In a world where there are so many options as to religion and spiritualty, there seems to be a lot of tolerance for each person’s beliefs. Everyone is “entitled to their own opinions” and “has a right to worship how they will”. Why, then, despite all the religions and spiritual groups, is Christianity still looked down upon and even hated? Each of these religeous groups has their fair share of self-righteous preachers and hypocrites, so that can not be the reason. And even so, aren’t they just “practicing their right to their chosen lifestyle”? Is this unjustice, my imagination, or Biblical prophecy coming true?
Examples of hatred of Christianity please?
And then examples of mainstream hatred of Christianity please?
And go ahead and deomonstrate that Christianity is more hated than other religions while you’re at it.
Thanks.
I have to second andros’s motion, SPM. Can you provide examples of hatred of Christianity in mainstream America without resorting to Urban Legends? And remember that actual religious persecution is something on the order of cross-burning and making people wear yellow stars, not something you heard on the bus or the Constitutional separation of church and state.
I’ve met a few people who’ve had problems with Judaism.
I’ve also met a few people - some of them Jews - who’ve had serious issues with Islam.
Tell me - have you tried being a Buddhist in China? A Pagan in sudan? A Hindu in Afganistan?
Are you even aware that there’s a world outside your predominantly Christian country?
Is it maybe just possible that Christianity appears to be the most hated religion, to you anyway, because it is the most predominant in this country (assuming you live in the U.S.)?
Examples:
- Ask a christain highschool student who openly displays their religion for examples.
- Do you feel that Buddhists, Krishnas, Hindus, Occultists, Spiritualists, Islamics, and New Age (etc) are overtly mocked for their beliefs as much as Christianity?
- Do you honestly feel that Christianity is accepted as any other religion?
I stated in my post that I may be wrong-that it may not be put down more than other belief systems, but it seems to be at times. Re-read my question before you answer, please. I am coming at this from an unbiased point of veiw.
Nope…don’t see it. At least not in this country. I wouldn’t want to be Christian in Saudi Arabia, or China, or back in the Soviet Union under Stalin, but being Christian in 21st century America wouldn’t be so bad. I mean, according to the CIA world factbook, 84% of the population is Christian (56% Protestant, 28% Catholic), every American president has been, at least nominally, Christian, Christian holidays are publicly celebrated, and so on. So, I guess I’ll ask the scourge of Great Debates.
Cite?
“Do you honestly feel that Christianity is accepted as any other religion?”
—Ummm, the laws in the U.S. are largely based on Christian principles. Every U.S. president (and vice president) has been a Christian. Just about every city has Christian TV networks and radio stations. I’d pretty much say it’s an “accepted” religion in the U.S.
Now, on the other hand, try being an open atheist (not on the SDMB, that is) and see how far you’ll get . . .
Gee, maybe the fact that they’re constantly starting threads whining about of how bad they have it might have something to do with it.
When one is a member of a group, one tends to see examples of being a target pretty easily. As an example of what reality may show, let’s take a look at some hate crime data
which shows, that of the 1,411 incidents of hate crimes with Religios bias reported, Anti-Jewish accounted for 1,109, Anti Islamic were 32, anti atheism/agnosticism etc was another 4, leaving a total of 84 anti Christian (lumping Catholics and Protestants together, much to their dismay, I’m sure), and 151 “other”, and 31 “multi”
So, perhaps your premise is flawed?
When the Dahli Lama spoke to the Minnesota legislator, one legislator called the religion a cult, and invalid and the Dahli Lama’s address inappropriate. Most people though he was a kook, but Buddhism was certainly “overtly mocked” and the legislator did have his supporters.
Wiccans (Pagans, New Agers, but specifically Wiccans) have had their right to practice their religion with in the military challanged. Mainstream politicians have question whether their religion is one, and have questioned its right to First Amendment protection.
Shirley McLaine is regularly mocked for her spirituality.
When we discovered Nancy Regan was consulting an astrologer, or that Hillary Clinton was discussing her issues with Eleanor Roosevelt, those women and those practices were mocked. (And Hillary wasn’t even holding seances, she was just asking WWED.)
