MY LIFE

In a comment yesterday, Steve brought up this article about the attacks on Christians in Iraq.  It is probably safe to assume that they were attacked by Muslim extremists for not converting to Islam, since this is what the article states, whether they were Christian or otherwise.  In this case it probably didn’t matter if they were Christian or some other non-Muslim religion.  I imagine Jews and Hindus and Buddhists would have been killed as well.  The attacks aren’t about what they ARE but about their refusal to become something else.

But it doesn’t matter.   It is really hard to make the distinction.  They were Christians and wanted to remain Christians.  And it is wrong to force-by-violence someone to convert, no matter how silly their religion.  If it makes them happy and doesn’t hurt anyone else, it’s their own business.   (Notice, it is the “doesn’t hurt anyone else” part that American Christians have SUCH a problem understanding, as you’ll see in a moment.)

For the record, I am opposed to killing someone for being a Christian.  Or rather, JUST for being a Christian.  If what a person does AS a Christian, BECAUSE he’s a Christian, is wrong, then it doesn’t matter if he’s a Christian or not.   You can’t ignore bad behavior, even if it is done under the banner of religion.   It would be a violation of our Constitution to imprison people for having an ill-informed opinion about abortion.  It woudl NOT be a case of religious persecution to jail someone for bombing an abortion clinic in the name of religion.  Religion is irrelevant in this case — doesn’t matter why some idiot would bomb a clinic, and he would not be persecuted if he’s thrown in jail for it.

Persecution is a noun, and means:

1.     the act of persecuting.
2.     the state of being persecuted.
3.     a program or campaign to exterminate, drive away, or subjugate a people because of their religion, race, or beliefs: the persecutions of Christians by the Romans.

dictionary.com

Persecute is a verb and means:

1.     to pursue with harassing or oppressive treatment, esp. because of religion, race, or beliefs; harass persistently.
2.     to annoy or trouble persistently.

Subjugate (as used inthe definition of persecution, above) is also a verb and means:

1.     to bring under complete control or subjection; conquer; master.
2.     to make submissive or subservient; enslave.

Keep these definitions in mind.

Billy the Atheist just posted Christianists: Please, Make Up Your Mind! , starting with an interesting personal anecdote:

When the kids were in elementary school, the wife and I, as good parents are expected to do, got involved with the PTA.  I remember the president explaining what, exactly, the PTA did.  One of the things that they did was give all the kids a Christmas party.

My wife, immediately, said, “What?”

The president lifted her chin, looked down her nose (which was a trick since it was a sloped room and we were at the top) at us and said, “Most of the kids are Christians.”

“What about the ones who aren’t?” my wife asked.

The president sighed and, as if talking to a five year old, said, “Well, most of the kids are Christians.  And majority rules.”

We stayed involved in the PTA for a quite a few years and tried, very hard, to change that ‘majority rules’ bullshit.  We failed.

And he continues with several other examples of this idiotic “majority rules” nonsense, mostly school-related incidents, all with astounding idiocy exemplified in school officials and others who really should know better.

And then he writes;

For American Christians, the idea that majority always rules is a comfortable part of their life.  Even if something is blatantly unconstitutional, if the majority likes it, it must be okay.  Quick history lesson, folks:  the Constitution of the United States of America exists, in part, to protect the minority from the majority.

We are NOT a Democratic country.  Majority DOES NOT RULE.  We are a democratic republic, with a representative government. Our government was set up specifically to PREVENT this sort of “majority rule” mentality, especially when it comes to individual civil rights and civil liberties.

Yet many of these same Christians who use their bully tactics and insist that majority rules, turn around and cry about Christian persecution in our country!    Billy quotes an article suggesting that Christians in THIS COUNTRY are being rounded up, isolated, and persecuted.  Bullshit.  It’s not happening.   It is the Christian Machine spouting fear-based rhetoric.  That’s all.

Now, go back to our definitions….   remember that persecution is a program or campaign (a program or campaign — suggesting an organized effort, often by an institution, government or  some other body) to exterminate, drive away, or subjugate a people, to pursue with harrassing or oppressive treatment, in order to bring them under control or enslavement.    (Note: in America we no longer have slaves, but the connotation is to put someone in a position of bondage against their will, where they no longer have their essential human rights and freedoms.)

There is absolutely NO organized effort in this country to persecute Christians, or people any other religion.  Quite the opposite, in fact.   Throughout our history as a nation, Christians have used the “majority rule” in order to subjugate others, and have held a position of privilege with it.    Our current social issues provide ample proof of this — science education, abortion rights, gay rights, etc.   Christians are fighting these to subjugate others into living under Christian rules.  Fortunately, more and more people are waking up and not allowing themselves to be bullied by frivolous lawsuits.

What is happening today in America is NOT religious persecution, not by a long shot.  What IS happening, however, is that those who have been oppressed and held in subjugation BY Chrisians are coming out and rising up to say “Enough!”    Christians are free to make up their own rules for themselves, but those rules only apply within their own families and religious communities.   Nobody is telling Christians to live under our rules and by our standards; we’re just saying we’re not going to do it their way any more.  That’s not persecution, it’s merely putting them in their place.  They’ll whine a while, and then they’ll get over it.  Tough nuts.  And then they’ll realize they were wrong (again!).

It is NOT religious persecution to strip the Winter Holiday programs of Christian music, or biased dominionist songs (as one of the cases cited).  It is NOT religious persecution to strip an organization’s tax-exemption when they stop doing religion and start conducting business in the open market.

I haven’t seen one example yet of genuine religious persecution against Christians in this country, although I have seen ugly Christian behavior toward people of other religions.