Alabama Church Burner: stop it
What is going on in Alabama with the burning churches?
Somebody in Alabama is torching churches. Investigators have ruled out robbery and also feel that race is not a factor. That leaves thrill-arson or some twisted religious beef.
This month, the burning of nine churches in Alabama has prompted a renewed call to vigilance for the congregations who worship in rural settings.
People are wondering who would set fire to a little country church, and why. “Maybe it’s people who hate God,” said Birmingham Easonian Baptist Bible College President Wilson Fallin Jr.
Congregations at five churches burned in Bibb County last week were stunned, then even more baffled when four more churches in rural western Alabama were burned in the early hours on Tuesday. Birmingham Times
If it is somebody who ‘hates God’, that person is not an atheist whatever they claim. You can’t hate what you don’t believe exists, though religion is a popular destination for the ‘just-plain-nuts’ person with one or more screws loose.
But the Bible college president does raise an important question, which is; ‘What if someone is trying to deliver a message of some kind?’ Maybe they hate religion, or have a racial motive (and the white churches were copycats) or they’re using arson to say any number of things. If that is the case, I would have three things to say to such a person:
- Stop it.
- Violence discredits your message, whatever it is.
- Stop it.
One of the pastors of a burned church has a message too, reflecting one of the better memes of Christianity:
“Whatever your goal was, if it was to intimidate, or to express hatred, you have dreadfully failed,” Davis said to the arsonists, who damaged or destroyed nine churches in less than four days. “Because the burning of these churches doesn’t do anything. These congregations will worship just as vigorously on Sunday as they would any other day.” Demopolis Times
No doubt I would disagree with that pastor on any number of social, religious, and philosophical issues on any other day, but he is putting the focus where he should here.
You have to wonder what the arsonist’s long-term plan is. Five years from now, do they envision themselves still burning churches? More likely they’ll be in prison warily guarding themselves from their unappreciative neighbors. Or if they just fade into the woodwork, they will have to carry a rather huge secret. It isn’t just property they’re hurting; it’s people.
Even if the person (s) burning churches are just out for thrills, one part of the message remains:
- Stop it.
Update: 12 February ‘06
One common thread among all the churches is that they were all Baptist. Certainly it could be someone with a gripe against Baptist doctrine or policy (and see the point about violence and messages) but another possible motive occurred to me: the ministry is a profession with an unusually high early-attrition rate. These could be revenge arsons aimed at the denomination. Congregationalist denomination congregations are often very “unChristian” in how they handle personnel issues. I know an awful lot of ex-ministers and none one of them has a pretty story to tell about how that happened.
- UTI notes in the post, Burning Question, that some are already speculating on the motives of the arsonists, with the ‘A-word’ right up front. News flash, people: while anything’s possible, motive-wise, not believing in something is hardly a font of militancy.
I agree!
Posted by momma on 02/11/06 at 10:12 AMIf it is somebody who ‘hates God’, that person is not an atheist whatever they claim. You can’t hate what you don’t believe exists, though religion is a popular destination for the ‘just-plain-nuts’ person with one or more screws loose.
Though, as you note, someone may hate religion—indeed, the number of folks I know, who seem otherwise quite pleasant, and regardless of their espoused theistic view, who start out posts/comments here and elsewhere with “I hate/despise/abhor organized religion,” is astounding.
Which doesn’t mean that’s the reason. It’s almost certainly more than one factor. It always is, especially if we’re talking about more than one person being involved (as seems likely). The hatreds, fears, and loose screws, perhaps in different degrees among the participants, are almost certainly a complex (and toxic) brew.
As awful as the crimes are, more awful will be the way some people will doubtless use them to their own ends.
Posted by *** Dave on 02/11/06 at 01:23 PMBelief in God takes faith but there is plenty of evidence that religion exists. So it takes a believer to hate God but anyone can hate religion.
I am concerned that someone might be trying to make some kind of half-assed point by setting these fires, and if so, this would be as good an illustration as any on the self-defeating nature of using violence as pursuasion.
My ethical scale is rusty today; which is worse? Setting fire to a church, or using that event for demagoguery?
Posted by george.w on 02/11/06 at 04:31 PM
Next entry: Generosity is good, but...
Previous entry: A Good Sign