Atheists desecrate country church

[peasporridge]

The perpetrators drew vulgar graffiti on the wall of the church an also wrote "God is a lie".
They also desecrated about 40 gravestones.

This is particularly distressing because a wedding is scheduled today (Easter Saturday)

https://uk.news.yahoo.com/sickening-blasphemous-cowardly-church-gravestones-140717226.html

https://www.blogpreston.co.uk/2025/04/police-investigating-after-st-james-church-and-over-40-graves-defaced-ahead-of-good-friday/

This clearly demonstrates that Christianity is under threat.from the secular lobby.

I was deeply distressed when I saw those images. Imagine desecrating graves? That is a vile act.
Be a radical atheist, be a Satanist if you wish, it's a free country, but to do this to a place of peace and remembrance is just shocking.

Kids draw penises

That’s disgusting and disrespectful. If this happened in our village I’d help with the clean up. I am an atheist.

I think your last statement is taking things a bit far unless there’s a huge backstory and this has been just one of many incidents?

It was kids I would bet. It’s awful and a totally nasty act of vandalism . They scrawled in grave stones - totally disrespectful

How very horrible.

But I imagine it is the work of disturbed vandals rather than ‘the secular lobby’.

I am an atheist, have lobbied against the state funding of faith schools (or rather faith admissions criteria for state funded schools), disagree with bishops places in Lords etc.

But would be horrified by vandalism against other people’s beliefs, vandalism of graves and vandalism of other people’s property, be it a church, temple , mosque or bus shelter.

Let’s all work together against criminals rather than stirring up factions against each other.

Next to "God is a lie"? A bit existential for the average vaped up teen.

They were vandals. I'm an atheist and would never dream of such a thing. Your post implies atheism is connected to vandalism. I could very well state that child abuse is connected to Christianity - but I'd be wrong. There are bad acts committed in all groups. This act proves nothing about Christianity being under threat from secularism.

Good points. This isn't about atheism it's about some very nasty individuals hitting a soft target and hoping to upset people at Easter time.

How does anyone know it is atheists? Or even more than one person?

It's certainly NOT from the secular lobby. Secularists want a separation of church and state.

No-one knows who it was, or why they did it.

They aren't atheists they are just vandals and criminals pure and simple. No excuse.

I'll wager my hat this is the work of kids, not 'the secular lobby'. Something very similar happened in my hometown nearly 40 years ago: a few teens from my secondary school, known to be a bit niche and edgy, vandalised the church yard at the centre of town and daubed existentialist slogans on the doors of the church the night before a regular church calendar fixture. Nobody thought it was anything other than kids. Please do not fear the gentle atheist in your community.

"God is a lie" is something an atheist would say.

To desecrate a church wall plus 40 gravestones without being seen would indicates it was more than one person. working at speed.

@BangersAndGnash "Let’s all work together against criminals rather than stirring up factions against each other."

That's reasonable, yet we still get comments about Christianity being about "Sky fairies", "men dressing up in fancy dress" etc on these boards.

People can hold views that are opposed to yours. That doesn’t make them criminals.

This is nasty vandalism, but to present it as an atheist attack on religious beliefs is not at all reasonable.

This is not the same as anti-semetic attacks on synagogues, Christians are not victims of persecution in the UK.

This looks like the sort of thing a bunch of bored and disrespectful teenagers would do - “god is a lie” is hardly a deep philosophical statement. The emoji faces are also pretty juvenile.

As a humanist and a fairly hardcore anti-theist I can tell you that we’re mostly focus our time on petitions and writing to our MP. Upsetting people who have lost loved ones and ruining a wedding would be a vicious and utterly pointless act.

I remember when our church was so badly damaged in Storm Darragh a lot of lovely local people turned up to help clear up, most not believers at all but knew the church was a local place of importance for many. Our vicar is a good friend and I remember her in tears when one man said ‘it’s ok Rev, we’ll see you right’.
This is just mindless vandalism and very distressing

That's very touching, what decent people.

This clearly demonstrates that Christianity is under threat.from the secular lobby.

I don't think so - just a bunch of drunk vandals misbehaving.

And in any event what it "the secular lobby" - people have different views, that is all.

"Christians are not victims of persecution in the UK."

I beg to differ.

Muslims are allowed to pray in the streets yet Christians get arrested.https://adfinternational.org/en-gb/news/silent-prayer-arrest-payout

And if it is bored Teenagers maybe do a review of what services are available to young people in your area and write to your MP about Youth Centre Closures and the scandal which is the lack of funding for mental health funding for children.

Taking positive action to aid others in your community rather than feel aggrieved and try and stir up division must align with your views?

This clearly demonstrates that Christianity is under threat.from the secular lobby

Nonsense.