When the Oklahoma City bombing first occurred, we suspected, guess what, Islamic Fundies.
Ask Christian high school students who are anything other than Christian if they are mocked for their beliefs - yes. Especially in the wake of Columbine, Goths (who are often Pagan) were subjected to ridicule and worse.
Christianity in this country is accepted far more than any other religion - honestly and without a doubt. For one, most people are Christians, implying some sort of acceptance of the belief system.
Ask an athiest student who launched a lawsuit against his high school for prayers before football games how well he was treated. Ask this high school girl about being mocked for her pagan beliefs; oops, you can’t–she committed suicide. Ask these people about practicing Wicca in Lousiana.
This, on a day when the Supreme Court re-affirmed the right of Christian groups to meet for organized worship in facilities open to the public.
Much more so. When was the last time a flaming crescent moon or star of David was burned on a Christian’s front lawn?
According to this site, Christians (by self-identification) make up more than 85% of the adult population in the U.S. What could make you think that Christianity isn’t widely accepted?
In other words, you don’t have any examples. I don’t know any Christian high school students that openly practice their religion, so I can’t ask them. That’s why I asked you. So again… CITE!!!
You’re quite right Solarphallusman, Christianity is probably the most hated religion in America. I don’t want to imply that all members of other religions are tolerant and enlightened, but they are less politically powerful. Yes, Christians are hated because they:
- Use their political power to attempt to foist their beliefs on the rest of society.
- Actively try to restrict the rights of person’s whose life choices don’t match theirs.
- Obnoxiously attempt to recruit others to their beliefs and heap abuse and contempt on anyone who refuses.
- Do all of the above while pretending that they are discriminated against.
So yes, a lot of people hate Christians. Whose fault is that?
Are Christians discriminated against in American society? H
Hardly.
I knew some… I knew some in college too… I don’t recall anyone giving them a hard time. Of course, I live in the Bible Belt and most everyone I knew was Christian - heck, at the time, I was a pretty right wing one myself.
I did hear about a Jewish kid getting picked on for his Star of David though…
Like TV commercials where a Buddha is portrayed sitting under a tree and then gets enlightenment for the product? Or Krishnas always being portrayed as annoying and dwelling in airports? Or Hindus being told to get over McDonald’s using beef fat in their fries? Or Occultists being portrayed as baby-killing devil-worshippers? Not sure what a spiritualist is, unless you mean someone like Miss Cleo (I hope not!) … and Islamics being painted as terrorists who blow up everything and hate all infidels? And New Age people being painted as Doug Henning let’s-all-levitate-and-be-flowery kooks? I’d say, yeah, they’re all mocked a hell of a lot more than Christianity.
Do you live in the USA? If so, Christianity is by far the MOST accepted religion in this country.
Are you? Your statement about it maybe being Bible prophecy fulfilled doesn’t make me think so… sounds more like you’re looking to justify a persecution complex common in fundamentalism (not saying you are, but I’ve seen plenty of the same).
SPM, I can see you are fairly new to posting here, and may not know the ropes in GD, but you will need to provide concrete examples of your assertions if this discussion is to proceed. You stated above the opinion that Christians (in the USA? Elsewhere?) are abused to a greater extent for their beliefs than adherents of other religions. Certainly, in the USA at least, that assertion is nonsense.
Here in li’l old Pottstown, PA, pop. about 20,000, the phone book lists some 150 Christian churches of various denominations; these appear to be popular and function without any interference from the authorities, or from any groups in opposition to Christianity. I cannot recall any pogroms being carried out against Christians anywhere in the USA in my 47 years, so frankly, I have no idea what you are going on about.
Could you perhaps restate your OP so that we know what it is you are getting at?
SPM, this must be what you’re referring to, right?
TPCN - The Pagan Cable Network
PROGRAM LISTINGS
12 noon: Midday News with Beowulf and Owlheart
Special feature: “The Pushers in Your Neighborhood” - Sidewalk evangelists are no longer just an inner city problem. How to protect you and your family.
