Burn, baby, burn — churches go up in flames down in Texas
There was an interesting report on the AP today about a bunch of churches which have mysteriously gone up in flames down here in Texas since the new year. Well I say down here but actually it’s quite a drive from Austin to East Texas where most of the incinerated churches used to stand.
According to the AP:
Authorities determined seven of those fires were intentionally set and they are investigating one that broke out Thursday as a possible arson. There have been no reported injuries or arrests, and federal officials aren’t saying whether there’s a connection.
Most people in these parts can’t help but think they are.
“I think everybody is expecting more of these, to tell you the truth,” said pastor David Mahfood, whose Baptist church in Tyler was destroyed in a Jan. 16 fire. “I think the worst is probably behind Tyler, but I’d worry about other cities.”
Six of the seven arsons were just nine days apart, sending many congregations in east Texas scurrying to install security systems and prompting volunteers to keep close eyes on church properties from dusk to dawn. Federal and local authorities have released scant details and say they need more information.
Apparently whoever is burning the churches to the ground is an equal opportunities arsonist; he has no beef with any particular denomination, they’re all fair game. Pastor Mahfood thinks it’s a hate crime:
“I don’t really think you can look at this devastation and not realize this has hate as its impetus,” he said. “We have probably experienced every emotion possible.”
I suspect Pastor Mahfood is right as to the motives of the twisted fire starter. But who would hate Christianity so much that he or she would feel compelled to burn churches to the ground? Your bog standard angry atheist generally prefers to leave insulting comments on blogs, or talk appreciably about that Christopher Hitchens/Richard Dawkins book they just read. They’re not all that radical, regardless of the posturing.
What this story reminds me of is the spate of church burnings that occurred in Norway in the 1990s. I wrote a bit about it here, in a different context. In this case, some morons fired up on Satanic black metal got it into their heads that Christianity had been a disaster for Norway and it would have been a lot better if the Scandinavians had retained their loyalty to the old gods such as Odin, you know, and stayed vikings. Some of them also professed admiration for the Devil, although how you can accept the existence of Satan without also endorsing the rest of Christian theology is a mystery to me. And so they burned some beautiful old wooden churches to the ground to prove their point.
There are certainly plenty of disgruntled black metal kids knocking about in Texas, and as the church is pretty much ubiquitous away from big cities such as Austin, Houston and Dallas well — setting fire to a few houses of worship would be an ideal way to express your inchoate rage at life, authority, and the rest while getting a few kicks at the same time. And so my top tip to Pastor Mahfood and the federal authorities ‘looking for more information’ would be — look for the Burzum fan.
And having made one prediction, here’s another — if I am right, and this church burning thing gathers steam, prepare for some really shit New York Times/60 minutes style ‘analytical’ pieces on Black Metal, written by the usual motley crew of humorless, pseudo-intellectual hacks.
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Burzum indeed. The authorities should be looking for this LORDS OF CHAOS fan:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cxrXgFOp424
That guy is pretty intense, i must admit.
Yes, I’d have to agree that burning down churches or any other buildings, public or private is bad, whatever the inspiration. And while i agree with catching and confining in some way, the “disgruntled black metal kids” and for that matter any other perpetrators of crime, this in in itself of course won’t solve any problems. Delinquent and criminal behavior are but symptoms of bigger problems. So asking questions like “Who would hate Christainity so much to burn down churches?” and ” How can you accept the existence of Satan without endorsing the rest of Christianity?”is to no avail.
One other thing, isn’t referring to people as “bog standard”, ” morons” , and ” pseudo-intellectual hacks” also insulting?
Oh and the ones who talk”appreciably about that Christopher Hitchens/Richard Dawkins” are only perceived to be radically posturing by those who who don’t like what they say, in the same way that guys like, Jefferson, Paine, Gandhi, Voltaire and Darwin, for example, were.
Gracchus, you are correct- it is insulting but far less insulting than the invective that flows from the pen of (say) Richard Dawkins on an off day, even though he is a clever fellow in the fields he understands. Not that that justifies the insult, of course.
Also, I think it’s a bit of a stretch to place Hitchens (who is a very talented writer) and Dawkins in the same league as Gandhi (a Hindu who believed in a plethora of deities and who also said “I am also a Christian, a Muslim, a Buddhist and a Jew.”. ), Voltaire (a Freemason who believed in all manner of voodoo) and Darwin (an agnostic). Nor do I think they or their readers are in the same league as Jefferson or Paine, the latter of whom also believed in some weird stuff. (As for Jefferson, I’m no expert).
Lots of Hispanic Latinos in Texas. Shouldn’t be too quick to blame the immigrants but Mexico is hostile to Protestants, and none of the churches were Catholic.