Attacks against seminary and institute buildings, historic sites, missionary training centers, meetinghouses and temples of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the United States and other countries have taken the form of arson, vandalism, and armed attacks. This timeline documents acts of violence and major vandalism against such Latter-day Saint places of worship, historical sites, training centers, and administrative properties, including an ongoing series of arson attacks beginning in 2018.
19th century
18301900 October 1848 – The Nauvoo Temple in Nauvoo, Illinois was destroyed in an act of arson. September 15, 1850 – In Spalding, England, a mob assaulted and overpowered a Church member who was guarding entry to a meetinghouse in use by fellow Latter-day Saints, forcing him inside; the mob then attacked the building and forced entry. On leaving the town that evening, Latter-day Saints from this congregation were later physically attacked by members of this mob. July 29, 1857 – Church members were attacked in a meetinghouse by locals in Birmingham, England; windows were destroyed, door hinges were torn off, and a door to the building was temporarily stolen. October 11, 1857 – Church members and their meetinghouse were physically attacked by locals in Bristol, England. July 20, 1858 – Church members were attacked in a meetinghouse by locals in Whitechapel, England; windows were destroyed, Latter-day Saints were verbally abused and physically assaulted with gravel and dirt. August 10, 1884 – A home being used as a meetinghouse in Lewis County, Tennessee was attacked by ten to twelve masked men, who shot and killed four Church members. The event is known today as Tennessee's Mormon Massacre.
20th century
19012000 August 8, 1901 – A meetinghouse in Davis Chapel (now known as Hale Spring) in Marshall County, Kentucky was burned to the ground. June 16, 1902 – A meetinghouse was attacked in Davis Chapel (now known as Hale Spring) in Marshall County, Kentucky, resulting in one church convert being wounded in the leg by gunshot. 1904 – Residents of Harkers Island, North Carolina threw rocks and shot a bullet at a meetinghouse. January 16, 1906 – A meetinghouse in Harkers Island, North Carolina was burned to the ground by arsonists. November 18, 1912 – A meetinghouse was attacked by a mob of 300 people in Bristol, England during Church services. November 14, 1962 – The Salt Lake Temple was bombed with a plastic explosive, shattering one of its doors and eleven of its windows. April 1, 1963 – A meetinghouse under construction in Porto Alegre, Brazil was bombed. December 16, 1970 – A meetinghouse in Hayward, California was damaged in an act of arson, resulting in $200,000 in damages. November 7, 1973 – A meetinghouse in Scottsdale, Arizona was damaged in an act of arson. April 27, 1974 – A meetinghouse in Pacific County, Washington was vandalized. Damage included graffiti, broken windows, and damaged furniture and kitchen equipment. February 20, 1980 – A meetinghouse in Tooele, Utah was damaged by a bomb in its parking lot, causing about $5,000 in damages. May 1980 – A stake center that had not yet been completed was destroyed in an act of arson in Cody, Wyoming. October 3, 1983 – A meetinghouse in Lancaster, Pennsylvania was damaged in an act of arson related to a burglary, resulting in $25,000 in damages. January 1984 – A meetinghouse in Marlboro, Massachusetts was totally destroyed in an act of arson just shortly after it had been built, resulting in $500,000 worth of damages. July 4, 1985 – Two meetinghouses in Concepción, Chile were bombed; meetinghouses in Lota, Chile and Coronel, Chile suffered minor damage from bombs around the same time. April 2223, 1986 – Five meetinghouses in Santiago, Chile were bombed. May 4, 1986 – A stake center in Kirtland, Ohio was burned to the ground by an arsonist, destroying a library of historical records. October 23, 1986 – Clarence Leake took two hostages inside the Washington