# "Christianophobia" - is there a double standard in the way Christianity is treated? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [September 7, 2026, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christianophobia-is-there-a-double-standard-in-the-way-christianity-is-treated/1032877 "2026-09-07T16:12:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Eonwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eonwe/32/240_2.png) [@Eonwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eonwe)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2026, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christianophobia-is-there-a-double-standard-in-the-way-christianity-is-treated/1032877/81 "2026-09-08T13:22:45Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > I hold the belief that men can never truly understand the atmosphere in which women grow up and have to live in, that whites can never truly understand the atmosphere in which blacks grow up and have to live in, that straights can never truly understand the atmosphere in which gays grow up and have to live in, and the Christians can never truly understand the atmosphere in which non-Christians grow up and have to live in. Quoted for truth. And honestly, the heavy lift that it often takes to get even the most self-aware Christians to concede that any given element of this might be true or significant, let alone that any of it might implicate them in problematic behavior, makes it almost not worth the discussion in the first place (as long as, as a non-Christian, one can count on being mostly left alone). ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2026, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christianophobia-is-there-a-double-standard-in-the-way-christianity-is-treated/1032877/82 "2026-09-08T13:33:17Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > I don’t seem to remember the folks behind [https://www.thereligionofpeace.com/](https://www.thereligionofpeace.com/) getting murdered, and they’ve consistently been one of the biggest spreaders of nasty anti-Islamic propaganda for years now. I mean, the other big spreader of nasty anti-Islamic propaganda is the GOP. Before I left Facebook, for some reason I was getting regular posts from an NC County GOP local, and it was just constant anti-Islamic hatred. There is far and away more anti-Islamic hate spewed in the US than there is for any other religion, despite (or, rather, _because_) of the small numbers of practitioners. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2026, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christianophobia-is-there-a-double-standard-in-the-way-christianity-is-treated/1032877/83 "2026-09-08T13:48:18Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > I’ll note that the Qu’ran doesn’t decree violence against non-believers any more (and probably no less) than the Bible does. If you just go by page count, it does. I used to okay a game where i would open the (Jewish) Bible, the New Testament, and the Koran at random, stick my finger on the page, and read what it said. A random snip of the Bible is likely to be some technical detail about the wood used to build the temple, or the ark. A random snip of the new testament is likely to be some anecdote about Jesus’ life. And a random snip of the Koran is surprisingly likely to tell you to kill the infidels. That being said, no one interacts with religious texts that way except as a game. We have entire Christian churches in the US based on the idea that wealth is good. (Pretty much the opposite of what the texts say.) The old testament is riddled with death penalties for minor stuff, but organized Judaism has pretty much eschewed the death penalty for centuries. The New testament doesn’t mention abortion, and the old testament mandates it in a text about testing a wife’s fidelity (numbers 5:12-31), and treats the killing of an unborn fetus as a property crime (Exodus 21:22) yet large chunks of Christianity teach that abortion is murder. I assume that everyone picks and chooses from what their fundamental documents support. In fact, i don’t believe any religion can become a major religion without having enough breadth to support many different perspectives. In other words: > [@Alessan](#): > > Judging religions by their merits is a fool’s errand - all religions are equally ridiculous, and I say that a a religious person. People will do what they were going to do anyway and use their religion to justify themselves. The only real metric for religions is the actions of their followers. Christianity gets more flack in the US than other religions, because its followers impose more pain on the rest of us than the followers of any other religion. Because it’s the default, and there are so many nominal Christians here. Fur instance, Gyrate is 100% correct here: > [@Gyrate](#): > > > [@DrDeth](#): > > > > I can not find any US murders where the motive was “he offended my Christian beliefs.” However, in the US, being killed for “he offended my religious beliefs” whether Christian or Islam is not much of a concern. > > The entire LGBTQ+ community might want a word. Seriously, dude. I regularly read about murders and other acts of violence committed by Christians because some gay dude or trans woman offended the religious beliefs of some closed-minded Christian. Because yes, you can read that into the Christian Bible, if that’s your goal. Really easily. