123-715: The Lord's Resistance Army ( LRA ) is a Christian extremist organization operating in Central Africa and East Africa . Its origins were in the Ugandan insurgency (1986–1994) against President Yoweri Museveni , during which Joseph Kony founded the LRA in 1987. The group is active in northern Uganda , South Sudan , Sudan , the Central African Republic , and the Democratic Republic of
246-479: A cult of personality of its leader, Joseph Kony . Although the LRA has been regarded primarily as a Christian militia, the LRA reportedly evokes Acholi nationalism on occasion; many observers doubt the sincerity of this behaviour and the loyalty of Kony to any ideology. The original aims of the group were more closely aligned with those of its predecessor, the Holy Spirit Movement . Protection of
369-616: A "Holy Trinity", according to the Qur'an, is forbidden and deemed to be blasphemy . The same prohibition applies to any idea of the duality of God ( Allah ). The Baháʼí Faith has the concept of the Most Great Spirit , seen as the bounty of God . It is usually used to describe the descent of the Spirit of God upon the messengers/prophets of God who include, among others, Jesus, Muhammad and Bahá'u'lláh . In Baháʼí belief,
492-618: A "religious foundation" in Protestant Christianity and targeting Jews , Catholics , and other social, ethnic and religious minorities, as well as people who engaged in "immoral" practices such as adulterers , bad debtors , gamblers , and alcohol abusers . From an early time onward, the goals of the KKK included an intent to "reestablish Protestant Christian values in America by any means possible", and it believed that " Jesus
615-490: A "religious wave", or a cycle, of terrorism, dates from approximately 1979 to the present. According to Rapoport, this wave most prominently features Islamic terrorism , but it also includes terrorism by Christians and other religious groups that may have been influenced by Islamic terrorism. Numerous individuals and groups have cited their Christianity or Christian beliefs as the motivation for their terrorist acts. This can mean that they see Christianity as their identity and
738-703: A Bible passage about Jesus Christ on the bio of his now defunct Gab account. Similarly, the Poway synagogue shooting suspect John T. Earnest also cited Bible quotes to justify his attack and in March 2019, he attempted to burn down a mosque in Escondido, California but failed. Holy Spirit The Holy Spirit , otherwise known as the Holy Ghost , is a concept within the Abrahamic religions . In Judaism ,
861-700: A botched United Nations special forces raid targeting the LRA deputy leader Vincent Otti in DR Congo . According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the LRA attacks and the government's counterinsurgency measures resulted in the displacement of nearly 95 percent of the Acholi population in three districts of northern Uganda. By 2006, 1.7 million people lived in more than 200 IDP camps in northern Uganda. These camps had some of
984-643: A criminal gang than an army, smuggling ivory and arms across the DR Congo border. In 2024, LRA officer Thomas Kwoyelo was tried in Uganda on charges including rape, murder, kidnapping, and enslavement of civilians. He was sentenced to 40 years in prison. Part of the structural causes of the LRA conflict has been explained as rooted in the "diversity of ethnic groups which were at different levels of socio-economic development and political organization", leading to ethnic strife. Enemy images have instilled insensitivity to
1107-808: A cultural erosion. Amid complex geopolitical dynamics and international scrutiny, they wish to move toward a future marked by stability and autonomy within a multi-party democracy in a new Ugandan state bound by the Ten Commandments . The LRA was listed as a terrorist group by the United States , but it has since been removed from the list of designated active terrorist groups . It has been accused of widespread human rights violations, including murder , abduction , mutilation , child sex slavery , and recruitment of child soldiers . Uganda's north and south are politically divided. The south and east are largely inhabited by Bantu -speakers, such as
1230-695: A distinction between the spirit and psyche , which is also seen in the Pauline epistles . According to proponents of the History of religions school , the Christian concept of the Holy Spirit cannot be explained from Jewish ideas alone without reference to the Hellenistic religions. And according to theologian Erik Konsmo, the views "are so dissimilar that the only legitimate connection one can make
1353-555: A form of religious terrorism , refers to terrorist acts which are committed by groups or individuals who profess Christian motivations or goals. Christian terrorists justify their violent tactics through their interpretation of the Bible and Christianity , in accordance with their own objectives and worldview . Christian terrorism can be committed against members of other Christian denominations, adherents of other religions , secular governments , groups, individuals or society as
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#17327721505381476-594: A groundswell of mistrust by the population against virtually any overtures from the government to the rebels. This cynical strategy, some argue, was deeply rooted and employed in Luwero triangle by the National Resistance Movement (NRM)/NRA rebels during their five-year bush war in order to garner popular support, with an underlying drive of "unique greed for absolute political power" in total abhorrence of democratic means. The strong imbalance in
1599-503: A heavy humanitarian toll, with widespread displacement, loss of life, and atrocities against civilians devastating northern Uganda, particularly Acholiland . Despite allegations of brutality, groups like the LRA seek international recognition, framing their actions as self-defense and resistance against government injustices. The conflict has also profoundly impacted Acholi society, disrupting education, fracturing traditional family structures, and precipitating forced migration, contributing to
1722-506: A lock of a Planned Parenthood clinic, and in court documents which pertained to their divorce, she said "He claims to be a Christian and is extremely evangelistic, but does not follow the Bible in his actions. He says that as long as he believes he will be saved, he can do whatever he pleases. He is obsessed with the world coming to an end." Authorities said that he spoke of "no more baby parts" in an interview after his arrest. The Army of God
1845-576: A mental illness than the general population, due to the selection criteria of such groups. Mental illness does not seem to unduly prevent terrorists from performing successful complex attacks. Terrorists who claim to have a Christian motivation can act alone or in groups. It is often difficult to determine if the perpetrator acted completely alone or was inspired by a religious or political group. The same problem exists with Islamic terrorism or any allegedly religiously or politically motivated act of terror. On 16 July 2001, Peter James Knight walked into
