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.

It seems someone is starting a trend in Lancashire -

"On Tuesday 22nd April 2025 Lancashire Fire and Rescue were called to a fire at the St Nicholas Owen Church Presbytery on Raikes Road in Thornton. Lancashire Fire and Rescue were called out to the scene at around 1830hrs to the building which was well ablaze on arrival.
Police are now investigating the incident as suspected arson. We would appeal to any residents or witnesses who may have seen anything suspicious, or that have CCTV or Dashcam footage of the area to get in touch with us directly via 101, quoting log number LC-20250422-1246."

If it’s an empty building standing in the way of development it’s quite amazing how many accidentally go on fire around here

Yep, derelict and up for sale. What a huge surprise!

It' was still worth £600,000 to Lancaster R.C. Diocesan Trustees.

Now the Diocese will have to spend a considerable amount (unnecessarily) making the building safe before the sale can proceed.

I'm sorry, but I am also thinking arson/insurance rather than arson/organised atheist conspiracy. Occam's razor and all that.

Well, it's not funny.

The police have a "person of interest" it seems,

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cp8j11y155no

Two churches were burned in Ireland over Easter. One in Gweedore in Donegal and one in Phibsborough, Dublin. They don’t appear to know what happened. The one in Donegal is totally gutted, and had been packed on Easter Sunday. The fire was discovered at 4am on Easter Monday.

gript.ie/fires-at-separate-churches-over-easter-weekend/

That's awful, so sorry to hear that.

Do we suspect disgruntled Protestants or just bad behaviour?

Ireland is sadly always a bit of a powder keg. I do hope this isn't driven by sectarianism.

A worrying trend?

https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/frances-churches-are-burning-and-no-one-seems-to-care/

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cly6v3l9dm2o

https://www.premierchristianity.com/news-analysis/churches-are-burning-across-europe-but-why/18575.article

I haven’t heard anyone say they suspect Protestants. To be honest I was shocked to read that suggestion.

There’s absolutely no suggestion from anyone that there was any sectarianism involved.

Why ?

What other groups are there?

In its most basic form, sectarianism has been defined as, 'the existence, within a locality, of two or more divided and actively competing communal identities, ..

So can you think of others who might have sectarian motives?.

Because seeing a Catholic Church in Ireland being set on fire and immediately accusing 'disgruntled Protestants' is pretty insensitive.

Like you're deliberately trying to set various groups against each other.

Surely not...

@peasporridgeSt Nicholas Owen was derelict and it was the building next to it that was set on fire. Hardly evidence of Christian persecution.

If there is somehow a concerted campaign of church burning (v doubtful anyway IMHO), it will not be the atheists. They don't care that much and have had several hundred years to conduct such a campaign without being burned for heresy themselves. They're also not organised.

People blaming them make themselves look extraordinarily foolish.

ETA-as is blaming "the Protestants". @peasporridge . Or do you not think they are Christian? What's your opinion on that?

Well Catholics aren't in the business of burning their own churches are they?

And I didn't "immediately accuse anyone", I asked a question.

Some people have long memories, and to think otherwise is naive.

However, I accept that a) there aren't that many Protestants in Eire and b) it's a long way from the NI border.

@Uricon2 "People blaming them make themselves look extraordinarily foolish."
If I am so "foolish" why do you even want my opinion ?

Well, OP started off suggesting it was organised atheists so there's form here.

It's not 'Eire', it's the Republic of Ireland. This matters. Educate yourself.

Wait, I'm confused. Was this a secularist plot or disgruntled Protestants? Or a false flag? Which group are you trying to slander here?

Perhaps the secularists and the Protestants have been working together all this time...

Or Ireland even, which is the actual name of the country 😉

Don’t forget the atheists….

The official name of the country to which @peasporridge has referred is

Poblacht na hÉireann

(Translated to Republic of Ireland )

the constitutional name is
Éire
(Translated to Ireland)

HTH