'War' on Christians Is Alleged. Conference Depicts a Culture Hostile to Evangelical Beliefs.

Washington Post ^ | 3/29/6 | Alan Cooperman

[Crackingham]

The "War on Christmas" has morphed into a "War on Christians."

Last December, some evangelical Christian groups declared that the religious celebration of Christmas -- and even the phrase "Merry Christmas" -- was under attack by the forces of secularism. This week, radio commentator Rick Scarborough convened a conference in Washington on the "War on Christians and the Values Voters in 2006." The opening session was devoted to "reports from the frontlines" on "persecution" of Christians in the United States and Canada, including an artist whose paintings were barred from a municipal art show in Deltona, Fla., because they contained religious themes.

Among the conference's speakers were former House majority leader Tom DeLay (R-Tex.) and Sens. John Cornyn (R-Tex.) and Sam Brownback (R-Kan.) and conservative Christian leaders Phyllis Schlafly, Rod Parsley, Gary Bauer, Janet Parshall and Alan Keyes.

To many of the 400 evangelicals packed into a small ballroom at the Omni Shoreham Hotel, it was a hard but necessary look at moral relativism, hedonism and Christophobia, or fear of Christ, to pick just a few terms offered by various speakers referring to the enemy. To some outsiders, it illuminated the paranoia of the Christian right.

"Certainly religious persecution existed in our history, but to claim that these examples amount to religious persecution disrespects the experiences of people who have been jailed and died because of their faith," said Hollyn Hollman, general counsel of the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty.

"This is a skirmish over religious pluralism, and the inclination to see it as a war against Christianity strikes me as a spoiled-brat response by Christians who have always enjoyed the privileges of a majority position," said the Rev. Robert Franklin, a minister in the Church of God in Christ and professor of social ethics at Emory University.

[Harmless Teddy Bear]

But as a Christian it's a bit embarrassing to be complaining about censored "Christian" art when a Christian in Afghanistan just barely got out of the country with his life.

It isn't persecution...yet.

I know what you mean and some times people take it too far and find insult where none is intended.

Still it is worth keeping a eye on. Cultural contempt can have some very nasty end results.

[Potowmack]

So, undoubtedly they're being forced to meet and worship in secret; being thrown in jail for being Christian; being forced to perform in arenas in duels to the death for the amusement of their pagan overlords; and generally tortured and abused. How could you doubt their word on the matter?

Yup. And if one admits to being a Christian, they don't have a chance of being elected to Congress. Admitting that you are an atheist is the key to political success in this country.

Furthermore, Christian Evangelicals are a total fringe group in American politics. Their support is not neccesary for the election of an American President. That is why Bob Dole and the Senior George Bush were two-term Presidents, while Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush couldn't get elected.

Oh, the humanity!

[syncked]

So are you saying that Christians in government jobs need to resort to the secret(in Roman times) "ICHTHYS" symbol to avoid possible offense? Or are you saying that the cross on the mission should be replaced with a fish or the Alpha+Omega? The latter would not appease the left and, like simply removing the cross outright, would be an historical inaccuracy,i.e. a LIE. As to the former I have to point out that the fish symbol was used by early Christians for a specific purpose-to avoid Roman persecution. You seem to be making the case for me.

[NathanR]

So the fact, that one is not yet thrown into the Lion's Den if one does not bow before an image of the king three times a day, means, to you, that there is no persecution of Christians? </sarc After all, Daniel probably did not have to work for the king.

[lugsoul]

You are correct. And those who think there is such a war are self-delusional.

[lugsoul]

Ah, so the judges on American Idol are persecuting Christians. Oh, the horror.

[DocRock]

Transcript:

Our friends on the other side love to quote the Bible.
Just as Joshua's trumpets brought down the walls of Jericho, just as American values brought down the Berlin Wall,
So will radical Fundamentalists fall to the terrible swift power of our ideas as well as our swords.

[lugsoul]

There is no 'cross in public' issue. You can drag a big ol' cross all over town if you want. The only issue is the 'government cross' issue.

For the life of me, I can't figure out why folks who profess to be Christians are all hot and bothered to get their church inextricably intertwined with the government.