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2026, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christianophobia-is-there-a-double-standard-in-the-way-christianity-is-treated/1032877/84 "2026-09-08T13:53:29Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > There is far and away more anti-Islamic hate spewed in the US than there is for any other religion, [Now that’s just statistically untrue.](https://usafacts.org/articles/which-groups-have-experienced-an-increase-in-hate-crimes/) ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2026, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christianophobia-is-there-a-double-standard-in-the-way-christianity-is-treated/1032877/85 "2026-09-08T14:03:01Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Except- Christians are not known for that. Mind you- they kill people for various and sundry reasons sure- hate, money, jealousy, revenge, and of course, being in a violent relationship. I can not find any US murders where the motive was “he offended my Christian beliefs.” However, in the US, being killed for “he offended my religious beliefs” whether Christian or Islam is not much of a concern. Of course there are people committing murder because of their Christian religious beliefs. I’m sure you’ve heard of people who work in abortion clinics being murdered. The difference is what I noted earlier. When somebody like John Salvi murders people because of his religious beliefs, people think “Wow, John Salvi is crazy.” They don’t think “Wow, Christians are crazy.” But when Cherif and Said Kouachi murder people because of their religious beliefs, a lot of people do think “Wow, Muslims are crazy.” Christian murderers are seen as individuals. Muslim murderers often are seen as members of a group. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2026, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christianophobia-is-there-a-double-standard-in-the-way-christianity-is-treated/1032877/86 "2026-09-08T14:17:44Z")
Not to nitpick your comment too much, but one difference is that men are born men, women are born women, straights are born straight, blacks are born black, etc. Whereas many Christians today started out as non-religious people, or people of a different religion, and then later converted to Christianity - so they still know and remember what it was like to be a non-Christian. Either that, or they live as a minority in many regions - and yet many of them are still as diehard. Christians are a minority in South Korea and Taiwan. That hasn’t stopped some Christians there from being just as obnoxious or domineering as Christians in the United States. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2026, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christianophobia-is-there-a-double-standard-in-the-way-christianity-is-treated/1032877/87 "2026-09-08T14:23:53Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > Whereas many Christians today started out as non-religious people, or people of a different religion, and then later converted to Christianity - so they still know and remember what it was like to be a non-Christian. The best I can find, in the US, is that 3.6% of US adults entered Christianity as an adult, whereas 80% of US adults grew up in the Christian religion. So, a little less than one in 20 US Christians have any experience knowing what it’s like to be non-Christian in a Christian society. Whether that counts as “many” is arguable; but it’s a tiny minority of Christians. > **[2. Religious switching](https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2025/02/26/religious-switching/)** > > Millions of Americans have switched religions over the course of their lives, and most say their religiousness or spirituality has generally shifted too. Religious Landscape Study by Pew Research Center. ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2026, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christianophobia-is-there-a-double-standard-in-the-way-christianity-is-treated/1032877/88 "2026-09-08T14:28:16Z")
To answer the question in the OP, yes, there’s a double standard, in the same way that there’s a double standard in the way white people, men, and any other dominant group is treated. So what? It’s always more acceptable to punch up than down, since punching down is pretty cruel and can do real damage to a minority or non-dominant member of a society. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2026, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christianophobia-is-there-a-double-standard-in-the-way-christianity-is-treated/1032877/89 "2026-09-08T14:41:12Z")
