What is Behind the Rash of Religious Vandalism?

Acts of religious violence serve as grim reminders that what is sacred to some is simply seen by others as an invitation to desecrate, and that in circumstances where the hatred is so obvious, there is nothing more powerful than prayer.

NASHVILLE, TN (Catholic Online) - St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church in Maywood, CA is cleaning up after extensive vandalism to its school kitchen and auditorium over the weekend. Security cameras caught two men breaking in through the kitchen, where most of the damage was perpetrated, and taped them ravaging the facility for almost an hour and a half.

A cross was burned and jammed, inverted, into a damaged stove. A knife was plunged into the face of a picture of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Feces were left on the auditorium floor. The satanic number "666" was scrawled in various places throughout the facility. Condiments and food staples covered every surface. Butter was flung on the heavy, velvet auditorium curtains, staining them irreparably.

Because the damage was particularly pernicious, the police, who are in possession of the video, are characterizing the vandalism as a hate crime. "I can feel the sadness of spirit," said Fr. David Velasquez, the pastor of St. Rose of Lima, when speaking of those who came to help clean up the mess in an interview with KCAL 9 TV.

I wonder if that site might be a target for a lawsuit by the real Baptists.

Trouble is that nobody owns the word "Baptist" and this guy has a legal registered trademark on the term "Landover Baptist Church:"

Word Mark	LANDOVER BAPTIST CHURCH
Goods and Services	IC 009. US 021 023 026 036 038. G & S: Downloadable MP3 files, MP3 recordings, online discussion boards, web casts, pod casts featuring music, audio books and news broadcasts; Downloadable multimedia file containing artwork, text, audio, video, games, and Internet Web links relating to a fictional Baptist Church; Electronic publications, namely, electronic magazines and newsletters featuring characters from a fictional Baptist Church recorded on computer media; Motion picture films about a fictional Baptist Church. FIRST USE: 19980101. FIRST USE IN COMMERCE: 19980101 IC 016. US 002 005 022 023 029 037 038 050. G & S: A series of books, written articles, handouts and worksheets in the field of satire about a fictional Baptist Church; Albums for stickers; Anniversary books; Appointment books; Autograph books; Baby books; Birthday books; Blank journal books; Book covers; Bumper stickers; Children's books; Coloring books; Comic books; Cook books; Copy books; Coupon books; Date books; Decorative stickers for helmets; Educational books featuring a fictional Baptist Church; Flip books; Guide books featuring a fictional Baptist Church; Index books; Leather appointment book covers; Ledger books; Manuscript books; Note books; Picture books; Prayer books; Protective covers for books; Recipe books; Religious books; Role playing game equipment in the nature of game book manuals; Scholarly books on various topics, namely, Religious Satire and Religious Parody; Series of fiction books; Series of non-fiction books in the field of satire about a fictional Baptist Church and Baptist and Religious experiences with Fundamentalism; Stickers; Stickers; Story books; Talking children's books; Wirebound books. FIRST USE: 19980701. FIRST USE IN COMMERCE: 20001030 IC 041. US 100 101 107. G & S: Booking of entertainment halls; Booking of seats for shows and booking of theatre tickets; Cable television programming; Direction of making radio or television programs; Distribution of television programs for others; Entertainment in the nature of on-going television programs in the field of comedy; Entertainment in the nature of television news shows; Entertainment services in the nature of on-going television programs in the field of children's entertainment; Entertainment services, namely, live, televised and movie appearances by a professional entertainer; Entertainment services, namely, providing a television program in the field of comedy via a global computer network; Entertainment services, namely, providing a web site featuring musical performances, musical videos, related film clips, photographs, and other multimedia materials; Entertainment, namely, a continuing comedy show broadcast over television, satellite, audio, and video media; Entertainment, namely, television news shows; Film distribution; Film studios; Mobile media and entertainment services in the nature of content preparation; Mobile media and entertainment services in the nature of content preparation, post-production; Motion picture film production; Movie studios; Movie theaters; Operating of film studios; Planning arrangement of showing movies, shows, plays or musical performances; Preparing subtitles for movies; Production and distribution of television shows and movies; Production of cable television programs; Production of closed caption television programs; Production of film studies; Production of radio and television programs; Production of radio or television programs; Production of video and creation of visual effects for others for use in DVDs, television programs and on websites. Production of visual effects for videos, DVDs, television and for Internet websites; Providing a web site where users can post ratings, reviews and recommendations on events and activities in the field of entertainment and education; Providing facilities for movies, shows, plays, music or educational training; Providing ratings for television, movie, music, video and video game content; Providing voice overs for tapes, records and other recorded media; Publication of books; Publication of books, magazines, almanacs and journals; Publication of books, of magazines, of journals, of newspapers, of periodicals, of catalogs, of brochures; Publication of books, reviews; Publication of text books; Publication of texts, books, journals; Publication of texts, books, magazines and other printed matter; Publishing of books and reviews; Publishing of books, magazines; Publishing of journals, books and handbooks in the field of medicine; Publishing of web magazines; Rental of cinema films; Rental of film projection equipment; Rental of films; Rental of motion picture films; Rental of movie projectors and accessories; Rental of movie projectors and their accessories; Rental of photographic equipment; Special effects animation services for film and video; Teleprompting services provided to film and television and corporate public speaking; Television and radio programming; Television show production; Theatrical booking agencies. FIRST USE: 19991001. FIRST USE IN COMMERCE: 19991120
Standard Characters Claimed
Mark Drawing Code	(4) STANDARD CHARACTER MARK
Serial Number	77060070
Filing Date	December 8, 2006
Current Filing Basis	1A
Original Filing Basis	1B
Published for Opposition	August 28, 2007
Registration Number	3705731
Registration Date	November 3, 2009
Owner	(REGISTRANT) Harper, Christian C. Harper, Christian C., Citizen of the United States SOLE PROPRIETORSHIP VIRGINIA 2237-B Lovedale Ln. Reston VIRGINIA 20191
Disclaimer	NO CLAIM IS MADE TO THE EXCLUSIVE RIGHT TO USE "BAPTIST CHURCH" APART FROM THE MARK AS SHOWN
Type of Mark	TRADEMARK. SERVICE MARK
Register	PRINCIPAL
Live/Dead Indicator	LIVE

The story, so I'm told, is that he wrote something very critical of Rev. Jerry Falwell when he was a student of Liberty University. He, of course, was expelled. This is his payback. Don't know if the story is true or not, but that's what I read someplace.

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