Vandals Damage Church Statues

[Comrade-Z]

As Melva King walked up to her church Tuesday, she saw a large wooden cross leaning against the church's double doors.

It was turned upside down.

"I did not think much about it," said King, director of music for St. John's Episcopal Church.

"Then I came around the corner and saw the other two. I knew then that it was more than a prank."

In the garden, on the side of the church, two marble statues of St. Francis and Mary lay on the ground — beheaded.

"They cut off the heads, the thumbs, even the heads of the birds," the Rev. Jerry Miller said. "It's some really weird stuff."

Renee Vestal, administrative assistant for St. John's, pointed out that the vandals had ignored everything else in the garden except for the religious icons.



"As soon as I saw what was done," Vestal said. "I knew it was not a prank and was planned."

The cuts were clean and Vestal said there was hardly a scrap of broken marble left behind.

"It was very well executed," Miller said. "Unless it was a huge man, one person could not have carried that cross."

Officer Grant Story, spokesman for the Springfield Police Department, said police are still investigating the incident.

"It's not something that happens very often," Story said. "It's a serious crime."

Miller said the statue of Mary was worth $8,000, which Story said could make the crime a class C felony, punishable by jail time.

Police had no suspects yet in the vandalism are asking for anyone with information to come forward.

Story said he did not know of satanic groups that had been accused of any wrongdoing in the area.

"However, we would be naive to believe there are no satanic groups in the area," Story said.

Miller, who lives in a rectory next to the church, said he went to bed around 11:30 p.m. Monday, and he and his wife never heard a thing.

"I was in shock," Miller said. "The statutes had been there for years and people had left them alone."

The statue of St. Francis had been taken years ago, King said.

Both statues, which were donated to the church, were covered by insurance, Miller said.

"We just want to let other churches know there is some crazy group out there."

http://www.news-leader.com/apps/pbcs.dll/a...352/1007/NEWS01 (http://www.news-leader.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070516/NEWS01/705160352/1007/NEWS01)

Hehehe, I think it's just hilarious to see people freak out so much over something like this. "OMG, religion is under attack! Those scary Satanists!!! I'm in shock!" C'mon, just some broken statues. These people wouldn't have been able to go 2 minutes without shitting their pants in Catalonia in 1936.

And a hate crime? This is clearly not racially motivated (as is often the case with church vandalism), but instead religiously (or anti-religiously) motivated. Well, yeah, so...if you hate manipulative, destructive BULLSHIT, I guess you could be convicted of that. (I'd be ashamed not to!) Whatever...when will people wake up?!

[RedStarOverChina]

Good job!

I wonder who did it.

[whoknows]

Still it doesn't show much respect for the labor of the worker who made the statues. Bread is the transtubstansation of the farmers labor. And so art (even if it is not great art) is the remains of it's maker's labor. I am a rabid athetist and wish everyone were, but it is the belief in fairys the indoctranation of children into the belief in fairys that should be fought, not the picture books. I have a friend who can't stand portraits because "their all rich fuckers" I tell him but look at the bush stroke the color. "rich fuckers, rich fuckers, rich fuckers" But the artist were not nessiassary so. I'll never reach him, but I hope that you are alittle less intense.
by the way the oldist log church in Iowa was burnt down a year or two ago. It had been built in what 1840? And the logs were something like 2 feet thick. It was pretty harmless as almost no one worshiped there, just the odd satantist who would nail a live cat over the altar now and then. If you would like to see it there are a couple photos on the internet look for Mars Hill Church Iowa. I don't know how to upload photos on this site or I could send you mine, and one of a beheaded christ on the cross that I shot in the town of Jesup. I used to put it up around town with the message, 'those who knew him best cruxified him'. at any rate when you next hear of an art work geting knocked down please don't cackle so much remimber the worker. It's when give up the holy ghost that we should feel joy.

[RedStarOverChina]

Still it doesn't show much respect for the labor of the worker who made the statues.

Well, now the church will have to pay the workers (indirectly) for a new statue.

All's well that ends well.


Seriously, though. There's nothing wrong with smashing reactionary icons.

When the Soviets took over Berlin, they didn't tolerate all the swastica symbols, did they? Even though they were made by workers?

[Wozza]

ah dear comrades, those who did this truely did the right thing. now all i need is a private audience with the pope :)

[Question everything]

Originally posted by [email protected] 17, 2007 02:02 am
Good job!

I wonder who did it.
Me.