1968-401: A motive to inspire followers or curry political favor or protection. All these motivations are not independent and often complexly interwoven. Religion is often closely tied to ethnic identity, economic standing and self image. Should a group of Christians feel threatened, religion is a verifiable, culturally important label to use in creating a " them-and-us " mentality. This is particularly
2091-593: A new four-nation African Union military force (a brigade of 5,000, including contingents from DR Congo, the Central African Republic, and South Sudan) to hunt down Kony and the remnants of the LRA but asked for more international assistance for the task force. In 2012 the LRA was reported to be in Djema, Central African Republic, but forces pursuing the LRA withdrew in April 2013 after the government of
2214-544: A peaceful solution to the crisis. In December 2009, the LRA forces under Dominic Ongwen killed at least 321 civilians and abducted 250 others during a four-day attack in the village and region of Makombo in DR Congo. In February 2010, about 100 people were killed by the LRA in Kpanga , near DR Congo's border with the Central African Republic and Sudan. Small-scale attacks continued daily, displacing large numbers of people and worsening an ongoing humanitarian crisis , which
2337-566: A phone call and stated that he had an M4 carbine with "500 rounds of ammunition" that he intended to take to the Delaware County enclave, along with a handgun, Molotov cocktails and a machete . The FBI source recorded him saying "if it gets down to the machete, we will cut them to shreds". Doggart had previously travelled to a site in Dover, Tennessee , which had been described as a "jihadist training camp", in chain emails and found that
2460-534: A possessive suffix is added the definite article ha is dropped). The Holy Spirit in Judaism generally refers to the divine aspect of prophecy and wisdom. It also refers to the divine force, quality, and influence of the Most High God, over the universe or over his creatures, in given contexts. For the large majority of Christians , the Holy Spirit (or Holy Ghost , from Old English gast , "spirit")
2583-518: A reputation as having been possessed by spirits and became a spiritual figure or a medium. He and a small group of followers first moved beyond his home village of Odek on 1 April 1987. A few days later, he met a group of former Uganda National Liberation Front soldiers from the Black Battalion whom he managed to recruit. They then launched a raid on the city of Gulu . By August 1987, Auma's Holy Spirit Mobile Force scored several victories on
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#17327721505382706-439: A similar superstition, encouraging soldiers to use oil to draw a cross on their chest as protection from bullets. During a later interview, however, Auma distanced herself from Kony, claiming that the Holy Spirit did not want soldiers to kill civilians or prisoners of war. Kony sought to align himself with Auma and, in turn, garner support from her constituents, even going so far as to claim they were cousins. Meanwhile, Kony gained
2829-534: A state charge of second-degree murder in 2003 and sentenced to serve 25 years in prison. In 2007, he was convicted on a separate federal charge and sentenced to life in prison. The Canadian authorities also consider Kopp a suspect in several nonlethal attacks on Canadian abortion service providers because they believe that he shot through the windows of their homes. He was charged with the 1995 attempted murder of Dr. Hugh Short, an abortion service provider in Ontario, but
2952-399: A threat: "The most important thing is that no matter how little the LRA may be, it still constitutes a danger [as] they continue to attack and create havoc." Since the LRA first started fighting in the 1990s, they may have forced well over 10,000 boys and girls into combat, often killing family, neighbors, and school teachers in the process. Many of these children were put on the frontlines so
3075-556: A whole. Christianity can also be cynically used as a rhetorical device to achieve political or military goals by terrorists. Christian terrorist groups include paramilitary organizations, cults , and loose groups of people that might come together in order to attempt to terrorize other groups. Some groups also encourage unaffiliated individuals to commit terrorist acts. The paramilitary groups are typically tied to ethnic and political goals as well as religious goals and many of these groups have religious beliefs which are at odds with
3198-514: A wholly individual theology that deviates from established Christian dogma. On 12 December 2022, a fundamentalist Christian terror attack that resulted in the deaths of six people occurred in Wieambilla , Queensland , Australia . Premillennialism was cited by police as the terrorists' motivation. There are a wide variety of mental health conditions and illness, and it is quite rare for them to lead to violence. Objectively determining
3321-496: Is a label which reflects cultural, rather than directly ideological, influences. This cultural Christian identity is often reinforced in the mind of the terrorist by media and governmental sources that vilify the other group or amplify its threat. This politicizing of ethno-religious tensions is a key contributor to the violence in the Central African Republic . The targets of this kind of terrorist motivation include other religions or denominations, but they can also include those who
3444-651: Is an American Christian terrorist organization; its members have perpetrated acts of anti-abortion violence. Gary Matson and Winfield Mowder were a gay couple from Redding, California , who were murdered by Benjamin Matthew Williams and James Tyler Williams in 1999. Neighbors said that the family of the Williams Brothers was known for its fundamentalist Christian beliefs , and they also said that recordings of sermons and religious music were frequently heard from their house. The two perpetrators of
3567-554: Is believed to be a consequence of an ethnic-oriented war that was initiated by the NRM/NRA in Luwero Triangle against the residents of northern Uganda. This was fueled by the belief on the part of the leadership of the NRM/NRA that Ugandan politics had, since political independence ,been dominated by the northerners in the country and that this had happened because of their heavy composition in the armed forces. The determination
3690-603: Is contrary to the Shema . They do not consider the Hebrew word for "one" (Hebrew: אחד, ekhad ) as meaning anything other than a simple numerical one . The rabbinical understanding of the Holy Spirit has a certain degree of personification , but it remains, "a quality belonging to God, one of his attributes". The idea of God as a duality or trinity is considered shituf (or "not purely monotheistic"). According to theologian Rudolf Bultmann , there are two ways to think about
