July 1, 2015
NOT THIS OLD HOAX AGAIN:
#WHOISBURNINGBLACKCHURCHES: IS IT FREEDOM SUMMER AGAIN? (ANTHEA BUTLER, JULY 1, 2015, Religion Dispatches)
One day after the 51st anniversary of the murder of Schwarner, Chaney and Goodman, nine African Americans were shot down in cold blood in the sanctuary of Emmanuel AME church in Charleston on June 17, 2015.Seven black churches have burned since that day, with conflicting reports on whether or not these churches burned because of arson, lightning or other causes. Meanwhile, several African American female pastors in South Carolina have had threatening letters sent to them, stating, "You and your children will die."When it comes to racism in America, and specifically acts of violence against black Christians and black churches, the past is not even the past--it is a very present danger.
One would have thought Michael Fumento had debunked this meme permanently. If I recall the old New Yorker piece correctly, an unlikelihood, churches burn often generally : they're old, wooden buildings that aren't maintained very well and often aren't up to code. They're also prey to arson frequently because they have little security, they burn well, and nuts hate God.
It's certainly possible that a black church fire could be a racist attack, it just isn't likely.
Posted by Orrin Judd at July 1, 2015 7:32 PM
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