In 1150, the Fantoft Stave Church, a church made out of thin narrow pieces of wood, was built in the small village of Fortun in Sogn. It “…moved to Fantoft in 1883…” (www.bergen-guide.com) because it was threatened with demolition along with some other churches in Norway. However, “…Fantoft church was damaged by fire in 1992, and it took 6 years to build it up again” (www.fantoftstavkirke.com). Today, it’s still standing in Fantoft where it was originally burned down. The man that was charged with burning down the Fantoft Stave Church was a Norwegian musician named Varg Vikernes. But there was no evidence found that he committed it because of hate or not. In the United States, a bunch of church arsons have occurred in the south during the 20th century. According to Melvin Talbert, the president of the National Council of Churches (NCC), and Joan Brown Campbell, the general secretary of the NCC, “…the burning of the black [churches is] the result of a hate crime conspiracy by racist groups” (Talbert and Campbell 1). Although most of the church arson crimes in the south and everywhere else appear to be hate crimes, a couple of them were caused unintentionally. So it depends on the person who is responsible if he burned the church down because of hatred or he was messing around.
An arson is an act of burning down a building, and a hate crime is a crime that's committed because of hatred for a specific religion or group. As mentioned before, the churches that were burned down in the south were considered as hate crimes, and those churches were for black people. On May 20, 2012, a 17 year old white man named Jean-Claude Bridges burned down a church in Henry County, Virginia because all the people who attended there were black. “'Mr....
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...ay with fire", then it's not a hate crime. According to all the church arsons that took place, it can be concluded that they are in the hate crime category.
Works Cited
“Church Arson Prevention Act Enacted Into Law.” The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human
Rights & The Leadership Conference Education Fund. 2014. CivilRights. < http://www.civilright
s.org/monitor/vol8_no5_6/art4.html>.
“Fantoft Church.” Cloudberry. 2014. view=section&id=6&Itemid=57&lang=en>. “Fantoft Stave Church.” Bergen Guide. 2014. BergenGuide. 25 April 2014. guide.com/47.htm>. Jones, Jeremy. “Virginia Teenager Burns Down Church Because Black People Attended.”
DMVFollowers. 2014. DMVFollowers. 10 Jan. 2013. < http://www.dmvfollowers.com/virginia-
teenager-burns-down-church-because-black-people-attended/>.
The racially targeted lynchings were rare before the civil war since killing the black slaves would have resulted in a loss of property and profit. From 1880 to 1940 more than five thousand African Americans were killed by the US white vigilante mobs that also included Christians (page, 3). Christians were on the forefront in participation in lynching where black persons were killed without any cause or chance to face a justified death. The Christians that did not participate directly in any lynchings were silent on the issue. The act of lynching was identified as the symbolic re-enactment of the fructification in the twentieth century . This exposes the Christian hypocrisy and wilful blindness of white Americans Christians who had a reconciliation
During a weekly Bible study, witnesses say a white male came into Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church and opened fire around 9 p.m. On June 17, 2015, Dylann Roof, 21, entered into this church and opened fire. He killed 9 people that day. The church was primarily African American which also caused the nation to go into a panic and think of one explanation: racism. Whichever viewpoint you see this from; everyone can agree it was a tragedy that innocent lives were taken that day. Many speculate different reasons as to why he committed such an act: racism, mental illness, hate, etc. However, when confronted by someone in the church while committing this tragic action, he said “I have to do it. You rape our women and you 're taking over our
The KKK has killed 1500 people, 1200 were colored people and 300 were white people. Next, the KKK planted 15 sticks of dynamite in the 16h street Baptist church in 1965. Which resulted to four young girls killed and many more injured.
Some people don’t find anything wrong with verbally abusing another human. Some world leaders have participated in hate speech, hate crimes, or genocide. Hitler is known for his merciless killing of minorities, mostly Jews, in Eastern Europe. The founder of the United States, Christopher Columbus, killed many Indians because he felt he was superior to them. Hate speech obviously leads to hate crimes and keeps humans separated. Also when following the laws correctly, hate speech is not allowed. These are all reasons why I am against hate speech.
As of the late 1960s, Birmingham, Alabama became one of the most racially discriminatory and segregated cities in the United States. Governor George Wallace was a leading foe of desegregation, and the years were the strongest and most violent chapters of the Ku Klux Klan (History.com). Countless unsolved bombings and police brutalities had terrorized the African American populace since World War II. The 16th Street Baptist Church was the largest black in Birmingham and was also used as a meeting place for civil rights leaders. “It was no accident that the Ku Klux Klan targeted the 16th Street Baptist Church” says Carolyn McKinstry, who was 14 years old at the time, was secretary of her Sunday school class. She was taking attendance records into the sanctuary when the bomb went off (NPR.org). Just three weeks before,
A hate crime is an act of aggression against an individual's actual or perceived race, ethnicity, religions, disability, sexual orientation, or gender. Examples include assault and battery, vandalism, or threats which involve bias indicators - pieces of evidence like bigoted name-calling or graffiti.