3813-521: Is difficult to maintain. In his Introduction to the 1964 book Meditations , the Anglican priest Maxwell Staniforth wrote: Another Stoic concept which offered inspiration to the Church was that of "divine Spirit". Cleanthes, wishing to give more explicit meaning to Zeno's "creative fire", had been the first to hit upon the term pneuma , or "spirit", to describe it. Like fire, this intelligent "spirit"
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3936-591: Is just the name of the movement because we are fighting in the name of God. God is the one helping us in the bush. That's why we created this name, Lord's Resistance Army. And people always ask us, are we fighting for the Ten Commandments of God. That is true—because the Ten Commandments of God is the constitution that God has given to the people of the world. All people. If you go to the constitution, nobody will accept people who steal, nobody could accept to go and take somebody's wife, nobody could accept to kill
4059-631: Is more typical of the Old Testament whereas dynamistic is more common in the New Testament. The distinction coincides with the Holy Spirit as either a temporary or permanent gift. In the Old Testament and Jewish thought, it is primarily temporary with a specific situation or task in mind, whereas in the Christian concept the gift resides in persons permanently. On the surface, the Holy Spirit appears to have an equivalent in non-Abrahamic Hellenistic mystery religions . These religions included
4182-435: Is not motivated by any identifiable political agenda, and its military strategy and tactics reflect this". IRIN comments that "the LRA remains one of the least understood rebel movements in the world, and its ideology, as far as it has one, is difficult to understand". During an interview with IRIN, the LRA commander Vincent Otti was asked about the LRA's vision of an ideal government. He responded: Lord's Resistance Army
4305-520: Is the third person of the Trinity: The "Triune God" manifested as Father , Son , and Holy Spirit; each Person being God. Two symbols from the New Testament canon are associated with the Holy Spirit in Christian iconography : a winged dove, and tongues of fire. Each depiction of the Holy Spirit arose from different accounts in the Gospel narratives; the first being at the baptism of Jesus in
4428-618: Is with the Greek term πνεῦμα [ pneuma , Spirit] itself". Another link with ancient Greek thought is the Stoic idea of the spirit as anima mundi – or world soul – that unites all people. Some believe that this can be seen in Paul's formulation of the concept of the Holy Spirit that unites Christians in Jesus Christ and love for one another, but Konsmo again thinks that this position
4551-1017: The Al Noor Mosque and the Linwood Islamic Centre in Christchurch , New Zealand, were a form of "Christian terrorism" and white supremacy . Tarrant's manifesto The Great Replacement , which is named after the French far-right conspiracy theory bearing the same name , quoted Pope Urban II (who ordered the First Crusade ) and demanded the retaking of Jerusalem , cited the death of 11-year-old Swedish girl Ebba Akerlund , cited NATO 's involvement in Kosovo , stated Tarrant's wish that Istanbul (aka Constantinople) should be taken from Turkey so it will be back in Christian hands and he finally stated that Tarrant's main motive for
4674-630: The Baganda people, who were historically agriculturists. Uganda's north is largely inhabited by the Nilotic -speaking Acholi , who had engaged in hunting, farming, and livestock herding in the past. The ethnic and cultural tensions within Uganda grew during the years following the creation of the Protectorate of Uganda in 1894. While the agricultural Baganda people worked closely with the British,
4797-530: The Baha’i Faith , the Holy Spirit is seen as the intermediary between God and man and "the outpouring grace of God and the effulgent rays that emanate from His Manifestation". The Hebrew Bible contains the term " spirit of God " ( ruach elochim ) which by Jews is interpreted in the sense of the might of a unitary God . This interpretation is different from the Nicene Christian conception of
4920-506: The Bible in his own unique way and he also believed in his own brand of Christianity . He believed that he needed to wage an anti-abortion Crusade . Eric Robert Rudolph (the perpetrator of the Centennial Olympic Park bombing in 1996) carried out bombing attacks on two abortion clinics and he also bombed a lesbian nightclub. Michael Barkun , a professor at Syracuse University , believes that Rudolph likely fits
5043-406: The Bible 's ten commandments" were false. In the same speech, Obita also claimed that the LRA's objectives are: The LRA is known for having used several flags and logos over the course of its insurgency. In the course of peace talks in 2006, LRA commander Vincent Otti sketched the official LRA coat of arms, providing it to academic Mareike Schomerus: The emblem consisted of Uganda's national animal,
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5166-500: The Carter Center and Pope John Paul II had been spurned by Kony. In February 2004, the LRA unit led by Okot Odhiambo attacked Barlonyo internally displaced person (IDP) camp, killing over 300 people and abducting many others. In 2006, UNICEF estimated that the LRA had abducted at least 25,000 children since the conflict began. In January 2006, eight Guatemalan Kaibiles commandos and at least 15 rebels were killed in
5289-569: The Donatists fought a guerilla war against the mainstream church and the state, blinding Catholic priests to make their point. Gaining state backing by a particular Christian sect or creed led to an increase in religious violence . This violence took the form of persecution of adherents of rival Christian beliefs and persecution of adherents of other religions . In Europe during the Middle Ages , Christian antisemitism increased, and both
5412-596: The Holy Spirit as one person of the Trinity . The Christian concept tends to emphasize the moral aspect of the Holy Spirit as a common expression in the Christian New Testament. Based on the Old Testament, the book of Acts emphasizes the power of ministry aspect of the Holy Spirit. In general, Jews reject any conception of a co-equal, multi-person godhead; anything but an absolute monotheism
5535-642: The Iron Guard and Lăncieri , which have been characterized by Yad Vashem and Stanley G. Payne as antisemitic and fascist , respectively, were involved in the Bucharest pogrom and committed numerous politically motivated murders during the 1930s. After the American Civil War of 1861–1865, former Confederate soldiers founded the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) organization. Originally,