[devolve]

[lugsoul]

What religion are the five largest churches in your town?

What religion is professed by the top five elected officials in your state?

How many Christian channels are on your local radio? How many dedicated to other religions?

How many Christian channels are on your local cable system? How many dedicated to other religions?

How many holidays derived from non-Christian religions does your state and/or local government honor? How many Christian holidays?

Using the word 'persecution' in this context is offensive.

[Harmless Teddy Bear]

It certainly is overstatement.

Did you bother to read my post?

[potlatch]

Large size too! You did a great job on that, I have it saved.

[syncked]

How is the desire to NOT have historical fact, that Los Angeles like a hundred or so California cities were started as Christian missions, erased, getting hot and bothered to get one's church "inextricably intertwined with the government"? The reversal or removal of a fact is called a LIE. Like it or not, the law of this country was based on the Judeo-Christian Ten Commandments. The much touted Roman law allowed any citizen to kill his son or daughter for any offense-no questions asked. Yet no one would have any problem with a quote of, say, Cicero, being on public display in a government office. Unless of course said statement involved his belief that the gladiatorial games were good for maintaining blood lust to go out and conquer.

[RunningWolf]

Well there are certainly rabid atheists out there that have a boiling hatred toward anything that confronts their godless ideology. This hatred seethes and simmers out of them like the oozing out of a toxic boil.

Take the various science/theory articles on this very forum.

I say that stimulating discussions could happen on these theories and findings without any rabid atheist attacks ever occurring. But usually within a very few posts, certainly when (the ping list that cannot be talked about/sarc> is pinged the the attacks follow quickly thereafter.

Very very little of 'their contributions' ever have any scientific input of real substance.

In one example, the most prolific of the rabid atheist's (obsessed with his/her agenda) it is usually just links back to talk origins, and then counter catch-22 demands that something be proved to her on her terms. This is a intellectually dishonest & pathetic tactic that allows her an easy path to declare her opponent a liar or assert the opponent has no connection with reality (that would inferrencethat toe is reality here), while at the same time leaving her an easy side door out.

From my observations on these threads, I think it is very important to the rabid atheists that you people of faith be made a liar etc by them. For what are the great works like the Bible about but truth?

Wolf

[devolve]

All one size

I used w/h to reduce my posts

[attiladhun2]

I agree with you. Physical persecution of any group does not always start with prisons and firing squads. It often starts with something seemingly as innocuous as ridicule, which is nothing more than hatred wearing a grin.
People ought to educate themselves about what is going today. Certain mental health professionals are saying religious conversions should be treated as a mental disorder. There are some educrats and sociocrats who would like to see educating Christian children in concepts like eternal damnation and sin classified as a form of child abuse. And then there is the danger of the complete secularization of our government, which is the goal of many powerful groups in this country. If that should ever occur, you can bet your last dollar preaching the gospel will be classified as "hate speech". You can make book on it.

[Oztrich Boy]

They feel they are being persecuted.

Well. that's the Grippimg Hand. If a group (Blacks, Chriatians, feminists, homosexuals, Michael Moore) feel they are being persurited, they are being perscuted. It's in the Declaration of Independence "Life. Liberty. and the Feeling of Persectuion"

[wallcrawlr]

I think it is very important to the rabid atheists that you people of faith be made a liar etc by them. For what are the great works like the Bible about but truth?

I agree...and pray that someday you too will discover Christ in a new way. :)

[Galveston Grl]

I will never forget the absolute hatred spewed by the Left in schools, newspapers and on television after the last election. Remember "Jesusland"?

The Left "Christians" would not be at all sad to see evangelicals in jail. They are really angry that they have not been able to herd Christians into liberation theology and homosexuality.

The only way the left can win is to oppress the voices and control the actions of their enemies. Currently they are doing that through the ACLU running around harassing Christians in the public square in the name of church/state separation. They also discriminate against "out of the closet" Christians in academia and other areas of life they control.

[lugsoul]

"Like it or not, the law of this country was based on the Judeo-Christian Ten Commandments."

Right. That's why three of them are actually laws. Four at best.

English common law is a far more obvious source.