> [@Babale](#): > > Now that’s just statistically untrue. Not to diminish the significant amount of hate crime aimed at Jews in America, but that statistic is measuring attacks, not rhetoric. (FTR there are also half as many Muslims in the US as Jews, but that’s not statistically significant here.) A reminder that the right-wing media en masse (very much including the mainstream outlets) have been spewing fairly constant anti-Muslim propaganda for decades, right up to the current pantytwisting over Mayor Mamdani attending 9/11 remembrance gatherings. And it’s been joined in that by right-wing politicians right up to Trump, who have on many occasions attempted to use the power of their offices to ban or persecute Muslims and Islam as a religion. In both those regards, hatred towards Islam and its adherents is far greater than the same against Judaism and its adherents in recent years. Of course, the ongoing increasing validation of fascism by the right has also empowered the actual Nazi throwbacks in the US to ramp up their anti-Jewish attacks. And the actions of Israel have likewise caused extreme anger on the left toward the Israeli government and its supporters. But neither are actively supported by any mainstream media (if anything, the media seems to support cracking down on anti-Israel protesters), whereas anti-Muslim sentiment continues to be rife. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2026, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christianophobia-is-there-a-double-standard-in-the-way-christianity-is-treated/1032877/90 "2026-09-08T15:39:35Z")
But it wasn’t about “avoiding punching down;” as the above-listed QueerMajority article pointed out, this deference towards Islam had gotten to the point that even the clear violence or ill treatment of Islam towards LGBT people was downplayed or hushed as a topic because it was considered Islamophobic to highlight it. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2026, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christianophobia-is-there-a-double-standard-in-the-way-christianity-is-treated/1032877/91 "2026-09-08T15:56:10Z")
It’s not “deference towards Islam” and it’s weird to characterize it as such. It’s a wariness of appearing to support Islamophobia in the act of condemning homophobia. To quote the same article: > [@](#): > > The message was clear: you cannot champion LGBT rights in the UK if you are white and your homophobic opposition is non-white, and to do so renders you racist and neo-colonialist. It’s very much a “damned if you do, damned if you don’t” situation, but it’s not due to “deference” at all. ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2026, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christianophobia-is-there-a-double-standard-in-the-way-christianity-is-treated/1032877/92 "2026-09-08T16:06:06Z")
But, it’s all of a piece, right? A persecuted minority like LGBT writers might not want to dump on another persecuted minority like Muslims here in the US. > [@Velocity](#): > > clear violence or ill treatment of Islam towards LGBT people was downplayed I don’t understand how “Islam” can treat anyone. Did you mean “Muslims”, meaning “some extreme Muslims”? Because “Christianity”, for example, isn’t writing anti-trans legislation in the US, it’s being done by some Christians. Many Christians, even whole denominations, are fine with trans folks. No one is saying “Christianity is writing anti-trans bathroom laws.” ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2026, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christianophobia-is-there-a-double-standard-in-the-way-christianity-is-treated/1032877/93 "2026-09-08T16:09:20Z")
And in fact those using their religions to justify persecution of LGBT people often have more in common with each other (despite the differences in overall faith) than they do with others ostensibly of the same faith. ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2026, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christianophobia-is-there-a-double-standard-in-the-way-christianity-is-treated/1032877/94 "2026-09-08T16:18:35Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > It’s not “deference towards Islam” and it’s weird to characterize it as such. It’s a wariness of appearing to support Islamophobia in the act of condemning homophobia. To quote the same article: What word or phrase do you feel would be more accurate? Special consideration perhaps? You’re not wrong though, I do think think there’s some fear about appearing Islamophobic, and being a bigot, whereas most people aren’t worried about appearing anti-Christian. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2026, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christianophobia-is-there-a-double-standard-in-the-way-christianity-is-treated/1032877/95 "2026-09-08T16:28:45Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > It’s not “deference towards Islam” and it’s weird to characterize it as such. It’s a wariness of appearing to support Islamophobia in the act of condemning homophobia. To quote the same article: I mean, that article was interesting. Some of the oppressed opponents of Islamic homophobia were carrying signs like “Islamophobia is an oxymoron.” The author was clearly on their side, when they were asked to leave an LGTBQIA parade. Other examples of this supposed hypocrisy included a single person who told a group of white hippies singing folk songs in opposition to homophobic Muslims that they were being colonialists and Islamophobes. Is this something that happens sometimes? Sure. There are assholes everywhere. But is this seriously interfering with efforts to address homophobia in some Muslim communities? I’m just not seeing strong evidence. