A newly released analysis shows that churches in the US were targeted in 415 separate acts of hostility in 2024, including vandalism, arson, bomb threats, and gun-related incidents.
The statistics were announced in an Aug. 11 press release from the Family Research Council (FRC), which summarized findings from its ongoing Hostility Against Churches report series. The organization has tracked hostile incidents against US churches of all denominations since 2018 and now counts a total of 1,384 acts over the past six years.
Vandalism made up the majority of cases last year, with 284 documented instances. The report also recorded 55 acts of arson, 14 bomb threats, and 28 gun-related incidents — more than twice the number reported in 2023. An additional 47 incidents were categorized as “other,” and some overlapped across categories.
Among the states, California experienced the highest number of incidents in 2024 with 40, followed by Pennsylvania with 29. Florida and New York each reported 25, Texas saw 23, and both Tennessee and Ohio had 19.
FRC President Tony Perkins described the trend as a sign of deeper cultural hostility toward faith.
“Religious freedom is seldom handed to the passive; it is claimed by those who exercise it even when a hostile culture says they may not,” he said. “This report clearly shows religious freedom faces substantial threats here at home.”
Perkins added that the attacks reflect a deliberate cultural shift.
“The American woke Left has been intentional in spreading its hostility toward the Christian faith throughout every corner of America,” he said, calling for stronger responses at every level of government.
CatholicVote has recorded at least 518 attacks on Catholic parishes since May 2020. The organization’s ongoing tracker shows that the frequency of such incidents surged following the leak of the Dobbs decision in 2022 and has remained elevated.
The highest concentration of attacks on Catholic churches has occurred in states like California, New York, Pennsylvania, and Texas, according to the tracker. CatholicVote’s data includes incidents such as arson, theft, beheaded statues, and desecrated altars — many of which occurred during politically charged moments, including attacks specifically linked to pro-abortion protests.
CatholicVote noted that only about 30% of the cases have resulted in arrests.
Arielle Del Turco, director of FRC’s Center for Religious Liberty, said religious freedom depends not only on legal protection but also on public consensus.
“No instance of vandalism or other crimes against churches is acceptable,” she said in the release, later adding, “We must bolster cultural support for religious freedom and respect for our Christian heritage.”
Travis Weber, FRC’s vice president for policy and government affairs, said the frequency and scale of these incidents should concern anyone committed to religious liberty.
“Christians, Jews, and others are no longer ‘automatically’ safe to live and worship in peace in the United States — a trend that is at work in other Western countries as well,” he said. “Government leaders should do their part in ensuring that our laws and constitutional protections for the free exercise of religion are enforced, and our culture and its institutions must do their part in ensuring honor and respect for religious freedom.”
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Author: Rachel Quackenbush
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