5658-826: The Jordan River where the Holy Spirit was said to descend in the form of a dove as the voice of God the Father spoke as described in Matthew , Mark , and Luke ; the second being from the day of Pentecost , fifty days after Passover where the descent of the Holy Spirit came upon the Apostles and other followers of Jesus Christ , as tongues of fire as described in the Acts of the Apostles , as promised by Jesus in his farewell discourse. Called "the unveiled epiphany of God ",
5781-523: The National Association of Congregational Christian Churches ). None of the charges against him are terrorism related, however, some groups have described his actions as such. According to University of Auckland Professor Douglas Pratt, who is an international expert on religious terrorism , the Christchurch mosque shootings by Australian Brenton Harrison Tarrant, which killed 51 people and injured 50 more people (primarily Muslims) at
5904-576: The Reformation and Counter-Reformation led to an increase in interdenominational violence. As with modern examples, it is debated as to what extent these acts were religious as opposed to ethnic or political in nature. The early modern period in Britain saw religious conflict resulting from the Reformation and the recusancy that emerged in opposition to it. The Gunpowder Plot of 1605
6027-482: The Taiping Rebellion the beliefs of the founders differ significantly from what is recognizably Christian. In such cases the term Christian terrorism is problematic despite the claim that they are motivated by their religious beliefs. The intimidation of minority communities along with sporadic acts of violence do not typically get referred to as terrorism. However, in 2015 a majority of Americans from
6150-588: The kidnapping of 139 school girls in Aboke in 1996 that were forced to become soldiers and also sex slaves to the soldiers. The government created the so-called "protected camps" beginning in 1996. The LRA declared a short-lived ceasefire for the duration of 1996 Ugandan presidential election , possibly in the hope that Yoweri Museveni would be defeated. Based on 1999 UNICEF data, over 6,000 children were held by LRA rebels in Northern Uganda. In March 2002,
6273-513: The 28,283 deaths, occurring mostly outside camps. In 2006–2008, a series of meetings were held in Juba , Sudan, between the government of Uganda and the LRA, mediated by the south Sudanese separatist leader Riek Machar . The Ugandan government and the LRA signed a truce on 26 August 2006. Under the terms of the agreement, LRA forces would leave Uganda and gather in two assembly areas in the remote Garamba National Park area of northern DR Congo that
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#17327721505386396-430: The Acholi and other northern ethnic groups supplied much of the national manual labor and came to comprise a majority of the military. The southern region became the center for commercial trade development. The livestock-raising Acholi from the north of Uganda were resented for dominating the army and policing. Following the country's independence in 1962 , Uganda's ethnic groups continued to compete with each other within
6519-425: The Acholi population was of particular concern because of the genuine reality of ethnic purges in the history of Uganda. This created a great deal of concern in the Acholi community, as well as a strong desire for formidable leadership and protection. As the conflict has progressed, fewer and fewer Acholi offered sufficient support to the rebels in the eyes of the LRA. This led to an increased amount of violence toward
6642-471: The Central African Republic was overthrown by the Séléka Coalition rebels . The UPDF rescued more than 15,000 people that were abducted since 1986. It is estimated that over 50,000 children were captured during the 20 years in Northern Uganda by LRA. As of 2022, it was reported that the LRA consisted of splinter groups of 1,000 members altogether and was militarily very weak. It acted more like
6765-472: The Christian as in the Stoic mind – with the ideas of vital fire and beneficent warmth. The Hebrew language phrase ruach ha-kodesh ( Hebrew : רוח הקודש , "holy spirit" also transliterated ruaḥ ha-qodesh ) is used in the Hebrew Bible and Jewish writings to refer to the spirit of YHWH (רוח יהוה). The Hebrew terms ruacḥ qodshəka , "thy holy spirit" ( רוּחַ קָדְשְׁךָ ), and ruacḥ qodshō , "his holy spirit" ( רוּחַ קָדְשׁוֹ ), also occur (when
6888-453: The Congo . Its stated goal is against internal oppression under successive regimes, notably President Museveni's. Movements like the LRA have articulated demands that include President Museveni's immediate resignation, the dissolution of the National Resistance Army (NRA) and Uganda People's Defence Force (UPDF), and the establishment of an independent government reflecting ethnic diversity and democratic principles. This struggle has exacted
7011-684: The Democratic and Republican political parties thought that " attacks on abortion providers [should] be considered domestic terrorism". Christianity came to prominence in the Roman Empire during and directly after the rule of Constantine the Great (324–337 AD). By this time, it had spread throughout western Asia as a minority belief, and it had become the state religion of Armenia . In early Christianity , there were many rival sects, which were collectively persecuted by some rulers. There is, however, generally no record of these early Christian groups attempting to use acts of terrorism or indiscriminate acts of violence as religious weapons , though
7134-410: The East Melbourne Fertility Clinic, a private abortion provider, carrying a rifle and other weapons including 16 litres of kerosene , three lighters, torches, 30 gags, and a handwritten note that read "We regret to advise that as a result of a fatal accident involving some members of staff, we have been forced to cancel all appointments today". Knight later stated that he intended to massacre everyone in
7257-414: The Federal Democratic Movement (FEDEMO), were known for their lack of discipline and brutal actions meant that the civilian population was accused of supporting the rebel LRA; likewise, the rebels accused the population of supporting the government army. In March 1991, the Ugandan governments NRA started Operation North, which combined efforts to destroy the LRA, while cutting away its roots of support among
7380-445: The Holy Spirit is a partner to God in the Godhead, but rather is the pure essence of God's attributes. The Hindu concept of Advaita is linked to the Trinity, according to the theologian Raimon Panikkar . He states that the Holy Spirit, as one of the Three Persons of the Trinity of "father, Logos and Holy Spirit", is a bridge-builder between Christianity and Hinduism. He explains that: "The meeting of spiritualistic can take place in