The Christian Science Publishing Society 30 Brad Knickerbockers, Staff writing of The Christian Science Monitor, Hate Crimes: Should they receive special attention? The Christian Science Monitor, 06-23-200, pp 22
When the topic of hate and bias crime legislation is brought up two justifications commonly come to mind. In her article entitled “Why Liberals Should Hate ‘Hate Crime Legislation” author Heidi M. Hurd discusses the courts and states views that those who commit hate and bias crimes ought to be more severely punished. She takes into consideration both sides of the argument to determine the validity of each but ultimately ends the article in hopes to have persuaded the reader into understanding and agreeing with her view that laws concerning the punishment of hate and bias laws should not be codified. Hate crime is described as a violent, prejudice crime that occurs when a victim is targeted because of their membership in a specific group. The types of crime can vary from physical assault, vandalism, harassment or hate speech. Throughout the article Hurd tried to defend her view and explain why there should be no difference of punishment for similar crimes no matter the reason behind it. Her reason behind her article came from the law that President Obama signed in 2009 declaring that crimes committed with hatred or prejudice should have more sever punishments. While the court has their own views to justify their reasoning behind such decisions, in the article Hurd brings up points and facts to prove the wrongfulness of creating such a law. However, though Hurd has made her views clear in the following essay I will discuss reasons why the penalties are justifiable, why they should receive the same degree of punishment, less punishment and my personal view on the topic.
Hate crime can also be called a bias crime, which means that someone commits a crime against someone based solely on their particular characteristic that they cannot or do not want to change such as religion or gender (Hate Crimes, n.d.). Sadly, hate crimes occur often and can have a lasting effect on the victim. The definition of what constitutes a hate crime has broadened over the years, as the FBI has changed it to address those who are victimized by disability or gender identity as society has continued to grow more diverse and change substantially (Hate Crimes, n.d.). It is crucial that the United States understands how many people are victims of hate crimes and how often it occurs to better understand the scope of the problem. According to the FBI, the most frequent hate crimes are racially motivated at almost fifty percent (Latest Hate Crime Statistics, 2015). This means that there are many people that are victimized because of their race, which is unchangeable and pre-determined. Religious hate crime and sexual orientation hate crimes were tied for the second most prevalent in the United States (Latest Hate Crime Statistics, 2015). These people are victims because of who they are and how these offenders see
Any crime motivated by a bias against a person or group based on their ethnicity, gender, sexual preference, religion or another characteristic is a hate crime. These crimes can either be committed against the people themselves or their property. When someone commits a hate crime they are targeting a group of people not just one individual. That’s why hate crimes have extra punishment. The punishment for hate crimes are very insignificant considering the deviant who committed a hate crime targeted an entire group of people. Hate crimes are very serious offensive but determining where to draw the line can be difficult. Hate crimes are very serious and can have lasting effects on victims.
Blacks were introduced to the North America during the 17th and 18th centuries through the triangular trade route, and were welcomed by chains, ropes, and all the horrors of slavery. Slavery was legalized by the US government and continued for a few hundred years, taking a civil war and sixteen presidents before it was forbidden. Even today, there is still much hatred between blacks and whites despite desegregation and integration; some would argue that the condition of African Americans in the United States is still one of a subservient nature. Federal law defines a hate crime as whenever a victim is attacked on the basis of his or her race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, or gender; hate offenses are made against members of a particular group simply because of their membership in that group (Levin 4). In 1998 an African-American was brutally murdered in Texas. There are over a hundred homicides committed every year, but the manner in which this life was taken and the apparent motive of his executers leaves no doubt that this crime was filled with hate. In this brutal murder, the motivation is obvious and clear, the explanation is so simple that it virtually hits you in the face. James Byrd Jr.'s death is America's shame: another man tortured for no reason- other than the color of his skin. I will use the Byrd murder to explore the cause and effects of hate crimes, and attempt to draw meaning from it so that a tragedy like this will not happen again.
Hate crimes are not a new concept for society, because hate crimes have always been around. While the study of hate crimes and the laws that have been passed because of hate crimes is relatively new, hate crimes have always been around. Hate crimes were committed as far back as the 1800’s and even back to The Civil War. Hate crimes are prevalent in society today just like they were in the past; because whether the crimes are aimed towards Muslims, the gay community, or any other minority group; they are fueled by something that every person has come into contact with- prejudice. Prejudice is defined as a preconceived thought or opinion about someone. While prejudice can be positive, in the concept of hate crimes they are negative feelings, thoughts, or opinions that are aimed towards a certain religious, ethnic, race, or even sexual orientation group. The typical definition of hate crime is that a crime has been committed by a majority member against a minority member simply because the victim was a minority. However, as of recent the definition has been expanded to allow for any crime committed by bias towards the victim’s social group such as anti-gay or anti-lesbian. Hate crimes are an extreme, potential effect due to prejudice and discrimination towards someone based on ethnicity, religion, or sexual orientation. These crimes are committed against an individual or a group of individuals based solely on the fact that they are part of a group that the offender doesn’t approve of whether it is because they are a different race or following an alternative lifestyle. While the hate crimes are not something that is new in society because prejudice has always been around, the concept of a bias-crime and the legal precedent that it ha...
Anyone could be a victim of a hate crime. People can be victims of hate crime for a characteristic such as gender. A victim of a hate crime may possess a certain characteristic that the perpetrator views in a negative way, which in turn causes them to commit the criminal act against the victim. According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) people are more likely to be victimized for their race (Latest Hate Crime Statistics, para 9). No one can change the color of their skin, which is why it is unfair that these people are victims. There are many more characteristics than just someone’s race that could make him or her a target for hate crime. The definition for hate crime is extremely broad, which in turn makes the amount of victims
A hate crime is a crime motivated by several reasons that include religion, sexual orientation, race, nationality, gender etc. It typically involves physical violence, intimidation, threats and other means against the individual that is being targeted. It is a crime against the person and it can have a devastating impact on the victim. Several argue that hate crimes should be punished more severely. However, it is not a crime to hate someone or something if it does not lead to some sort of criminal offense.
A hate crime is a crime, usually involving violence or intimidation committed against others based partially or entirely on race, ethnicity, gender, religion, sexual orientation or membership in another social group.