[culture|religion] The modern persecution by the Christians
I'm reposting this from Jay's blog. Because even with chemo-brain he is for more erudite than I am and says it all.
Originally posted by jaylake at [culture|religion] The modern persecution by the Christians
One of the more ridiculous things I hear from some of my Christian friends on a reasonably consistent basis is that they are being persecuted for their religion. I realize that persecution is an important Christian meme from the earliest days of the Church, and telling themselves this is comforting and self-valorizing. But let's talk about persecution for a little while.
As a Christian, are you prevented from marrying the person you love by the rules of your country's dominant religion? My gay and lesbian friends are. That's persecution by Christians, not of Christians.
As a Christian, are your efforts to seek political and legal equality stymied by rhetoric from houses of worship on every street corner, and millions of dollars in a political funds from tax-exempt entries? My gay and lesbian friends are. That's persecution by Christians, not of Christians.
As a woman seeking basic reproductive health services, are your choices limited and controlled and banned by government interference between you and your doctor, those bans and controls coming from your country's dominant religion? My female friends are. That's persecution by Christians, not of Christians.
As a religious minority seeking to practice your own religion in peace, are you constantly subject to prayers, religious observances and public holidays as established by the rules of your country's dominant religion? My Jewish and Islamic and Sikh friends are. That's persecution by Christians, not of Christians.
As a religious minority seeking to establish a house of worship consistent with real estate and zoning practices in a major American city, are you prevented from doing so by a massive public outcry led by practitioners of your country's dominant religion? My Islamic and Sikh friends have repeatedly endured this. That's persecution by Christians, not of Christians.
As a religious minority voting in state and national elections, are your choices almost always between two members of your country's dominant religion? My Jewish and Islamic and Sikh friends find that to be so. That's persecution by Christians, not of Christians.
As a religious minority being sworn into a rarely-elected office, or to testify in court, are you required and expected to swear on the sacred text of your country's dominant religion? If you try to use your own sacred text, are you subject to mockery and derision? My Jewish and Islamic and Sikh friends find that to be so. That's persecution by Christians, not of Christians.
As an atheist who polls as the leased trusted group in America, how would you feel about despised and distrusted? That's persecution by Christians, not of Christians.
As a student trying to learn to be competitive in the high tech future, are you subjected to counterfactual faith-based teachings in math and science class thanks to the meddling of your country's dominant religion with its persistent, pernicious confusion of faith-based belief with objective reality? Students across America are every day. That's persecution by Christians, not of Christians.
The next time you complain about a minor erosion in the absolute social dominance of Christianity as being a form of persecution, take a moment to think, really think, what it still means to be a non-Christian in America. Trading away a small bit of your power for the self-respect and social safety of others isn't persecution, it's loving compromise.
Originally posted by jaylake at [culture|religion] The modern persecution by the Christians
One of the more ridiculous things I hear from some of my Christian friends on a reasonably consistent basis is that they are being persecuted for their religion. I realize that persecution is an important Christian meme from the earliest days of the Church, and telling themselves this is comforting and self-valorizing. But let's talk about persecution for a little while.
As a Christian, are you prevented from marrying the person you love by the rules of your country's dominant religion? My gay and lesbian friends are. That's persecution by Christians, not of Christians.
As a Christian, are your efforts to seek political and legal equality stymied by rhetoric from houses of worship on every street corner, and millions of dollars in a political funds from tax-exempt entries? My gay and lesbian friends are. That's persecution by Christians, not of Christians.
As a woman seeking basic reproductive health services, are your choices limited and controlled and banned by government interference between you and your doctor, those bans and controls coming from your country's dominant religion? My female friends are. That's persecution by Christians, not of Christians.
As a religious minority seeking to practice your own religion in peace, are you constantly subject to prayers, religious observances and public holidays as established by the rules of your country's dominant religion? My Jewish and Islamic and Sikh friends are. That's persecution by Christians, not of Christians.
As a religious minority seeking to establish a house of worship consistent with real estate and zoning practices in a major American city, are you prevented from doing so by a massive public outcry led by practitioners of your country's dominant religion? My Islamic and Sikh friends have repeatedly endured this. That's persecution by Christians, not of Christians.
As a religious minority voting in state and national elections, are your choices almost always between two members of your country's dominant religion? My Jewish and Islamic and Sikh friends find that to be so. That's persecution by Christians, not of Christians.
As a religious minority being sworn into a rarely-elected office, or to testify in court, are you required and expected to swear on the sacred text of your country's dominant religion? If you try to use your own sacred text, are you subject to mockery and derision? My Jewish and Islamic and Sikh friends find that to be so. That's persecution by Christians, not of Christians.
As an atheist who polls as the leased trusted group in America, how would you feel about despised and distrusted? That's persecution by Christians, not of Christians.
As a student trying to learn to be competitive in the high tech future, are you subjected to counterfactual faith-based teachings in math and science class thanks to the meddling of your country's dominant religion with its persistent, pernicious confusion of faith-based belief with objective reality? Students across America are every day. That's persecution by Christians, not of Christians.
The next time you complain about a minor erosion in the absolute social dominance of Christianity as being a form of persecution, take a moment to think, really think, what it still means to be a non-Christian in America. Trading away a small bit of your power for the self-respect and social safety of others isn't persecution, it's loving compromise.