7503-519: The Holy Spirit is generally consistent with other interpretations based upon the Old and the New Testaments. On the basis of narrations in certain Hadith , some Muslims identify it with the angel Gabriel (Arabic Jibrāʾīl ). The Spirit ( الروح al-Ruh , without the adjective "holy" or "exalted") is described, among other things, as the creative spirit from God by which God enlivened Adam , and which inspired in various ways God's messengers and prophets, including Jesus and Abraham . The belief in
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#17327721505387626-424: The Holy Spirit is seen as the source of all goodness in the universe, the spark of all life within humanity, and is the ultimate guide for humanity to righteousness and communion with God. The Holy Spirit is put in direct opposition to its eternal dual counterpart, Angra Mainyu , who is the source of all wickedness and who leads humanity astray. The ancient Gnostic text known as the Secret Book of John refers to
7749-402: The Holy Spirit is the conduit through which the wisdom of God becomes directly associated with his messenger, and it has been described variously in different religions such as the burning bush to Moses, the sacred fire to Zoroaster, the dove to Jesus, the angel Gabriel to Muhammad, and the Maid of Heaven to Bahá'u'lláh (founder of the Baháʼí Faith). The Baháʼí view rejects the idea that
7872-435: The Holy Spirit is the One who empowers the followers of Jesus with spiritual gifts and power that enables the proclamation of Jesus Christ, and the power that brings conviction of faith. The Holy Spirit ( Arabic : روح القدس , romanized : Ruh al-Qudus , "the Spirit of Holiness") is mentioned four times in the Qur'an , where it acts as an agent of divine action or communication. The Muslim interpretation of
7995-416: The Holy Spirit is understood as the divine quality or force of God manifesting in the world, particularly in acts of prophecy , creation and guidance. In Nicene Christianity , this conception expanded in meaning to represent the third person of the Trinity , co-equal and co-eternal with God the Father and God the Son . In Islam , the Holy Spirit acts as an agent of divine action or communication. In
8118-417: The Holy Spirit: "animistic" and "dynamistic". In animistic thinking, he is "an independent agent, a personal power which (...) can fall upon a man and take possession of him, enabling him or compelling him to perform manifestations of power" while in dynamistic thought it "appears as an impersonal force which fills a man like a fluid". Both kinds of thought appear in Jewish and Christian scripture, but animistic
8241-480: The Klan disappeared by the 1870s, but in 1915 a new Protestant -led iteration of the Klan was formed in Georgia , during a period when racism , xenophobia , nativism and anti-Catholicism were all widespread. This version of the Klan vastly expanded its geographical reach and its list of targets over those of the original Klan. Vehemently anti-Catholic , the 1915 Klan espoused an explicitly Protestant Christian terrorist ideology, partially basing its beliefs on
8364-428: The Ku Klux Klan was a social club, but a year after it was founded, it was taken over by "night rider" elements. It then began to commit acts of violence which included arson , beatings, the destruction of property, lynchings , murder , rape , tarring and feathering , whipping , and voter intimidation. The Klan targeted newly freed slaves, carpetbaggers , scalawags , and the occupying Union Army . That iteration of
8487-424: The LRA attacks in DR Congo resulted in displacing as many as 320,000 Congolese, exposing them to famine and disease, according to UNICEF director Ann Veneman . Also in August 2009, the LRA attacked a Catholic church in Ezo, South Sudan , on the Feast of the Assumption , with reports of victims being crucified , causing Ugandan Archbishop John Baptist Odama to call upon the international community for help in finding
8610-440: The LRA broke off negotiations, accusing the government of trying to entrap them. Starting in the mid-1990s, the LRA was strengthened by military support from the government of Sudan , which was retaliating against Ugandan government support for rebels in what would become South Sudan . The LRA fought with the NRA army which led to mass atrocities such as the killing or abduction of several hundred villagers in Atiak in 1995 and
8733-451: The LRA's commandment given as "Thou shalt not smoke." In a speech, James Obita , a former secretary for external affairs and mobilisation of the LRA, adamantly denied that the LRA was "just an Acholi thing" and stated that claims made by the media and Museveni administration asserting that the LRA is a "group of Christian fundamentalists with bizarre beliefs whose aim is to topple the Museveni regime and replace it with governance based on
8856-654: The LRA, in response to Uganda lending military support to the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA). According to Matthew Green , author of The Wizard of the Nile: The Hunt for Africa's Most Wanted , the LRA was highly organised and equipped with crew-operated weapons, VHF radios , and satellite phones . In 2001, it was also reported that LRA targets Sudanese refugees. The International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants on 8 July and 27 September 2005 against Joseph Kony , his deputy Vincent Otti , and
8979-737: The NRA, now the UPDF , launched a massive military offensive code-named Operation Iron Fist against the LRA bases in southern Sudan, with agreement from the National Islamic Front . In retaliation, the LRA attacked the refugee camps in northern Uganda and the Eastern Equatoria in southern Sudan (now South Sudan), brutally killing hundreds of civilians. By 2004, according to the UPDF spokesperson Shaban Bantariza , mediation efforts by
9102-451: The NRM's more than 20 year rule. Although poverty at times may be treated as an escalating factor which creates resentment in society, its role in the conflict in northern Uganda is part of the underlying class structural factors. The Poverty Status Report, 2003, indicates that "one-third of the chronically poor (30.1%) and a disproportionate moving into poverty are from northern Uganda". The LRA
9225-530: The Spirit. No new 'system' has primarily to come of this encounter, but a new and yet old spirit must emerge." Atman is Vedic terminology elaborated in Hindu scriptures such as Upanishads and Vedanta signifies the Ultimate Reality and Absolute . In Zoroastrianism , the Holy Spirit, also known as Spenta Mainyu , is a hypostasis of Ahura Mazda , the supreme Creator God of Zoroastrianism;
9348-489: The UN described as one of the worst in the world. By May 2010, the LRA killed over 1,600 Congolese civilians and abducted more than 2,500. Between September 2008 and July 2011, the group, despite being down to only a few hundred fighters, had killed more than 2,300 people, abducted more than 3,000, and displaced over 400,000 across DR Congo, South Sudan, and the Central African Republic. In March 2012, Uganda announced it would head
