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'War' on Christians Is Alleged. Conference Depicts a Culture Hostile to Evangelical Beliefs.
Washington Post ^ | 3/29/6 | Alan Cooperman

Posted on 03/29/2006 1:04:29 PM PST by 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.

(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Extended News; Government; News/Current Events; Philosophy
KEYWORDS: 109th; 2006; ac; alankeyes; brownback; christianity; christianpersecution; christians; christophobia; cornyn; crybabies; culturewars; delay; garybauer; janetparshall; persecution; religion; rodparsley; schlafly; tempestinateapot; theophobia; valuesvoter; waronchristians; waronchristmas; warongenesis
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To: conserv13

"From the review:..."


Your expecting Publishers Weekly to buy into Limbaugh's argument???

I'll bet the WP, NYT and the other MSM organs gave him a glowing reviews.


61 posted on 03/29/2006 2:08:39 PM PST by PetroniusMaximus
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To: conserv13

Sorry, but the definition of a Christian is as found in the Bible. It is not a question of whether the person's politics are liberal. It is whether or not the hold to the historic Christian faith. When some of us say "liberal" Christian, we mean a person who rejects one or more of the cardinal tenets of the faith: the divinity of Christ, the Virgin Birth, etc.


62 posted on 03/29/2006 2:09:02 PM PST by Binghamton_native
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To: NathanR

While I don't like it, I don't see how that is religious persecution.


63 posted on 03/29/2006 2:09:21 PM PST by conserv13
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To: jude24
We trivialize the word "persection" when we make it refer to trivial matters like Christmas displays.

*** DING DING DING *** No more calls; we have a winner!

64 posted on 03/29/2006 2:09:33 PM PST by steve-b (A desire not to butt into other people's business is eighty percent of all human wisdom)
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To: Gone GF

"What really scares me is the complete lack of Christian churches in the U.S. and the fact that any time people try to attend a Christian worship service, they're beaten or thrown in jail. And the other day when my son said a silent prayer before an exam at school they expelled him for the rest of the year. It was awful."

Your words cut so deeply, like a paper cut that heals over night...I suppose you agree with the notion that if your son's prayer were verbal, it would likely cause irreparable psychological harm to a poor atheist child nearby?


65 posted on 03/29/2006 2:10:28 PM PST by syncked
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To: Gone GF
What really scares me is the complete lack of Christian churches in the U.S. and the fact that any time people try to attend a Christian worship service, they're beaten or thrown in jail.

And the fact that a born-again, evangelical Christian could never be elected to be President.

66 posted on 03/29/2006 2:11:28 PM PST by Potowmack ("In politics, madame, you need two things: friends, but above all an enemy." Brian Mulroney)
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To: Binghamton_native

I thought you were trying to say that liberals can't be Christians, and that only conservatives could be 'real' Christians.


67 posted on 03/29/2006 2:11:45 PM PST by conserv13
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To: Chiapet
Not occupying the place of privilege does not equal persecution. Oh darn, science won't conform to religious dogma, and shucks, the 10 Commandments aren't getting posted in schools or courthouses. Wahh, wahh, wahh, cry me a river. What a bunch of wimps.
  "You don't like the Goths?"
  "No! Not with the persecution we have to put up with!"
  "Persecution?" Padway raised his eyebrows.
  "Religious persecution. We won't stand for it forever."
  "I thought the Goths let everybody worship as they pleased."
  "That's just it! We Orthodox are forced to stand around and watch Arians and Monophysites and Nestorians and Jews going about their business unmolested, as if they owned the country. If that isn't persecution, I'd like to know what is!"

68 posted on 03/29/2006 2:12:43 PM PST by steve-b (A desire not to butt into other people's business is eighty percent of all human wisdom)
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To: conserv13

I consider firing someone for their religious beliefs, persecution. In this country, we usually don't kill someone for anything other than murder. However, we are starting to deny people jobs, if they take a stand on certain moral issues. At this time, those issues are usually abortion or homosexuality.


69 posted on 03/29/2006 2:20:02 PM PST by NathanR (Après moi, le deluge.)
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To: MineralMan

Your best bet is to get a copy of David Limbaugh's book - maybe from your library or an online library. I'll try to look up the stories but I'm a little pressed for time and it would take quite a while to find them. How does that sound?


70 posted on 03/29/2006 2:22:36 PM PST by PetroniusMaximus
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To: conserv13

Kindly do not read fallacies of logic into my remarks. My point was not that little things lead to atrocities, but that even atrocities have to begin with small stuff. Suppression of Christianity has to begin with seemingly inconsequential actions, but they should not deceive you into thinking that there is no larger purpose and great consequences ahead.

Is that any clearer for you, pilgrim?


71 posted on 03/29/2006 2:22:40 PM PST by Graymatter
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To: NathanR
I consider firing someone for their religious beliefs, persecution.

If a job requires actions prohibited by someone's religion, then what else would you suggest, besides not filling that job with someone of that sect?

72 posted on 03/29/2006 2:23:11 PM PST by steve-b (A desire not to butt into other people's business is eighty percent of all human wisdom)
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To: NathanR
However, we are starting to deny people jobs, if they take a stand on certain moral issues. At this time, those issues are usually abortion or homosexuality.

I'm pro-life but not a Christian. Gay issues I don't really care about, they don't bother me.

Why would you want to work in an environment like that anyway? Why would I go to work for a gay newspaper and then complain that they won't hire me because I won't do my job because I don't like gays?

73 posted on 03/29/2006 2:25:02 PM PST by conserv13
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To: Graymatter
My point was not that little things lead to atrocities, but that even atrocities have to begin with small stuff.

That argument leads to mutually exclusive conclusions("Allowing teachers to lead Christian prayers is the first step toward theocracy!" "Prohibiting teachers from leading Christian prayers is the first step toward pogroms!"), and thus cannot be accepted without further qualifications.

74 posted on 03/29/2006 2:26:30 PM PST by steve-b (A desire not to butt into other people's business is eighty percent of all human wisdom)
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To: Graymatter

okay.


75 posted on 03/29/2006 2:27:13 PM PST by conserv13
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To: conserv13

No.

Conservative Christians base good on the word of God.

Liberal 'Christians' base good on cultural elite political correctness. On 'tolerance' and 'diversity'.


76 posted on 03/29/2006 2:27:33 PM PST by Sam the Sham (A conservative party tough on illegal immigration could carry California in 2008)
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To: conserv13

Is the 'environment' to be virtually any job in a blue state ?


77 posted on 03/29/2006 2:29:04 PM PST by Sam the Sham (A conservative party tough on illegal immigration could carry California in 2008)
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To: Sam the Sham

I think it is very dangerous to divide us. Christians, Americans, whatever. We are all in this together.


78 posted on 03/29/2006 2:29:36 PM PST by conserv13
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Babies kick ass!

79 posted on 03/29/2006 2:31:12 PM PST by evets (God bless president Bush!)
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To: Sam the Sham

Funny, I live in one of the bluest states. I Go to the DMV or the post office or bank and people say 'have a blessed' day to me all the time. People wear crosses around their necks and have little posters and prayer cards on their cubicles.


80 posted on 03/29/2006 2:32:23 PM PST by conserv13
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