D.C. Temple in Kensington, Maryland during a 12-hour standoff with police. January 16, 1988 – A meetinghouse in Marion, Utah was bombed. July 56, 1988 – A meetinghouse in Salt Lake City, Utah was vandalized. July 29, 1988 – Bomb placed outside a side door at the Stockholm Sweden Temple, the explosion caused minor damage. July 4, 1989 – Seven masked assailants entered a meetinghouse in the La Florida district of Santiago, Chile, forced a missionary at gunpoint to undress, then threw a firebomb into the meetinghouse library. July 10, 1989 – A meetinghouse in Santa Cruz, Bolivia was bombed. September 6, 1989 – A meetinghouse in Santiago, Chile was bombed. December 24. 1989 – Meetinghouses in Santiago, Chile and other Chilean cities were bombed. December 26, 1989 – Two meetinghouses in Chiclayo, Peru were bombed. December 27, 1989 – A meetinghouse in Quilpué, Chile was bombed. December 29, 1989 – The Lima Peru Temple in Lima, Peru was attacked with dynamite. January 2, 1990 – The Omar-Torrijos Anti-Intervention Command group firebombed a meetinghouse in Caracas, Venezuela. October 5, 1990 – A meetinghouse was bombed in the La Florida district of Santiago, Chile. November 27, 1990 – A meetinghouse in Taylorsville, Utah was damaged in arson during a volleyball tournament inside consisting of about 150 players and spectators; the meetinghouse was evacuated. Nobody is reported to have died; about $1,500 worth of damages was caused. December 6, 1990 – Four meetinghouses were bombed in Santiago, Chile. January 20, 1991 – A meetinghouse in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil was damaged in an attack with two bombs. January 22, 1991 – A meetinghouse in Phoenix, Arizona was damaged in an act of arson, resulting in about $20,000 worth of damages. February 13, 1991 – A meetinghouse in the Maipu district of Santiago, Chile was bombed, suffering minor damage. April 14, 1991 – A meetinghouse in Provo, Utah was bombed. July 7, 1991 – A meetinghouse in Chile was bombed. July 20, 1991 – A meetinghouse and family history centre in Loughborough, Leicestershire, England was damaged in an act of arson. December 22, 1991 – Six bombs were set off in Chile: five in Santiago and one in Valdivia; two of the targeted sites were meetinghouses of the Church. March 29, 1992 – A meetinghouse was bombed in Santiago, Chile. July 21, 1992 – A meetinghouse was bombed in Temuco, Chile. July 27, 1992 – A meetinghouse was bombed in Santiago, Chile. November 2, 1992 – A meetinghouse in Butte, Montana was damaged in an act of arson. February 7, 1993 – During an address by Howard W. Hunter (then the President of the LDS Church's Quorum of the Twelve Apostles) at the Marriott Center at Brigham Young University (owned by the LDS Church) in Provo, Utah, Cody Robert Judy entered the center and threatened Hunter directly with the detonation of a bomb (which was later found to be fake). February 20, 1993 – A meetinghouse in Essex, Maryland was damaged in an act of arson, resulting in $3 million worth of damages. July 2425, 1993 – Nearly a dozen meetinghouses in Davis County, Utah were vandalized over the course of a weekend; locks were glued, windows were smashed, and some vehicles were also damaged. The meetinghouses were located in Farmington, Kaysville, Layton, Clinton, and Clearfield. March 14, 1997 – A meetinghouse in South Jordan, Utah was burned in an act of arson; its organ was destroyed in the fire. May 1997 – A meetinghouse in Abbotsford, British Columbia was burned in an act of arson. June 28, 1998 – A meetinghouse in Roswell, New Mexico was burned in an act of arson, resulting in $2.5million in damages. April 15, 1999 – The Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah became the scene of a mass shooting; the shooting left 3 dead (including the perpetrator) and several injured. January 3, 2000 – A meetinghouse and seminary building in Sandy, Utah was damaged in an act of arson. April 10, 2000 – A man drove a pickup truck through the glass doors, foyer, and gymnasium of a meetinghouse in Powell, Wyoming. He had reportedly become angered at being asked not to smoke in the building. He was the only individual injured.http://www.mormonstoday.com/000416/D2PowellChapel01.shtml