9471-663: The Ugandan government agreed not to attack. Between December 2008–March 2009, the armed forces of Uganda, DR Congo, and South Sudan launched aerial attacks and raids on the LRA camps in Garamba, destroying them. The efforts to inflict a military defeat on the LRA were not fully successful. The US supported Operation Lightning Thunder against the LRA. There were brutal revenge attacks by scattered LRA remnants, with over 1,000 people killed and hundreds abducted in DR Congo and South Sudan. Hundreds of thousands were displaced while fleeing
9594-453: The area—trust neither the LRA nor government forces". He believes that "a Ugandan political solution" ("political process"), rather than "military mobilisation" and international "escalation", was what was needed to resolve this conflict. The LRA's ideology is disputed among academics. In practice, "the LRA is not motivated by any identifiable political agenda, and its military strategy and tactics reflect this". It appears to largely function as
9717-563: The ascendancy of the Aryan race . In 2015, Robert Doggart, a 63-year-old mechanical engineer, was indicted for solicitation to commit a civil rights violation by intending to damage or destroy religious property after he stated that he intended to amass weapons and attack Islamberg , an Islamic hamlet and religious community in Delaware County , New York. Doggart, a member of several private militia groups, spoke to an FBI source during
9840-545: The attacks was revenge against Islam . The shooter's rifles were covered with white supremacist symbols and the names of various historical non-Muslim figures who waged battles against Muslims, such as Charles Martel , Skanderbeg and Bajo Pivljanin as well as the Battle of Tours in 732 and the Battle of Vienna in 1683. The perpetrator of the Pittsburgh Tree of Life synagogue shooting Robert Bowers cited
9963-462: The basis that they were "bastions of the Antichrist ". Perpetrators have frequently cited Christianity as both a justification and a motivation for their actions. Typically, as with attacks on abortion clinics as well as with attacks on LGBT people , the perpetrators use doctrine from an established Church as a justification for unsanctioned acts of violence. However, they may also have
10086-573: The battlefield and began a march toward the capital, Kampala . In 1988, after the Holy Spirit Movement was decisively defeated in the Jinja District and Auma fled to Kenya , Kony seized this opportunity to recruit the Holy Spirit remnants. The LRA occasionally carried out local attacks to underline the inability of the government to protect the population. The fact that most NRA government forces, in particular, former members of
10209-530: The bounds of Uganda's new political system. In 1986, the armed rebellion led by Yoweri Museveni 's NRA won the Ugandan Bush War and took control of the country. The victors sought vengeance against ethnic groups in the North of Uganda. Their activities included Operation Simsim, which engaged in burning, looting, and killings of locals. Such acts of violence led to the formation of rebel groups from
10332-601: The case where both groups share membership in a broadly similar cultural group, for example the breakup of Yugoslavia and the Lord's Resistance Army in Uganda . In situations where the opposing ethnicities are more diverse, different skin colors and/or cultural practices are sometimes used as identifiers of the other. In these cases terrorists may call themselves Christians, but they may not be motivated by any particular interpretation of Christian beliefs. In such cases Christianity
10455-486: The casualty rate for these children has been high. The LRA have often used children to fight because they are easy to replace by raiding schools or villages. According to Livingstone Sewanyana, executive director of the Foundation for Human Rights Initiative, the government was the first to use child soldiers in this conflict. Although unproven, there have been rumors that Sudan may have provided military assistance to
10578-673: The charges were dropped after he was convicted in New York. The police in Canada also named him as a suspect in the 1997 shooting of Dr. Jack Fainman in Winnipeg and they also named him as a suspect in the 1994 shooting of Dr. Garson Romalis in Vancouver, which was the first attack on an abortion provider in Canada. The November 2015 Colorado Springs Planned Parenthood shooting , in which three people were killed and nine people were injured,
10701-427: The claims were wrong. In April, Doggart accepted a plea bargain and stated that he had "willfully and knowingly sent a message in interstate commerce containing a true threat" to injure someone. The plea bargain was struck down by a judge because it did not contain enough facts to constitute a true threat. Doggart describes himself as a Christian minister in the "Christian National (Congregational) Church" (apparently,
10824-484: The clinic, and attack all Melbourne abortion clinics. He developed homemade mouth gags and door jambs to restrain all patients and staff inside a clinic while he doused them with the kerosene. He shot 44-year-old Stephen Gordon Rogers , a security guard, in the chest, killing him. Staff and clients overpowered him soon after. He intended to massacre the 15 staff and 26 patients at the clinic by burning them alive. According to psychiatrist Don Sendipathy, Knight interpreted
10947-464: The court that God "will avenge every drop of innocent blood," and he also stated that God’s judgment against the United States would "sweep over this land like a prairie wind." Tiller was shot once before, in 1993, by Shelley Shannon, an anti-abortion activist who compared abortion providers to Hitler and said that she believed that "justifiable force" was necessary to stop abortions. Shannon
11070-405: The crane, standing atop two palm fronds forming a circle; within the circle there is a star, a crescent moon, and a heart containing the Ten Commandments ; over and below the palm fronds the group's name can be found on two small banners. At the time, Otti stated that crane signified pride in Uganda, the palm fronds stood for peace, the Ten Commandments for the group's commitment to Christianity, and
11193-406: The crescent for the oneness of God regardless of religion. Otti claimed that the symbol adorned every LRA uniform, and that he had designed it. It is unclear whether the group continued to use the symbol after Otti's alleged execution by Kony. By 2010, the LRA no longer used standardized uniforms, instead plundering clothing from enemy armies. Furthermore, its troops often adorned their uniforms with
11316-431: The definition of a Christian terrorist; however, James A. Aho, a professor at Idaho State University , is reluctant to use the phrase Christian terrorist, so he calls Rudolph "a religiously inspired terrorist". Dr. George Tiller , one of the few doctors in the United States who performed abortions late in pregnancies, was a frequent target of anti-abortion violence and in 2009, he was killed by Scott Roeder as he stood in