[RedStarOverChina]

Originally posted by Question everything+May 17, 2007 04:17 pm--> (Question everything @ May 17, 2007 04:17 pm)
[email protected] 17, 2007 02:02 am
Good job!

I wonder who did it.
Me. [/b]
What do you want? A hug or somethin'? :lol:

[Black Dagger]

Any pictures? <_<

[RedAnarchist]

There is a picture if you clcik the link. Doesnt show much though, just a headless statue.

[IcarusAngel]

The atheist equivalent of the ALF. They&#39;re just wasting their time -- that doesn&#39;t do anything or wake up anybody.

[Mujer Libre]

Maybe that&#39;s not all they do? Maybe the church defacement is just for fun? (I&#39;m assuming that the people who did it weren&#39;t satanists...)

[pusher robot]

It will only hurt their cause, obviously. Most people are not inspired by destruction and waste. Perhaps atheists would be better served by commissioning their own works of beauty and truth rather than destroying those of others.

[RedStarOverChina]

Originally posted by [email protected] 18, 2007 08:07 pm
The atheist equivalent of the ALF. They&#39;re just wasting their time -- that doesn&#39;t do anything or wake up anybody.
No it&#39;s not a waste of time.

Do this often enough and the religionists will realize they are not welcomed.

It also has an interesting effect on the superstitious...If the deity they worship cannot even protect his own statue---What could "He" do for his worshippers?

Again, just think imagine their frustration with their deity if stuff like this happens all the time and no one really gets any "divine retribution".

If, say, half of the religious icons in town gets smashed---Does that inspire a lot of confidence in believers for their religion?


There&#39;s an interesting saying in China: What happens when a buddha statue made of mud swims across the river? He can&#39;t even extend his protection to himself&#33;

[RedStarOverChina]

Here&#39;s an interesting thought:

What if an earth quake rocks the Vatican and all the megachurches and marble statues crumble like chocolate cookies?

How many million faithfuls would leave the religion?

[black magick hustla]

Originally posted by pusher [email protected] 19, 2007 02:04 am
It will only hurt their cause, obviously. Most people are not inspired by destruction and waste. Perhaps atheists would be better served by commissioning their own works of beauty and truth rather than destroying those of others.
It is fun though.

[Demogorgon]

Originally posted by [email protected] 19, 2007 04:13 am
Here&#39;s an interesting thought:

What if an earth quake rocks the Vatican and all the megachurches and marble statues crumble like chocolate cookies?

How many million faithfuls would leave the religion?
Very few. They will rally around it.

[RedStarOverChina]

Originally posted by Demogorgon+May 18, 2007 11:23 pm--> (Demogorgon @ May 18, 2007 11:23 pm)
[email protected] 19, 2007 04:13 am
Here&#39;s an interesting thought:

What if an earth quake rocks the Vatican and all the megachurches and marble statues crumble like chocolate cookies?

How many million faithfuls would leave the religion?
Very few. They will rally around it. [/b]
That&#39;s a really overly pessimistic prediction.

Tens of Millions of faithfuls DO believe that the Catholic Church is the institution of all that&#39;s holy; and the Pope the "Vicar" of Jesus Christ himself.

In their eyes, large scale destruction of religious icons would naturally be an sign of displeasure from the Big Boss in the sky.

[pusher robot]

Originally posted by [email protected] 19, 2007 04:43 am
Tens of Millions of faithfuls DO believe that the Catholic Church is the institution of all that&#39;s holy; and the Pope the "Vicar" of Jesus Christ himself.

In their eyes, large scale destruction of religious icons would naturally be an sign of displeasure from the Big Boss in the sky.
Or they could just ascribe it to Satan, or blame it on themselves for their failure to please God.

And of course most would simply chalk it up to a natural disaster of a distinctly non-divine nature.

I think you are seriously over-estimating the willingness and/or ability of individuals to give up a belief system that (1) is essentially unfalsifiable and (2) they are comfortable with. Also, you are ascribing beliefs to them - that God uses earthquakes as "punishment," or somehow protects statues with magical powers - that most do not hold.

People do not hold on to religious beliefs because they are tricked into doing so. They do it because they like them.

[pusher robot]

Originally posted by Marmot+May 19, 2007 04:22 am--> (Marmot @ May 19, 2007 04:22 am)
pusher [email protected] 19, 2007 02:04 am
It will only hurt their cause, obviously. Most people are not inspired by destruction and waste. Perhaps atheists would be better served by commissioning their own works of beauty and truth rather than destroying those of others.
It is fun though. [/b]
Indeed, just as burning books is more fun than reading them.