21st century
20012010
January 2021, 2001 – A meetinghouse in Gig Harbor, Washington was vandalized, resulting in damages around $40,000 to $50,000. May 25, 2001 – A meetinghouse in Sandy, Utah was vandalized, resulting in at least $100,000 worth of damages. June 12, 2001 – A meetinghouse in West Valley City, Utah was burned in an act of arson, resulting in $300,000 worth of damages. June 22, 2001 – A meetinghouse in Salt Lake City, Utah was vandalized. July 3, 2001 – A meetinghouse in Lexington, Ohio was burned in an act of arson. July 22, 2001 – A meetinghouse in Nephi, Utah was vandalized with graffiti. June 30, 2002 – A meetinghouse in Lansing, Michigan was leveled due to an act of arson, resulting in approximately $5 million worth of damages. April 6, 2003 – A meetinghouse in Murray, Utah was burned in an act of arson, resulting in damages worth less than $5,000. August 2, 2003 – A meetinghouse in Kearns, Utah was burned in an act of arson; the man responsible for the arson also stole a Church checkbook from the building, which led to his capture. June 24, 2004 – A meetinghouse's trees were destroyed in Riverton, Utah, resulting in approximately $10,000 worth of damages. December 11, 2004 – A man armed with an ax damaged a Christus statue at the visitor center of the Oakland California Temple. December 29, 2004 – A meetinghouse in Sandy, Utah was vandalized with derogatory remarks towards homosexuals, blacks, and members of the Church spray-painted; this resulted in several thousand dollars' worth of damages. February 27, 2005 – A meetinghouse in Rose, Idaho was burned by arsonists who piled up charred furniture at the front entrance and set the structure a fire. September 7, 2005 – A meetinghouse under construction in North Las Vegas, Nevada was burned by arsonist's fire. The $3million building was a complete loss. July 28, 2006 – A meetinghouse in Springville, Utah was burned in an act of arson. November 19, 2007 – A meetinghouse in Mesa, Arizona was burned. January 14, 2008 – A seminary building in Salt Lake City, Utah was vandalized with graffiti. February 15, 2008 – A seminary building in Farmington, New Mexico was damaged in an act of arson. November 13, 2008 – An envelope containing white powder was sent to and opened in the Salt Lake Temple; around the same time, similar substances were sent to the Los Angeles California Temple and to a Catholic fraternity. The substances were later found not to be hazardous. November 24, 2008 – A meetinghouse in Farmington, Utah was damaged in an act of vandalism. September 78, 2009 – A meetinghouse in the Sellwood area of Portland, Oregon was vandalized, resulting in thousands of dollars' worth of damage. August 29, 2010 – A bishop was shot and killed in his office at one of the Church's meetinghouses in Visalia, California. October 17, 2010 – A meetinghouse in Mukilteo, Washington, was burned. October 30, 2010 – Two meetinghouses in Salt Lake City, Utah were burned in acts of arson.
20112020 December 16, 2011 – A meetinghouse in Santaquin, Utah was burned. June 9, 2012 – Two meetinghouses in Logan, Utah (as well as nine other buildings pertaining to other religions/churches) were damaged in an act of vandalism. June 29, 2012 – A fire that destroyed a 50-year-old meetinghouse in Tolleson, Arizona was confirmed to be the work of an arsonist. June 30 July 1, 2012 – A meetinghouse in Cedar City, Utah was vandalized, resulting in tens of thousands of dollars in damage. September 25, 2012 – A meetinghouse in Spokane, Washington was damaged in an act of arson. May 5, 2013 – A failed Molotov cocktail was thrown through the window of a meetinghouse in Ogden, Utah; the remains of the incendiary device still caused approximately $1,000 in damage.