11439-555: The extent that people perceived as enemies can be deemed inconsequential. A former Cabinet minister who was a key figure in the Presidential Peace Team while addressing elders in Lango on the atrocities committed by the NRA in the northern districts of Gulu , Kitgum , Lira , Apac , and Teso , warned them that "they did not matter as long as the south was stable". This sense of betrayal on the northerners festered into
11562-452: The first warrants issued by the ICC since it was established in 2002. Details of the warrants were sent to the three countries where the LRA is active: Uganda, Sudan (the LRA was active in what is now South Sudan ), and DR Congo. The LRA leadership has long stated that they would never surrender unless they were granted immunity from prosecution; so the ICC order to arrest them raised concerns that
11685-464: The flags of enemy states to confuse their opponents, for instance using the regular flag of Uganda and the flag of Luxembourg . The Sudan Tribune also attributed a red-black-blue flag to the LRA. In 2007, the government of Uganda claimed that the LRA had only 500 or 1,000 soldiers in total, but other sources estimated that there could have been as many as 3,000 soldiers, along with about 1,500 women and children. By 2011, unofficial estimates were in
11808-422: The foyer of his church. A witness who was serving as an usher alongside Tiller at the church that day told the court that Roeder entered the foyer, put a gun to the doctor's head and pulled the trigger. At trial, Roeder admitted to killing Tiller and he said that he did it in order to protect the lives of unborn babies. He was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison. At his sentencing, he told
11931-404: The highest mortality rates in the world. The Ugandan Ministry of Health and partners estimated that, through the first seven months of 2005, about 1,000 people were dying weekly, chiefly from malaria and AIDS . During the same time period of January–July 2005, the LRA abducted 1,286 Ugandans (46.4 percent of whom were children under the age of 15 years), and violence accounted for 9.4 percent of
12054-457: The innocent, or whatever. The Ten Commandments carries all this. The Norwegian scholar Knut Holter has argued that what the LRA means by the "Ten Commandments" is somewhat loosely associated with the Ten Commandments as found in the Biblical text. Holter notes that the LRA have created new commandments that help propagate their ideology under the term the "Ten Commandments". One such example is
12177-476: The insurgency would not have a negotiated end. The indictments received warm praise within the international community. However, the Acholi people showed mixed reactions. Many felt that amnesty for the LRA soldiers and a negotiated settlement was the best hope for the end of the war. In the end, the court's intent to prosecute the leaders of the LRA reduced the army's willingness to cooperate in peace negotiations. Christian terrorism Christian terrorism ,
12300-439: The level of development and investment between Eastern and Northern Uganda on the one side, and Central and Western Uganda on the other perceived as wealthy, is a manifestation of economic marginalization of the region, in spite of the fact most top leadership in Uganda hailed from the north between 1962 and 1985. This marginalization with the consequences of wars, has resulted in varying poverty levels in northern Uganda, for most of
12423-468: The main reason for their existence, partially in contrast to the identities and existence of other groups which they consider threatening and non-Christian. Terrorists can also cite their interpretation of the Bible or Christian beliefs as their motivation. All types of terrorism have a complex interrelationship with psychology and mental health ; however, only a minority of terrorists have diagnosable medical illnesses. Christianity can also be claimed as
12546-783: The massacres. The military action in DR Congo did not result in the capture or killing of Kony, who remained elusive. During December 2008, the LRA massacred at least 143 people and abducted 180 at a concert celebration sponsored by the Roman Catholic church in Faradje in DR Congo. The LRA struck several other communities in the near-simultaneous attacks: 75 people were murdered in a church near Dungu , at least 80 were killed in Batande, 48 in Bangadi , and 213 in Gurba . By August 2009,
12669-509: The mental health of a terrorist is often complicated by a number of factors. There is minimal statistically robust information specifically on terrorists who claim Christian motivation. However, Gill says that about 30% of right wing, 52% of single issue, and 8% of those in a terrorist group have a mental illness. Another study found that about 53% of individual terrorists could have been characterized as socially isolated before their attacks. People in some terrorist groups are less likely to have
12792-742: The murder are believed to have had ties to the Christian Identity movement. They were also suspected of playing a role in 18 arson attacks on three synagogues . In 1996, three men who claimed to be Phineas priests —Charles Barbee, Robert Berry and Jay Merelle—were charged with two bank robberies and bombings at the banks, the bombing of a Spokane newspaper, and the bombing of a Planned Parenthood clinic in Washington state . The men were antisemitic Christian Identity theorists who believed that God wanted them to carry out violent attacks and they also believed that such attacks would hasten
12915-558: The non-combatant population, which in turn further alienated them from the rebels. This self-perpetuating cycle led to the creation of a strict divide between Acholis and rebels—a divide that was previously not explicitly present. Robert Gersony , in a report funded by the U.S. embassy in Kampala in 1997, concluded that "the LRA has no political program or ideology, at least none that the local population has heard or can understand". The International Crisis Group has stated that "the LRA
13038-550: The perpetrator believes are threatening to him or her in any way, such as LGBT people or members of any group which does not conform to the perpetrator's view of who they are. When the opposing group is also Christian but belongs to a different denomination, it is often denounced as non-Christian or anti-Christian. For example, the leader of the Orange Volunteers , who described themselves as Protestant fundamentalists, defended their attacks on Catholic churches on
13161-467: The population through heavy-handed tactics. As part of Operation North, the army created the "Arrow Groups", village guards mostly armed with bows and arrows. The creation of the Arrow Groups angered Kony, who began to feel that he no longer had the support of the population. After the failure of Operation North, Betty Oyella Bigombe initiated the first face-to-face meeting between representatives of