[RedStarOverChina]

Or they could just ascribe it to Satan, or blame it on themselves for their failure to please God.

Or they could stop and grasp the idea that God doesn&#39;t exist.

For the slower ones they could subscribe to another religion and then another after being disappointed again and again.

Then they will give up in frustration or finally begin thinking on their own.

In any case, a "volatile" group of followers that may choose to switch sides is not "good for business" in the field of professional deity-ass-kissing.


I think you are seriously over-estimating the willingness and/or ability of individuals to give up a belief system that (1) is essentially unfalsifiable

Nature does a pretty good job of falsifying religions. The fact that churches get burnt down and mosques collapse in earth quakes pretty much refutes the claims of preachers and mullahs that their religion is "commissioned by God".

If nature doesn&#39;t do it often enough, then we should.


Also, you are ascribing beliefs to them - that God uses earthquakes as "punishment,"

Of course the superstitious believe God uses nature disasters as "divine retribution" for human sins. Christians blame Katrina on "sins". Muslims also advance the belief of "divine retribution" (at-wa&#39;d wa al-wa&#39;id) against sins. The Sharia judge in the Indonesia asserted that the tsunami in 2005 was God&#39;s way of punishing "sinful women".

Here&#39;s what he said:

Originally posted by Sha&#045;fucking&#045;ria Judge
The Holy Koran says that if women are good, then a country is good.
The tsunami was because of the sins of the people of Aceh (Indonesian province).
Another tsunami is possible. The Holy Koran says that if humans don&#39;t listen to Allah they will be punished.

I&#39;m not "ascribing beliefs to them"...I just describe what they believe in. You, on the other hand, are denying the basic facts.

or somehow protects statues with magical powers

That&#39;s why they worship them&#33;

Muslims do the same with the Quran.


They do it because they like them.

Or that they were born to it...Or that they were forced into it...Or because they&#39;d never heard the word atheism or understood it.

[pusher robot]

I&#39;m not "ascribing beliefs to them"...I just describe what they believe in. You, on the other hand, are denying the basic facts.

Not at all. I made a claim about "most" Christians and you responded by providing a single example from the Koran. It&#39;s not as though there isn&#39;t plenty of evidence: what typically happens when a church burns down? Do they parishioners all get discouraged and turn to atheists? Or do they rebuild the church, likely as not even bigger than it was before?

[IcarusAngel]

We have seen how devastation leads people to cling to their religious beliefs, not to question them, by looking at history. Religion has been questioned more because of intellectual movements that existed in the Renaissance, the Enlightenment, etc. than by violence.

The atheist/agnostic revolt and the dismantling of organized religion will be won through science and rationality, not violence or revolution. Already in Europe, in France, Holland, etc. a majority of the population question God&#39;s existence. In Sweden I think it&#39;s as high as 80%. So that battle will be won intelligently.

[whoknows]

the material result of work is the symbol of the work which produced it, wether the worker was Michalanglo or someone picking cans from the garbage.
Our problem is not with the symbol but with the persons explaining the symbol. The Soviets were correct in turning churches into musems. An athetist can see beauty in religious art, the beauty of humany. Motherhood when seeing a madonia, not the fabel of christ.
But I&#39;m writing in defence of art.
Not hack work. An example. An orgainsation called Angles or something like that is going around puting up idols of The Angel of Hope which is not a traditional entity but one they just made up for their purposes which you will see. They donate these Idols to cities which then put them up in PUBLIC PARKS, turning the parks into CHURCHES&#33; And invite parents who have lost a child to death to come out for prayer services each November. The idols look like good bronze, but are mass produced. Ok, I&#39;m stuck. I can&#39;t reconcile my desire to melt these damn things down with my heart felt belief in the noblity of work. Maybe it&#39;s because they are so SOULESS, I can&#39;t see the worker in them, they are as anomious as the swaskias afore writen of.
I&#39;ll leave you with this: Which church would you rather burn down, the one that could be turned into a homeless shelter or the one that could be turned into a concert/lecture hall?

[freakazoid]

Do this often enough and the religionists will realize they are not welcomed.

What&#39;s next, your going to start burning crosses on their lawn?


Nature does a pretty good job of falsifying religions. The fact that churches get burnt down and mosques collapse in earth quakes pretty much refutes the claims of preachers and mullahs that their religion is "commissioned by God".

Yeah, sure does?

[colonelguppy]

how incredibly... childish...

i hope whoever did it pays for the damage