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2026, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christianophobia-is-there-a-double-standard-in-the-way-christianity-is-treated/1032877/96 "2026-09-08T16:46:42Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > Not to nitpick your comment too much, but one difference is that men are born men, women are born women, straights are born straight, blacks are born black, etc. Whereas many Christians today started out as non-religious people, or people of a different religion, and then later converted to Christianity - so they still know and remember what it was like to be a non-Christian. > > Either that, or they live as a minority in many regions - and yet many of them are still as diehard. > > Christians are a minority in South Korea and Taiwan. That hasn’t stopped some Christians there from being just as obnoxious or domineering as Christians in the United States. This is all basically true, but a bit off my point. Any kind, type, or sort of people can be obnoxious anywhere for any number of reasons. Domineering, though? That the default privileged group is straight white male Christians has been true for all 237 years of America’s existence. (1776 created a rebellion, not a nation.) They controlled laws, culture, social status, employment, education, and even holidays. All Others had to fit into whatever slots were made available for them. Much of today’s right-wing rebellion reflects the simple fact that the Others are no longer performing obeisance to the default. They want their privileged status to continue indefinitely. The default’s power has been somewhat reduced but still dominates. Look at any picture of a Trump cabinet meeting. Mocking those above you by arbitrary default is always allowable. The top telling the rest to shut up should be mocked hardest of all. ---
**Author:** ![Eonwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eonwe/32/240_2.png) [@Eonwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eonwe)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2026, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christianophobia-is-there-a-double-standard-in-the-way-christianity-is-treated/1032877/97 "2026-09-08T18:29:54Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > so they still know and remember what it was like to be a non-Christian. There is an enormous gulf of difference between “non-religious, but culturally Christian” (which I imagine counts for most non-religious folks) and those who have religious and cultural traditions that never aligned with Christian ones. Almost every non-religious person I know, including those who identify as atheist, have spent their whole lives in a world designed around their religious/cultural heritage, and most of their expectations for what is “normal” comes from that heritage. ---
**Author:** ![eburacum45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eburacum45/32/8690_2.png) [@eburacum45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eburacum45)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2026, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christianophobia-is-there-a-double-standard-in-the-way-christianity-is-treated/1032877/98 "2026-09-08T19:03:35Z")
> [@Eonwe](#): > > Almost every non-religious person I know, including those who identify as atheist, have spent their whole lives in a world designed around their religious/cultural heritage, and most of their expectations for what is “normal” comes from that heritage. I think this is a good thing. Many different kinds of Christian can be reasoned with, and persuaded to move towards non-religion, without making them disown their entire world-view. This is also true of some other religions, but not others. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2026, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christianophobia-is-there-a-double-standard-in-the-way-christianity-is-treated/1032877/99 "2026-09-08T21:20:34Z")
> [@eburacum45](#): > > I think this is a good thing. Do you also think it is a good thing for blacks, women, and gays to live in such a world because the straight white men can be reasoned with? That other cultures might be even worse does not excuse or mitigate the reality. ---
**Author:** ![eburacum45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eburacum45/32/8690_2.png) [@eburacum45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eburacum45)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2026, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christianophobia-is-there-a-double-standard-in-the-way-christianity-is-treated/1032877/100 "2026-09-08T21:34:03Z")
I tend to find that many people in the Church of England are quite welcoming to blacks. women and gays, mostly because they fall into those categories themselves. Still some work to do to help them embrace trans people, though. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christianophobia-is-there-a-double-standard-in-the-way-christianity-is-treated/1032877.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christianophobia-is-there-a-double-standard-in-the-way-christianity-is-treated/1032877.md?page=6)