13284-452: The range of 300 to 400 combatants, with more than half believed to be abductees. The soldiers are organized into independent squads of 10 or 20 soldiers. By early 2012, the LRA had been reduced to a force of between 200 and 250 fighters, according to Ugandan defence minister Crispus Kiyonga . Abou Moussa, the UN envoy in the region, said in March 2012 that the LRA was believed to have dwindled to between 200 and 700 followers but still remained
13407-439: The ranks of the previous Ugandan army, Uganda National Liberation Army . Many of those groups made peace with Museveni. The southern-dominated army, however, did not stop attacking civilians in the north of the country. Therefore, by late 1987 to early 1988, a civilian resistance movement led by Alice Auma was formed. Auma did not pick up arms against the central government; her members carried sticks and stones. She believed she
13530-461: The rebel LRA and NRA government. The rebels asked for a general amnesty for their combatants and to "return home", but the government stance was hampered by disagreement over the credibility of the LRA negotiators and political infighting. At a meeting in January 1994, Kony asked for six months to regroup his troops but by early February, the tone of the negotiations was growing increasingly bitter and
13653-472: The religious beliefs of conventional Christianity. The literal use of the phrase Christian terrorism is disputed. It appears in the academic literature to describe a large range of actions and beliefs. Religion can be cited as the motivation for terrorism in conflicts that have a variety of ethnic, economic and political causes, such as the one in Bosnia . In cases such as the Lord's Resistance Army or
13776-468: The rise of globalization . Juergensmeyer categorizes contemporary Christian terrorists as being a part of "religious activists from Algeria to Idaho , who have come to hate secular governments with an almost transcendent passion and dream of revolutionary changes that will establish a godly social order in the rubble of what the citizens of most secular societies regard as modern, egalitarian democracies". According to terrorism expert David C. Rapoport,
13899-528: The three LRA commanders Okot Odhiambo and Raska Lukwiya , deputy army commanders, and Dominic Ongwen , brigade commander of the Sania Brigade of the LRA. The five LRA leaders were charged with crimes against humanity and war crimes, including murder, rape, and sexual slavery. Ongwen was the only of the five not charged with recruiting child soldiers. The warrants were filed under seal; public redacted versions were released on 13 October 2005. These were
14022-523: The woods behind Slepian's home in October 1998 and shot him through the window with a high-powered rifle, killing him as he stood in his kitchen with his family. Slepian had just returned from a memorial service for his father when he was killed. Kopp spent almost two and a half years on the run in Mexico, Ireland and France before he was captured and extradited to the United States in 2001. He was convicted on
14145-641: Was a failed attempt by a group of English Catholics to assassinate the Protestant King James I , and to blow up the Palace of Westminster , the English seat of government. Although the modern concept of religious terrorism , or indeed terrorism at all, had not yet come into use in the seventeenth century, David C. Rapoport and Lindsay Clutterbuck point out that the Plot, with its use of explosives,
14268-457: Was an early precursor of nineteenth century anarchist terrorism. Sue Mahan and Pamala L. Griset classify the plot as an act of religious terrorism, writing that "Fawkes and his colleagues justified their actions in terms of religion." Peter Steinfels also characterizes this plot as a notable case of religious terrorism. Eastern Orthodox Christian -influenced movements in Romania , such as
14391-540: Was described as "a form of terrorism" by Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper . The gunman, Robert Lewis Dear, was described as a "delusional" man because on a cannabis internet forum , he had written that "sinners" would "burn in hell" during the end times , and he had also written about smoking marijuana and propositioning women for sex. He had praised the Army of God , stating that attacks on abortion clinics are "God's work". Dear's ex-wife said that he had put glue on
14514-407: Was imagined as a tenuous substance akin to a current of air or breath, but essentially possessing the quality of warmth; it was immanent in the universe as God, and in man as the soul and life-giving principle. Clearly it is not a long step from this to the "Holy Spirit" of Christian theology, the "Lord and Giver of life", visibly manifested as tongues of fire at Pentecost and ever since associated – in
14637-466: Was inspired by the Holy Spirit of God. Auma portrayed herself as a prophet who received messages from the Holy Spirit and expressed the belief that the Acholi could defeat the Museveni government. She preached that her followers should cover their bodies with shea nut oil as protection from bullets, never take cover or retreat in battle, and never kill snakes or bees. Joseph Kony would later preach
14760-543: Was sentenced to 10 years in prison for the shooting of Tiller and she later confessed to vandalizing and burning a string of abortion clinics in California , Nevada and Oregon . James Kopp was convicted of the murder of Dr. Barnett Slepian , an obstetrician who provided abortion services in the Buffalo area, and he has also been named as a suspect in the shooting of several abortion providers in Canada. Kopp hid in
14883-614: Was steeped in Christian symbolism, including prayer and hymn singing. Modern Klan organizations remain associated with acts of domestic terrorism in the United States . Mark Juergensmeyer , a former president of the American Academy of Religion , has argued that there has been a global rise in religious nationalism after the Cold War due to the post-colonial collapse of confidence in Western models of nationalism and
15006-418: Was that this domination of politics in Uganda by the northerners was no longer acceptable and had to end. This suggested that until the objective of removing the northerners from power had been achieved and all threats from those quarters removed, the war in the north had to continue. In 2012, scholar Mahmood Mamdani argued that "[t]he reason why the LRA continues is that its victims—the civilian population of
15129-441: Was the first Klansman". Although members of the KKK swear to uphold Christian morality , virtually every Christian denomination has officially denounced the KKK. From 1915 onward, "second era" Klansmen initiated cross burnings (adapted from scenes in the 1915 film The Birth of a Nation ), not only to intimidate targets, but also to demonstrate their respect and reverence for Jesus Christ . The ritual of lighting crosses
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