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 highly doubt Leyland & the wider South Ribble area has a hardcore vigilante atheist group hellbent on bringing down Christianity. There are loads of active churches and faith schools in the area. It smacks of stupid shitty selfish teenagers taking part in a bit of school holiday hooliganism/vandalism. It is deeply distressing for the relatives and the little shits deserve to be prosecuted but it isn’t indicative of a larger social threat.

It’s also worth commenting that Leyland and the wider South Ribble area isn’t a deprived crime ridden pocket. It does have some rough bits but it’s largely suburban and fairly affluent. It had loads of amenities and isn’t far from Preston which also has a lot of amenities. There are loads of clubs and things for kids to do.

She was picketing an abortion clinic. Not just standing on a random street corner saying her Rosary.

That's exactly what I said but got ridiculed for it !

I know exactly where she was, it's still not a 'repulsive' thing to do.

Well thankfully it's now illegal.

@Mischance You asked "And in any event what is "the secular lobby" - people have different views, that is all.

Really?

Secularists seek the disestablishment of the Church of England, hence an Anglican ( C of E ) Church and Burial Ground being desecrated smacks of an attack by secularists.

Why does the graffiti say ‘prick’ instead of ‘disestablish the Church of England’ then?

People are allowed to have opinions that are different to yours. It doesn't make us bad people!

I have a big problem with what looks very much like a (horrible) act of vandalism being called "an attack by secularists" with no proof whatever. Look at the security that Jewish people have to have around their schools and synagogues, or the mob outside the Southport mosque last year if you want to see what an attack or the ever present, only too real threat of one looks like.

ETA quite a few members of it wouldn't mind the disestablishment of the C of E. I very much doubt they're spray painting churchyards to make their point.

That is an appalling thing to do. But tbh it could be anyone. A while ago a church was destroyed by fire - everyone was convinced it was Satanists and a black mass (the church had some links with the devil) but turned out to be some pissed up teen with a prank that went wrong.

Although not a religious Christian I do agree with you that Christianity is somehow seen as fair game whilst other religions are more off limits. Interestingly sales of bibles nearly doubled in the UK between 2019 and 2014. So I’m not sure Christianity is dying out to the extent some would have you believe.

Secularists want to sever the link between Church and State. They don’t want to stop people being Christians or destroy Church property.

Maybe because they couldn't squeeze such a long sentence in the space allowed or perhaps they couldn't see what they were writing in the dark or perhaps they were running out of spray paint or maybe (and more likely) it's a "false flag".?

Well if the idea of it being a sinister plot by evil securalists makes you happy then you do you.

What does that mean ??

It means if the idea of it being a sinister plot by evil securalists makes you happy then you do you.

A false flag? To what end?

You really don't seem to understand what a "false flag" is.

As for "they couldn't squeeze such a long sentence in the space allowed or perhaps they couldn't see what they were writing in the dark or perhaps they were running out of spray paint or .."

Please examine what you are actually saying, because it is nonsensical to some of us.

Er, no, it really doesn't.

Secularism is separation of church from state. Your interpretation of secularism is incorrect.

Posting this again: Secularism explained

"Secularists seek the disestablishment of the Church of England, hence an Anglican ( C of E ) Church and Burial Ground being desecrated smacks of an attack by secularists."

I'm a Catholic who seeks the disestablishment of the Church of England.
I also don't think there should be any religious schools either.

I wasn't out on Friday drawing cocks on church walls. I was at church in another country (attending a service not vandalizing said church).

This thread needs a glossary. There are fundamental misunderstandings so far of a) Secularism b) Atheism c) False Flag. Any more?

Come on, it obviously stands for the “People for the Removal of Institutional Christian Kontrol” a deep state splinter group responsible for multiple false flag attacks on small rural churches, using chem trails to make sure it rains on fetes and the rebranding of Christmas as “Winterval”. Wake up sheeple!

Of course! I should have remembered as they're the ones who took the word 'Easter' off the eggs.

😂

I don't disagree, but I find (and found as a former churchgoer) that a lot of expense was on showy things, whilst telling the congregation they should be helping to provide for the 'poor of the parish'
A collection plate could be a simple wooden one, or even a fancy wooden one. A super-blingy gold one seems to me to defeat the object.

The gold plate was probably very old?
Yes, it comes down to Puritanism. You don't think there should be things of beauty in a church, that's fine, a valid opinion. Very low, Calvinist churches are like this. I remember going to a funeral in such a church. The minister was in a black suit. The church was grey and brown with no pictures, stained glass, imagery or candlesticks. No music. Totally their aesthetic. I didn't ask how much they gave to the poor, though.