I agree. “Persectution” is a very heavy word. Well, I shouldn’t say that it never happens, but it isn’t the big commonplace deal that people like His4ever want to paint it to be.
However, on occasion I (and other family members) have felt “ganged up on” because of our faith. (In the context of a conversation or argument.) We are treated as if our feelings didn’t count, ridiculed, etc. Christians, just like any other group, is not immune from this kind of treatment.
I’ve also been “ganged up on” for not liking football, not liking President Clinton, and not liking rock music. (All at the workplace, I might add.) It wasn’t the most traumatic experience in my life, but it was unfair, and irritating. But being “ganged up on” isn’t exactly persecution, unless it is really over-the-top and grotesque (which it was not in my case).
Of course, there was that one time… (this is a story I’ve told before, but bear with me). In a part time job I had several years back, I was hired with the understanding that I would not work Sundays. This was OK, everyone else had days they couldn’t work for a variety of reasons (day care concerns, night class, etc.). My reasons for not working Sundays was church. Church, and the fact that Sundays were a good “family day”.
This was all fine and good for a long while, until a new boss came in. She started a subtle and then not-so-subtle campaign to get me to work Sundays. She (and her underlings) belittled my reasons, argued with me, tried to browbeat me into working Sundays. Basically, she thought she could decide which reasons for not working certain days were “good enough” reasons. I didn’t think it was her place to decide this. After all, I was HIRED with the understanding that I was “unavailable” on Sundays. No reason was given on my job application, and I felt the reasons were not relevant.
Long story short, she finally gave me the ultimatum: I had to work Sundays. That was it. I put in my two-weeks notice. (I was revving up to quit anyway, and who needs this bullshit?) I know the boss was shocked. She tried to be nice and keep me to stay, but I was also called a “religious fanatic” by one of her assistants. (I hasten to add here that I never made a big production of my religion at work, didn’t talk about it hardly at all. I just wanted Sundays off.)
Now, that, to me, was unfair treatment based on my faith. But was it “persecution”? Possibly. But, this boss had a screw loose anyway. She also wanted me to come in and work the day of the big Northridge Quake in '94, even though I had two handicapped people to look after at home. The boss said that had I children at home to care for, that would have been a “good enough” reason to miss work. But two handicapped adults? Not a “good enough” reason. (Suffice it to say I didn’t come into work anyway.)
