No matter your thoughts on one social issue or another, most decent human beings can agree those differences do not warrant resorting to violence. But time and again over the past few years, we see instances in which those who have bought in to the fear-and-hatred method of buying votes believe they are justified in translating their extreme views into action. Sadly, that has been — repeatedly — deadly.

In the case of a community church in Chesterland, Ohio, the damage was only to a building, but the situation could have been much worse. Aimenn Penny, of Alliance, has pleaded guilty to firebombing the church, “to using force through fire and explosives” with the intent of obstructing congregants from their “enjoyment and expression of their religious beliefs,” according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

But Penny, a member of White Lives Matter who has been spotted with members of his group carrying swastika flags and shouting racial and homophobic slurs and “Heil Hitler,” seems to have believed committing arson and a federal hate crime was worth it to demonstrate his feelings about the church’s support of the LGBTQI+ community and reported plans to host drag shows.

Again, we’re not talking about whether you agree with the church’s stance and decisions. We’re talking about understanding that in a country with freedom of religion as a founding principle, there is no place for what Penny tried to do.

“Such acts of extremist violence are antithetical to core American values of freedom of expression and worship, and we will not tolerate those who would use force to deny our citizens the free exercise of their rights,” said Matthew Olsen of the Justice Department’s national security division.

Extremist religious violence is wrong no matter in what part of the world or which religious label the perpetrators are attaching to their movement. Politicians who have had a hand in stoking it on one front while denouncing it on another must not continue to be tolerated either.