Kentucky Hindu Temple Vandalized With Crosses, Christian Phrases

[left-of-center2012]

Sometime between Sunday and Tuesday morning, a vandal or vandals broke through a window at Louisville, KY’s (Hindu) Swaminarayan Temple, leaving glass shattered on the floor. Black paint was sprayed onto a poster depicting a religious figure, and the temple’s walls were covered with black crosses and phrases such as “Jesus Is The Only Lord” and “Jesus Is All Mighty.” A knife was plunged into a chair in the temple.

Temple spokesperson Raj Patel said the vandalism was discovered by a repairman on Tuesday morning. Patel said his community, consisting of 60 to 100 worshippers, is deeply saddened by the incident. The community has been meeting in the building for about five years. “We come here to worship,” Patel said during a press conference at the temple on Wednesday.

Seventy-six percent of adults in the state identify as Christian, including 49 percent who say they are evangelical Protestant, according to the Pew Research Center. Fewer than 1 percent are Hindu.

In 2015 vandals spray-painted derogatory, anti-Muslim messages on the walls of the Louisville Islamic Center.

Louisville is also home to ‘Festival of Faiths’, an annual interfaith conference that promotes interreligious understanding and attracts speakers and attendees from around the country.

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/swaminarayan-temple-louisville-vandalism_us_5c534fb6e4b043e25b1a6aad

[dalton99a]

1. 17-year-old charged in connection to vandalism at Hindu temple

https://www.wave3.com/2019/02/01/year-old-charged-connection-vandalism-hindu-temple/

[MineralMan]

7. "You have to be carefully taught."

Between this one and the stupid lot from Covington Christian High School, it looks like they're teaching as fast as they can in KY.

[MineralMan]

2. I'm reposting this in the Religion Group.

[FirstLight]

3. expect this and more to continue...

Trump has welcomed the hard core racists out of the woodwork. ...and I wouldn't be surprised if there's folks who didn't *think* they were racists, but feel encouraged by the rhetoric, to dive deeper in to that pool of hate.

[TwistOneUp]

4. Christian Terrorism. nt

[oberliner]

5. Absolutely awful

Anti-Hindu prejudice should not go overlooked in this country.

[MineralMan]

6. What prejudices SHOULD go overlooked?

That's an odd way to put it, I think, really...

[Behind the Aegis]

8. Another example of privilege, one that often goes undiscussed.

It isn't just white supremacists or MRA-types who are emboldened by the shitstain befouling the White House. Religious minorities need to be on high alert, even one's who usually fly just under the radar of many bigots.

It is disgusting they had their sanctuary defiled because they are seen as an unworthy "other". I hope they get support from the community to fix the damage done.

[bobbieinok]

9. I shudder to think what some knowledge about Hinduism would lead to!

Eg, the goddess Kali.

Some would just luv the caste system.

[treestar]

10. How very Christian of him!

I bet Jesus is proud of him!

[geardaddy]

11. Fuck whoever did that. n/t