Bomb threat at Denver Public Library gets described as amongst recent incidents of religious right-wing threats

The establishment was not the only institution that faced threats to its staff's lives. (Photo by Paul Melki from Unsplash)

The Denver Public Library recently closed its branches and canceled their Bookmobile stops after they received a bomb threat. 

The library indicated on its system that the closure was an essential precautionary measure they had to take for the safety of the public and their employees. 

However, the establishment was not the only institution that faced threats to its staff's lives. 

On Sept. 23, Nashville Public Library was forced to close its branches. The library stated that they received the bomb threat via email, which the police determined had most likely come from outside their state. 

Similarly, Salt Lake City Public Library and Fort Worth Library shuttered their branches and evacuated their employees. 

In an interview with NewsChannel 5, Nashville Councilwoman Ginny Welsch stated that such a threat, which she regarded as domestic terrorism, has become common. 

However, according to The New Republic, the connections between these threats often go unmentioned. 

Examining Several Similarities 

The report shared that the number of threats being reported has accumulated over the past few weeks. As far as libraries are concerned, the threats towards them have three things in common. 

The first one is that the bomb threats they received came from outside the state. 

Second, their threats sowed chaos, confusion, and harassment. 

Third, and most importantly, they are all libraries. 

In an interview with NewsChannel 5, Nashville Councilwoman Welsch stated that whoever is behind these threats is trying to make everyone afraid and has targeted libraries because they are a place of knowledge and history. 

HuffPost states these hoax threats appear to be part of a conservative culture war with right-wing groups. 

The report further said that these groups had turned their attention to public libraries hosting events and having books with LGBTQ+ themes. 

Religious organizations have set up campaigns to block anyone from consuming information about LGBTQ+ communities. 

Several books were also banned because they contained characters of the LGBTQ+ community. 

Christian's Response 

According to Stephen Mitchell's article published in The Christian Post, the Great Commission that Jesus gave to His church was to save souls, not win culture wars or advance a political or ideological movement. 

As an evangelical Christian, Mitchell clarified that he believes it is important to participate in politics and democracy. It is part of a Christian's duty to pray for candidates that would best represent their religious values. 

However, Mitchell stated that it all goes wrong if Christians become obsessed with winning a political struggle rather than being followers of Christ. 

He added that corruption and compromise have always resulted from the marriage between the cause of Christ and political power. 

He said that Christianity is not about being left-winged or right-winged. Faith should go beyond these political ideologies. 

Rather than conforming Jesus to their image, Christians should allow Him to conform them to His image. 

Mitchell stated that God is looking for prophets that will live and speak biblical truth in love instead of partisans. 

According to him, one's identity should not be rooted in political affiliation. Rather, it should be rooted in who they truly are—"Ambassadors for Christ."

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