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.

"God is a lie" is something Satan would say. He's the one behind this type of thing. He's attacking Christianity in many ways and using many people, certainly not limited to the secular world, he can use anyone.

Absolutely.
I'm an atheist. I love to visit old churches and other places of worship because of the aesthetic.
I've commented on the amount of gold and silver plate stored for use in ritual- including a highly decorative and ornate collection plate (alms for the poor, ironically) but desecration isn't an atheist thing.

I doubt OP actually believes that whoever did this is spending their free time lobbying politicians about the separation of church and state. They just want to start a thread complaining about atheists/buffer zones/thr nanny state.

They're not Puritans. They believe in having items of beauty, made with skill and dedication to celebrate their beliefs.
We know that during the Reformation and the Rule of Oliver Cromwell, things of beauty in churches were stolen, trashed and burned. I think that's vandalism.

I thought I had answered it? It would be a hate crime if it was carried out by atheists or, more likely, actually, Satanists, not 13 year old vandals. Does that answer your question? Happy to say more if it doesn’t.

l

So I take it you’re critical of Lancashire Constabulary for making this statement before establishing it wasn’t carried out by a 13 year old?

Det Sgt Lee Jamieson, of South CID, said: “This is a disgraceful act of vandalism which shows a complete lack of respect and which has left the church and its parishioners understandably extremely upset, especially given the time of year. We are taking this matter incredibly seriously and this is being treated as a hate crime. We do not tolerate hate of any form, and we will do everything in our power to identify the offenders and take the appropriate action.“

My brothers step son (15 at the time) and his friends were disengaged from school and couldn't see a positive . They decided to kick a gravestone and see what happened . It fell over, so that inspired them to kick a few more. That created broken bits which they threw around. Then they started throwing them at the windows of the church and broke a few. Several people in the alms houses called the police and ( this was late 80s) they came and rounded them up. The parents were called and offered the option of them having a massive bollocking and spending a night in a cell.They also got an anti social behaviour warning ( if you misbehaved again within 3 months it became an ASBO and a criminal record. If you didnt it disappeared after the 3 months)It frightened the life out if those cocky teens and my brothers stepson never behaved in that way again. I dare say we don't dare to do that anymore because of their delicate sensibilities. I would imagine the motivation of the vandals I this case was very similar

would they have been cognisant of the significance of Good Friday?

Because whoever did this yesterday chose their moment for maximum impact.

I’m an atheist. I love churches, they’re beautiful buildings and often marvels of engineering and maths, given their ages.

I wouldn’t necessarily assume that atheists did this. I would describe it as vandalism. Certainly the graffiti suggests kids/very young adults.

Sorry that you’ve been upset.

Or that schools broke up a couple of days ago so they've spent the first day gaming and now they're wandering about getting kebabs and pinching beer from their dad and looking for some trouble to cause. I doubt it's anything more deep and meaningful.

You think this extensive attack on a Christian place of worship and burial happened on Good Friday by chance?

Likewise. I like nothing more than a poke around an old church — I love the architecture, old tombs, misericords, brasses, stained glass etc, and especially medieval wall paintings. I value church choral music and art. Yet I’m a thoroughgoing atheist. Just not one who is liable to vandalism, or to deface a Fri Lippo Lippi Annunciation because ‘it didn’t happen’.

No? "God is a lie" with a picture of a penis? Graffiti on gravestones?
I think there was deliberate and significant intent.

It's the school holidays.

I notice that no one on this thread, nor in the article has noticed that the 'faces' on the grave stones are the 'dead' emoji.

Who draws penises on things and would think it funny to put the dead emoji on gravestones? I think that is a bigger signifier of the perpetrators and their motives than the 'god is a lie' slogan which is probably chosen more because it is edgy to put it on a church than any deeper anti-Christian campaign. They also seem to have written 'prick'. Philosophers they are not.

Horrible act of vandalism, yes. Deeper meaning? Probably not.

We have vast swathes of school holidays in the UK. What are the chances of this being done randomly on Good Friday?

And you support the actions of that ‘Christian’ do you? Her judgemental actions were repulsive.

Honestly? I think the sort of teens who go around drawing cock and balls graffiti on graveyards are probably totally oblivious to not only the fact that it was Good Friday yesterday, but that Good Friday is actually a significant event in Christianity.

You'd have to have an awareness of the existence of Good Friday and the significance of that to Christians to actively choose that date. Far more likely that's its the first Friday of the holidays and they're bored ( and thick and not attending a 'naice' Church school where any of this has been celebrated/ acknowledged)

@LeaningOnTheEverlastingArmsOf course the police have to consider whether it’s a hate crime or not, and investigate it as such. That will put it higher up the list of priorities than a simple act of vandalism. Obviously they haven’t reached a conclusion yet. All I was saying that I would be very surprised if it turned out to be more than the simple act of vandalism.

Yes, the BBC website is reporting that the police, rightly, consider this to be a "hate crime".

@peasporridgeHow did anyone know she was praying silently if she was praying silently?

I hope they throw the book at the culprits, should they be identified and apprehend.

I'm atheist, tending toward anti-theism, but there is no justification whatsoever for wanton acts of destruction and vandalism. I object to the over-reach of Religion, and will always kick up a stink as and when it attempts to impose it's own morality and dogma upon me, but religious buildings and places of worship are in no way offensive simply because they exist and are used by the religious.

This is sickening, every bit as much as when religion is used as an excuse for acts of barbarism and inhumanity.

Well. it seems the courts found in her favour.

😆

I can't answer that one !

Of course it’s being “treated as a hate crime” That doesn’t mean it is one. We will find out when the investigation is concluded.