By blocking entrances, blasting slogans through bullhorns, infiltrating services and shouting obscenities, such individuals are placing churches, synagogues and mosques under siege.
State and federal laws exist prohibiting such conduct, but many merely classify it as a misdemeanor, offering little deterrent to those seeking to disrupt religious services.
California, for its part, is finally getting serious about protecting the rights of believers to worship in peace.
“The one place people should be able to gather without fear is a place of worship.”
A new bill introduced by State Senator Shannon Grove would classify such disruptions as potential felonies, giving courts the option of imposing much heavier penalties.
The current Section 302 of the California Penal Code states that, “Every person who intentionally disturbs or disquiets any assemblage of people met for religious worship at a tax-exempt place of worship, by profane discourse, rude or indecent behavior, or by any unnecessary noise, either within the place where the meeting is held, or so near it as to disturb the order and solemnity of the meeting, is guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by a fine not exceeding one thousand dollars ($1,000), or by imprisonment in a county jail for a period not exceeding one year, or by both that fine and imprisonment.”
Senator Grove’s legislation gives teeth to Section 302, making disruptions to religious services capable of being charged as felonies, with prosecutors empowered to seek fines of up to $5,000 and jail time of up to three years.
Support for the legislation has flooded in from at least 30 religious leaders across the state.
“The church is a sanctuary, a safe place to gather and freely worship,” said Pastor Vicki Nohrden of Wind and Fire Ministries. “Senate Bill 1070, introduced by Senator Grove, will strengthen the protections of our First Amendment rights.”
Pastor Dean Deguara of Real Life Church in Sacramento said, “In a time when our nation feels more divided, more hostile and more reactive, the one place people should be able to gather without fear is a place of worship, whether it’s a church, synagogue, mosque, temple or any other faith community.”
“Thank you for your efforts to bring this bill forward,” Rabbi Yossi Korik of Chabad of Placer County in Roseville said. “I think it is important to ensure safe, peaceful and uninterrupted religious worship. Respect for the sanctity of worship has been violated; a bill like this can help restore the respect and awe that religious worship deserves.”
There is little doubt that houses of worship are under attack.
On March 1, 2025, protesters massed outside Adas Torah Synagogue in Los Angeles, trying to obstruct access to the building and creating chaotic confrontations to block worshipers from entering.
On March 19, 2025, agitators posed as worshipers of the Mission Church in Carlsbad, California—then began screaming and using amplified sound devices to disrupt services.
On September 7, 2025, a mob blocked the entrance to the meeting place of the Christian and Jewish Alliance in San Diego County, blasting sirens and seeking to intimidate attendees. The police had to be called.
Churches of Scientology in California have likewise been subjected to harassment by anti-religious hate groups seeking to menace and impede parishioners on their way to and from religious services.
Whatever the motives, these attacks make religious worship virtually impossible.
“This bill treats ALL places of worship as the sacred spaces they are.”
Pastor Tanner DiBella, president of the American Council, a faith‑based advocacy organization, told Freedom Magazine, “We are very confident that Senate Bill 1070 will receive bipartisan support in the California State Legislature. Every leader should care about protecting the sanctity and safety of houses of worship.
“The bill has attracted support from diverse religious communities, including Jewish rabbis, Islamic imams, Catholics and evangelical pastors.
“We believe the bill will deter coordinated disruption and intimidation of houses of worship. California is stronger when every religious community is protected.”
“With more and more aggressive disruptions targeting religious gatherings across California and nationwide, we must act to safeguard the constitutional rights to free exercise of religion and peaceful assembly,” Senator Grove said.
“This bill treats ALL places of worship as the sacred spaces they are by allowing courts to use their discretion to charge perpetrators with a felony for serious or repeated conduct that interrupts worship.”
“No one should fear gathering to pray.”
There were at least 410 acts of arson and vandalism at Catholic churches since 2020, according to the US Conference of Catholic Bishops.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations cites 8,658 complaints in the US in 2024 related to anti-Muslim and anti-Arab discrimination, while 29 percent of Muslims say they fear for their personal safety.
Some 56 percent of American Jews say they’ve changed their behavior in the last year because of antisemitism, while more than half say they, too, are concerned about their personal safety.
A nationwide report documents 415 hostile actions against churches in 2024, 40 of which took place in California.
At issue is the ability of Americans to freely practice their faith.
“Freedom of worship is not a partisan value; it is a human and civil right,” Pastor DiBella said. “This bill is about ensuring that families and congregations, regardless of tradition or denomination, can gather without fear of being intentionally disrupted.”
He’s right.
Let’s hope this is the beginning of a nationwide groundswell protecting America’s houses of worship, and religious freedom itself.
