We continue lessons learned from Mass Murder Events (4 or more killed in the same attack) at Faith Based Organizations (FBO). Last week’s writing provides the baseline. This week we will consider more noteworthy details.
One is the increase of such attacks; another is in how deadly bias and domestic abuse attacks can be.
There are two categories that tell of the increase. The first category is the quantity of attacks.; the 2nd is in number of victims killed.
Prior to 1963, there had never been a mass murder attack at a faith based organization in the United States. 187 years of American liberty and it had never happened. In the 62-1/2 years since 1963 there have been 16.
The Birmingham Alabama massacre where 4 little girls were killed by racist thugs who planted dynamite under the church, rocked the nation. It was one of the leading catalysts in America’s wake-up process of how wrong our culture was concerning our black citizens.
Evil however, is like a lava flow. With every dam that stops it, the build-up continues until it finds a new place to flow. It’s almost as if Evil noticed how bad Birmingham hurt, since it struck at church, and came up with a new attack strategy – churches.
For 17 years, there was not another mass murder attack at a FBO. Then in 1980, in Daingerfield Texas it happened again. Since 1980, we can measure it in 10-year increments.
Time Frame Attacks Killed
1980-1989 1 5
1990-1999 3 20
2000-2009 5 25
2010-2019 5 60
In this decade (2020-2019) we have seen our first. We can project there will be more.
In the16 total attacks (including the 1 prior to and 1 after the 10 year segments shown above) 118 victims were killed. Over half of those in the last 10 year segment.
Another way to categorize these attacks is by motive.
Motive Attacks Killed Killed per attack
Bias 6 40 6.7
Domestic 4 39 9.8
Personal Conflict 3 18 6.0
Mental 2 12 6.0
Robbery 1 9 9.0
Think About it
The rage of bias and domestic attacks is seen in the quantity of victims. While national attention is rightly called to the injustice of bias rage, coverage of domestic abuse is practically non-existent; both from news media and the pulpit.
Domestic violence is a serious and prominent evil in our society and in our churches.