AMAC EXCLUSIVE
While it has gone virtually unreported on by the American corporate press, left-wing activists in Canada are waging an all-out war on Christians that has seen hundreds of churches burned to the ground. Meanwhile, American Christians are facing their own wave of persecution that shows no sign of letting up.
The rash of church burnings began back in 2021 following claims from leaders of the British Columbia First Nation Band Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc that ground-penetrating radar had discovered a “mass grave” of more than 200 indigenous children. The grave allegedly dated back to the late 19th and early 20th centuries, when most indigenous children were forced to attend residential schools, many of which were operated by churches.
The “discovery” touched off a wave of violence against Christian churches that saw more than 100 vandalized or burned to the ground. Three other First Nations groups soon announced that they too had discovered mass graves of children near former schools in their area, further fueling the attacks.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and other liberals in Canada and the U.S. quickly rallied behind the claim. Trudeau stated that the discovery was a “shameful reminder of the systemic racism, discrimination, and injustice that indigenous people have faced – and continue to face – in this country.” When discussing the attacks against churches, he responded by calling the arsonists’ actions “fully understandable.”
The New York Times, meanwhile, uncritically reported that the supposed discovery was evidence of a “horrible history” and repeated the claims of indigenous leaders that remains were found of children “as young as 3.” The article made no mention of the church burnings.
However, nearly three years after the initial report of mass child graves, no human remains have actually been found at any of the sites, despite dozens of excavations.
As the New York Post reported last August, ground-penetrating radar used by subsequent groups of anthropologists only discovered “anomalies” in the ground, but they were unable to find any remains upon excavation.
“I don’t like to use the word hoax because it’s too strong, but there are also too many falsehoods circulating about this issue with no evidence,” Jacques Rouillard, a professor emeritus in the Department of History at the Université de Montréal, told the Post.
Despite there being zero hard evidence of mass child graves at under residential schools, however, the church burnings in Canada have not stopped.
The National Post recently reported that, as of February 14, at least six Canadian churches have been burned by “suspicious fires” so far in 2024. In one case, a pastor released footage of an individual pouring gas on the front steps of a church and setting it ablaze. In 2023, Canada saw 15 church burnings – including four in the week before Christmas.
The attacks on churches in Canada parallel an alarming rise of anti-Christian violence in the United States as well. According to a new report from the Family Research Council, attacks against American churches have more than doubled since 2022.
The report identified 436 attacks against churches just last year. That figure represents a stark increase from 195 incidents in 2022 and just 50 in 2018. Most of the attacks in 2023 were vandalism, but there “were also 75 instances of arson, arson attempts, or fires with unknown causes.”
The advocacy group CatholicVote has also recorded more than 230 attacks on Catholic churches in the U.S. “since the draft Supreme Court opinion proposing to reverse Roe v. Wade was leaked in early May 2022.” Despite claiming to be a “devout Catholic,” President Joe Biden has taken no action against the rising attacks on American churches. As a representative of CatholicVote explained, “There has been no federal prosecution or allocation of federal funds to combat these attacks” from the Biden administration to date.
In fact, rather than defend Christians and attempt to unify Americans, Biden has targeted them. The House Judiciary Select Committee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government found in a December report that the FBI targeted some Catholics as “potential domestic terrorists” for merely attending Latin mass. In 2022, the FBI sent about 25 heavily armed agents to a religious pro-life activist’s house and arrested him for defending his son from verbal harassment by a pro-abortion activist.
The recent incidents in Canada and the United States appear as part of a broader trend throughout the West where Christian values and Christianity itself are coming under assault from a left-wing secularist culture. It is no coincidence that these attacks are occurring following decades of declining church attendance and the gradual erosion of religion’s place in public life.
For faithful Christians in Canada, the United States, or anywhere, remaining vigilant and aware of these threats is a necessary first step to turning the tide in the ongoing spiritual battle.
Alan Jamison is the pen name of a political writer with extensive experience writing for several notable politicians and news outlets.
