These articles were published between January 2001 and February 4, 2010.
To view more recent posts, go to The Main Blog at ExChristian.Net
These articles were published between January 2001 and February 4, 2010.
To view more recent posts, go to The Main Blog at ExChristian.Net
Comments
I think it is both. Jesus and the apostles claim Christians will be persecuted for their faith. So, if the bible is true, they must be under persecution. Right? As a result, they see persecution in everything, when in fact it is just that they don't get "their way" in society (whether it be beliefs or rules). To them, if a high school teacher teaches evolution, they are being "persecuted" because their story wasn't taught.
Under that definition, I could claim "I'm being persecuted!" every time my character in a video game incurred damage points.
When confronted with derision to their dogma, christians sometimes respond with the phrase “I believe” or “I strongly believe”. In fact, the “stronger” the belief of an individual, regardless of how ridiculous that belief might be, the more that individual is admired by the group and the more credence is accorded. “He has strong belief” we are told, as though that proves everything. I myself have been told by a Christian when confronted by my non-belief, that “some people believe!” like it meant something. Indeed to him, it did. So it would follow that some christians strongly believe that they are being persecuted. Such belief provides them with a unifying feeling, a sense of belonging. It gives them the mask of the underdog, and as we all know, the underdog is usually admired and even cheered for they are trying their best, their hardest, etc.
Spirual said: “it is just that they don't get "their way" in society (whether it be beliefs or rules)” and such has been my experience as well. When a Christian that wants something that they are not entitled to or do something that is a violation of societies rules and/or laws, gets balked, they will usually respond with, if not “god’s law is higher” then “why are you persecuting me/us?”. Such a response is solely designed to place them in the position of a victim and if there is a victim, there must be a victimizer (false dichotomy, yes I know).
We, the secularists, humanists, agnostics, atheists, etc, are the victimizers. We are the enemy that binds them together. We always have been and always will be. Just as any group of undesirables acquires offensive nom de guerres through outside volition, so do we. We are the immoral, the unethical, the heretical, the blasphemous, the unpatriotic, the filthy atheists, the satan worshippers, the Democrats :), etc. All of this labeling serves to group us together in a negative fashion that is almost impossible to fight. The minorities of our American culture have suffered this treatment for 200+ years and most are still fighting it so it is a demonstrably effective method. I say this without trying to set myself/ourselves up as the persecuted, as the underdogs. I myself will not be trod underfoot by the ignorant and the bigoted and I will not debase myself by claiming their methods as my own.
So let them wring their hands, run in circles and cry persecution. I don’t care.
:)
Huey, excellent points. (Forgive my repetition but) when I lived in Utah, it was all about Mormon persecution. In Texas, it's all about the persecution of Jesus-loving people. Indeed the false perception of persecution is a necessary ingredient to keep the faith alive, I believe.
It's psychotic, and it should be 'persecuted'.
Darn it, I want a real war on christianity.
I wish it were...
"That makes a lot of sense when it comes to this country, but what about all of those supposed Christians elsewhere in the world who are killed and/or tortured for being Christians?"
In other countries it is an opposing set of delusional religious people trying to protect their doctrines by using the same methods Christians do here.
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