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kalikshama -> RE: Christian Privilege: What Is It? Does It Exist? (3/24/2012 1:47:51 PM)
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Good link dc. For those who don't click:
http://www.oregonherald.com/n/radicalruss/20051209_christian-persecution-complex.html
...When you have Christian Persecution Complex, you see every judicial decision, every cultural change, and every constitutional challenge to the status quo of entrenched Christian superiority as a war on Christianity. They cannot see the difference between "a Christian nation" and "a secular nation with a Christian majority". Since they are the majority, they seem to think that American culture and law should bend itself to their religious beliefs. They'll talk about the "tyranny of the minority" when issues like gay marriage or school prayer are decided by the courts. They'll scream that we're trying to "excise God like a cancer" if we (you know, "the left") argue that posting Ten Commandments in courthouses, In God We Trust on money, or forcing schoolchildren to recite under God during the Pledge of Allegiance is unconstitutional (somehow, all three are merely ceremonial deism - not religion - but the fundies defend them as if it meant more than that.) When we defend women's abortion rights, they'll claim that we had to "cheat" by taking the fight to the courts, because we can't accomplish our ends through the democratic political process. When we work to see gay people attain full citizenship in this country, we're accused of "shoving the gay agenda down people's throats".
The persecuted Christian meme always cracks me up. The "tyranny of the minority" line especially. The Constitution is all about majority rule with respect for minority rights. One of those minority rights is the free exercise of religion or the freedom from religion with a government neutral to religion so as to prevent state endorsement of one faith or state persecution of another. What the persecuted Christians are advocating, with their lines about getting next to nothing through the democratic political process, is the idea of tyranny of the majority. The majority is Christian, therefore government should espouse Christianity. The majority thinks there should be prayer in schools, so be it. The majority thinks gay marriage is wrong, so gays should be treated as second-class citizens. Well, the majority also thought women shouldn't vote, alcohol should be federally prohibited, and blacks shouldn't integrate with white society, too.
And woe to the poor persecuted Christians, what with their big-ass lighted crosses overlooking many American cities (like my hometown of Boise), little crosses along nearly every roadside where a Christian has wrecked (why are Christians such bad drivers, anyway? I never see any Stars of David or Buddhas marking roadside crash sites), a church steeple every four blocks, massive scripture readerboards alongside the federal highway system, federal holidays marking the birth of your savior (why don't we get Mohammed's birthday as a day off?), almost every calendar made indicates your religious holidays, your holy book in every hotel room, TV shows like "Reba", "Touched by an Angel", "Three Wishes", "7th Heaven" and other very Christian-friendly shows on network TV, worldwide Christian broadcast channels, popular musicians and sports figures giving "shout-outs" to Jesus at every awards show, your holy symbol is a popular piece of jewelry worn by many, missionaries knocking on doors and leaving little Jesus pamphlets in phone books, no politician can ever hope to be elected to national office without at least lip service to your religion (no atheist stands a chance in politics, because he won't affirm the popular superstitions), your Bible stories are inextricably woven into the fabric of our culture, popular newsmagazines like Time and Newsweek devoting cover stories to Jesus, popular broadcast TV news shows running specials on Christian issues (Barbara Walters' next special is about Heaven) and you've still got (in my opinion, unconstitutionally) prayers by chaplains to begin Congress, oaths sworn in court on your holy book, recognition of your deity on the currency, your Ten Commandments still displayed (in a limited fashion) around courthouses, and the leader of the country claiming he's ordained by God. Christians complaining about persecution in America are like white college males complaining there's no White Student Union on campus.
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