced to a quarter-century in prison.

Anthony K. Boisvert appeared in Grafton Superior Court in North Haverhill, New Hampshire Monday pleading guilty to nine charges of arson, assault and witness tampering, according to The Valley News.  He apologized to the church, but denied some of the accusations made in a probable cause affidavit, according to a report from the Union Leader.

Boisvert’s sentence is related to crimes committed in 2016 including arson at the First Baptist Church of Lebanon.  Prosecutors say he stabbed two people in an attempt to stop them from testifying.

The Church had been at the location for 145 years. The Associated Press reports the remains of the church were demolished following the fire.

Family members in January told WMUR they believe Boisvert suffers from mental illness and he needs help, not prison.

File video of the fire:

 

 

Man throws concrete block through church window in Sudbury, ON

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Surveillance video captured the moment a vandal threw a large piece of concrete through the front door of St. Mary’s Ukrainian Catholic Church in Sudbury, ON.

Video from the July 5 attack was posted to the church’s facebook page with the caption, “love thy neighbor.”

 

Northern Life reported Father Peter Bodnar of St. Mary’s church recognized the man as someone who frequents the area, but Fr. Bodnar does not know the man’s name.

No motive for the criminal act is known. Anyone with information about the man’s identity is asked to call Greater Sudbury Police Services at 705-675-9171.