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Passions are flowing amid a potential overturn of the federal abortion law, as protesters have taken aim at houses of worship, with several being attacked, and one pastor warns US Christians to prepare for persecution.
After a draft document of the majority opinion of the Supreme Court concerning the abortion ruling known as Roe v. Wade was leaked by an unknown source, it has unleashed numerous protests throughout the United States, including in front of the homes of Supreme Court justices.
The draft document was written by Justice Samuel Alito and shows the Supreme Court has voted to strike down the landmark 1973 decision, which guaranteed federal constitutional protections of abortion rights, according to documents obtained by Politico.
Numerous incidents involving protesters and houses of worship have erupted in recent days.
On Sunday, Mother’s Day, May 8, in Los Angeles, several protesters dressed in garb similar to that worn in the Margaret Atwood dystopian novel and Hulu series The Handmaid’s Tale, a Mass at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in Los Angeles, Angelus News reported.
In Boulder, Colorado, the doors of the Sacred Heart of Mary Church were defaced with the words “My Body My Choice” and elsewhere tagged for church with “Bans off Our Bodies.”, According to the Denver Post.
Three attacks on religious centers in Portland, Oregon, occurred in the past ten days, triggering calls from religious leaders to authorities to recognize that hate crimes are on the rise in the state. The vandalism occurred on the Congregation Beth Israel, Muslim Community Center of Portland, and Shir Tikvah Congregation/Eastside Jewish Commons, which included Nazi-referenced anti-Semitic death threats, the Portland Mercury reported.
A number of protest groups, including an organization called “Rise Up 4 Abortion Rights,” has organized a “week of action” beginning on May 8, Mother’s Day, with “Actions Outside of Churches,” according to a report by Fox News.
An American pastor, who was previously imprisoned for two years in Turkey on false charges, is warning American Christians that the environment for Christian persecution is rapidly developing.
Andrew Brunsen lived with his wife in Turkey for 25 years, where they started churches, a house of prayer and worked with refugees. He was arrested and told he was going to be deported. Except, instead of deporting him, they held him for two years under accusations of being a military spy and terrorist and trying to overthrow the Turkish government, Brunsen wrote in an op-ed on Harbingers Daily on Monday.
Brunsen warns an environment of increasing hostility is brewing in the United States. They should prepare to experience the kind of persecution that is already occurring to believers around the world.
“Many Christians do not think this can happen in the United States, but it can,” Brunsen says. “the corporate world, big tech, arts, media, entertainment, professional sports, schools and universities, government bureaucracy—are mostly populated by people who do not honor God.”
“These are the people who control the centers of power and influence,” Brunsen continued. “They have the platforms to amplify their voices and shape public opinion, and they’re increasingly hostile to those who identify clearly with Jesus and His teaching.”
“For now, we still have robust legal protections for freedom of religion,” Brunsen added. “But as the commanding heights of our culture turn against our Judeo-Christian heritage, these protections can erode very quickly. And when we reach a tipping point, it will accelerate rapidly across a wide front.”
