Religion

cbayer

(146,218 posts) Sun Mar 30, 2014, 10:54 AM Mar 2014

The Bitter Tears of the American Christian Supermajority

http://america.aljazeera.com/opinions/2014/3/christians-persecutioncomplex.html

Why Christians — America’s most populous religious group — feel so victimized

March 30, 2014 7:00AM ET
by Chase Madar

The most persecuted minority in the United States is not Muslims, African-Americans or immigrants. It’s our Christian supermajority that’s truly oppressed.

Verily, consider three anecdotes from the past few weeks.

On March 2, three Baptist ministers in Akron, Ohio, arranged for the local police to mock-arrest them in their churches and haul them away in handcuffs for the simple act of preaching their faith. A video was posted on YouTube to drum up buzz for an upcoming revival show. A few atheist blogs object to uniformed police taking part in a church publicity stunt, but far more people who saw the YouTube video (24,082 views), in Ohio and elsewhere, took this media stunt as reality — confirmation of their wildest fears about a government clampdown on Christianity.

On Feb. 26, Arizona’s conservative Gov. Jan Brewer vetoed a bill that would have allowed businesses to refuse services to people who violate their sincerely held religious beliefs — for example, gays and lesbians. Fox News pundit Todd Starnes tweeted that Christians have been demoted to second-class citizenship in Arizona, an opinion widely shared on the right-wing Christian blogosphere, which sees Brewer’s veto as a harbinger of even greater persecution to come.

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11 replies

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Highlight:

The Bitter Tears of the American Christian Supermajority (Original Post) cbayer Mar 2014 OP

No matter how much anyone hopes that some will fall off the edge of a cliff.. Peacetrain Mar 2014 #1

There is truth to what you say. cbayer Mar 2014 #2

There is no solution that can be imposed on a group or individual.. Peacetrain Mar 2014 #3

I was thinking more about an approach than an imposition. cbayer Mar 2014 #4

we walk in lockstep on that concept Peacetrain Mar 2014 #7

What groups have ever tried to impinge your rights with their lack of belief? cleanhippie Mar 2014 #11

I thought of something funny and sarcastic libodem Mar 2014 #5

Why would it add to the persecution complex if it were not persecution? cbayer Mar 2014 #6

Persecution complex typically refers to an irrational feeling of persecution, no? eomer Mar 2014 #8

I understand all that, but wondered why it is you might say something that would cbayer Mar 2014 #10

I guess you could say this shows the religious guarantees of the 1st amendment goldent Mar 2014 #9

Peacetrain

(22,877 posts)

1. No matter how much anyone hopes that some will fall off the edge of a cliff..

Reply to cbayer (Original post)

Sun Mar 30, 2014, 11:04 AM

Mar 2014

No one is going away..Christians from the entire spectrum of conservative to liberal.. are not going away.. The Jewish faith is not going away.. from the entire spectrum of conservative to liberal.. Muslims are not going away.. from the entire spectrum .. Buddhists are not going away.. .. Atheists are not going away.. Yadda Yadda Yadda, so forth and so on.. AND ALL WILL FEEL VICTIMIZED as their realities that no group is going to disappear becomes more and more apparent to them..

cbayer

(146,218 posts)

2. There is truth to what you say.

Reply to Peacetrain (Reply #1)

Sun Mar 30, 2014, 11:09 AM

Mar 2014

Do you think there is a solution?

Peacetrain

(22,877 posts)

3. There is no solution that can be imposed on a group or individual..

Reply to cbayer (Reply #2)

Sun Mar 30, 2014, 01:28 PM

Mar 2014

You take individuals at face value.. As long as their belief system does not impinge on the rights we all take for granted for...even with a group they may philosophically disagree with..what they believe or do not believe is no ones buisness but their own..

I am a dedicated and committed to my Christian faith.. I am always up front about that.. but what ever my beliefs are, are mine..and I do not have the right to denigrate others if they believe something differently than I do.. and that goes visa versa.. That is the best anyone can do at any level.. is live and let live..

cbayer

(146,218 posts)

4. I was thinking more about an approach than an imposition.

Reply to Peacetrain (Reply #3)

Sun Mar 30, 2014, 01:37 PM

Mar 2014

I agree with you philosophically and try, though not always successfully, to maintain the attitude you describe. Until someone tries to impinge on my rights with their beliefs or lack of beliefs, I'm with you on the live and let live platform.

I have little tolerance for any of the groups that feel they must destroy the other. It's so counterproductive, imo.

Peacetrain

(22,877 posts)

7. we walk in lockstep on that concept

Reply to cbayer (Reply #4)

Sun Mar 30, 2014, 08:23 PM

Mar 2014

"I have little tolerance for any of the groups that feel they must destroy the other. It's so counterproductive, imo."

cleanhippie

(19,705 posts)

11. What groups have ever tried to impinge your rights with their lack of belief?

Reply to cbayer (Reply #4)

Mon Mar 31, 2014, 10:21 AM

Mar 2014

And what rights did they impinge?

libodem

(19,288 posts)

5. I thought of something funny and sarcastic

Reply to cbayer (Reply #2)

Sun Mar 30, 2014, 01:37 PM

Mar 2014

But it would only add to the persecution complex. I bite my smart mouth tongue.

cbayer

(146,218 posts)

6. Why would it add to the persecution complex if it were not persecution?

Reply to libodem (Reply #5)

Sun Mar 30, 2014, 01:38 PM

Mar 2014

eomer

(3,845 posts)

8. Persecution complex typically refers to an irrational feeling of persecution, no?

Reply to cbayer (Reply #6)

Sun Mar 30, 2014, 09:30 PM

Mar 2014

That's definitely what the OP article is talking about. Other definitions that I looked up said that as well.

So there doesn't need to be actual persecution for someone to have persecution complex. It's sort of like paranoia in that sense.

cbayer

(146,218 posts)

10. I understand all that, but wondered why it is you might say something that would

Reply to eomer (Reply #8)

Mon Mar 31, 2014, 10:00 AM

Mar 2014

further increase feelings of persecution, knowing that is the likely outcome.

Because sometimes people poke sticks at tigers.

I think I didn't word it very well, but my point was that.

goldent

(1,582 posts)

9. I guess you could say this shows the religious guarantees of the 1st amendment

Reply to Peacetrain (Reply #1)

Sun Mar 30, 2014, 09:37 PM

Mar 2014

to be a grand success

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof...

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