1:00 pm: The Pandora Starshine Show (daytime talk)
Today: Militant, Abortion-Clinic Bombing, Snake-Handling,
Flesh-Mortifying, Doomsday-Preaching, Gay-Bashing, Pagan-Hating Christian Cult teens, and the parents who fear for their lives.
2:00 pm: Edge of the Millenium (daytime drama)
Morgana is held prisoner by a pair of psychotic Jehovahs Witnesses; Merlin’s Pagan Publishing is in danger of a hostile takeover by Christian Coloring Books; Detective Brigit McCool comes another step closer to tracking down the renegade priest cult, Sons of the Apocalypse.
3:00 pm: Coyote Brubeck (daytime talk)
Today: Mixed marriages. Wiccans married to lapsed Catholics duke it out with their in-laws.
4:00 pm: After School Special: “Return of the Witch-Burners” (movie) The teens of Rowan Grove save the town from a new Inquisition
5:30 pm: My Mother The Icon (comedy)
When Freddys’ mother is reincarnated as a statue of the Virgin Mary, he has to explain to his covens’ High Priest why there is a Catholic Shrine in the TV room. (Pilot Episode).
6:00 pm: Buffy the Baptist Slayer (drama)
On the eve of the Junior Prom, Buffy’s best friend is abducted by the Born-Agains, intent on converting her to the minions of the Undead.
7:00 pm: Barbara, the Teenage Catholic (comedy)
Laughs ensue when Barbara has to answer to accusations of cheating on her Math finals when, in answer to a prayer, Jesus slips into the classroom and does her entire test for her, giving her a perfect score.
7:30 pm: All in the Coven (comedy)
The Banquo household is turned upside down when that lovable pagan bigot, Acheron, seethes like a cauldron after Eden welcomes the new Presbyterians next door and invites them over for dinner.
8:00 pm: The X-tian Files (drama)
When the residents of a small remote village begin crucifying themselves with nail-guns, agents Cinnabar and Patchouli suspect a cabal of spirit-filled Baptists casting evil prayers upon the townspeople.
9:00 pm: Movie: The Denomination (Horror)
Four young girls dabble in Christianity, with predictably horrific results.
(Not recommended for children)
For those of you who are humor-impaired, this is a joke! 
No discussion like this would be complete without the obligatory LIOACA link post.
ObLIOACA: Life in our Anti-Christian America
There!
If I wasn’t feeling so warm and cuddly I might suggest that the ferocity of the response to the OP counts as a self-fulfilling cite. It might not. If you responded to the OP in anger, though, for whatever reason, you have had an experience that should prove interesting to the honest. Speaking as a Christian I should mention that it is hard to stand up for what you believe in, because that almost always involves doing it against those who disagree, often violently. It doesn’t make any difference whether you are part of a religion that can be handily perceived as part of the establishment… all that matters is the spiritual situation around you, and those who respond. You can’t start a cite-driven debate about spiritual matters: I mean, I try to do it all the time and fail, because it simply doesn’t work that way! I have been persecuted, stigmatised, and abused for my beliefs in my university: and I’m in the faculty of Divinity. SPM was asking, really, in his guts, if he was the only one who felt persecuted as a Christian. He is not. Neither is true Christianity something, or true persecution, something that can be measured.
SPM for what it’s worth I know exactly where you’re coming from and you may as well get used to it. It’s just you, me, and everybody else.
Let’s see, instead of actual data, facts, cites, newsreports to support the premise of the OP, Ross believes that it’s the tone of the responses that demonstrates the validity? wow.
I haven’t seen any OP in GD that started off with unsupported speculation that didn’t get repeated attempts from other posters asking for ‘cite?’ or evidence?
Why? well, golly gees. if we can’t see what the OP is talking about, how are we to formulate a response?
Can’t answer for anyone else, but my post was not done in anger, was, IMHO, polite in tone, just pointed out that available data didn’t support their premise.