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Wayne Besen
PO Box 25491
Brooklyn, NY 11202
First, the fundamentalists had a collective fantasy that there was a conspiracy of people stopping them from saying "Merry Christmas." Now, as The Washington Post reports, they are claiming there is an all-out war on Christians. According to the Post:
This week, radio commentator Rick Scarborough convened a two-day 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.
It is time these fundies take a deep breath and relax. No one gives a damn how they pray, how often they pray or even if they say "Merry Christmas" until they get sore throats. People are just tired of their persecution and tireless work to pass discriminatory laws. If they simply live-and-let live, no one would care what they did. We could all get along. Unfortunately, they rather tell people how to live, punish those who disagree and say all sorts of nasty things.
Finally, about one-third of all Americans are conservative Christians. They own Alabama, Mississippi, Congress, The Supreme Court (almost) and the President. Actually, Dick Cheney owns Bush, but you get my point. So, for these folks to claim that there is some type of "war" against them is just plain paranoid, if not a bit crazy.
If prayers don't work, try pills, and maybe it won't seem like homosexuals and Jews and Atheists are out to get you. Here is the truth: We are not out to get you - so stop complaining and pretending to be victims. When Barney Frank becomes the Supreme Court's Chief Justice then, maybe we will take your whining a bit more seriously. But as long as you are still running the show - you look like a bunch of big cry babies.
28 Comments:
Christians pretty much need to expect that they're going to be at war with the world.
Jesus said in their Bible: "If the world hates you, remember that it first hated me."
posted by Anonymous, at
3/30/2006 4:55 PM
Oh give me a break. The world doesn't hate Jesus! What the world does hate is these pontificating, obnoxious, offensive fundamentalists who try to FORCE their religion on everyone else. And that's where the difference is. The fact that they don't get it is downright ridiculous. They cannot accept the fact that we live in a multi-faceted world, and when these religious bullies don't always get their way, they claim persecution. They are completely clueless.
posted by Anonymous, at
3/30/2006 5:16 PM
Chris, I was trying to say that Christians shouldn't complain.
But as for your claim that the world doesn't "hate Jesus", if it didn't, why was He flogged and crucified?
posted by Anonymous, at
3/30/2006 5:57 PM
Actually, no one knows what happened to Jesus. :)
posted by Anonymous, at
3/30/2006 6:08 PM
He ain't in the grave no more, that's for sure.
posted by Anonymous, at
3/30/2006 6:14 PM
I respect your right to believe what you want to believe and live how you want to live, without trying to convince you otherwise. :)
posted by Anonymous, at
3/30/2006 6:19 PM
Ummm he was flogged and crucified 2000 years ago; i think the people who hated him are probably dead by now.
posted by Anonymous, at
3/30/2006 6:30 PM
Thanks again, Boo, for clearly stating the obvious.
Now back to dismissing them all as loonies...
posted by Anonymous, at
3/30/2006 10:24 PM
I recall the following quote from one of my college philosophy classes many, many years ago - "Man will never be free until the last King is strangled with the entrails of the last priest."
posted by Anonymous, at
3/31/2006 7:17 AM
Strange thing about that last statement...ever notice how many Christian links Wayne has on his web site?
posted by Anonymous, at
3/31/2006 10:01 AM
Fundamentalists definitely need some medication. Fundamentalism is a mental illness.
posted by Anonymous, at
3/31/2006 11:22 AM
But as for your claim that the world doesn't "hate Jesus", if it didn't, why was He flogged and crucified?
I don't know. Why was Persephone abducted by Hades? Why was Odin blinded? Why was Osiris raised from the dead? Because people are afraid of reality, and they need to believe that the world they are living in is not real. Do you know what I hate? Sanctimonious, ignorant people who use religion (ANY religion) as a crutch and a justification for all of their irrational, fearful, xenophobic, and violent behaviors.
Jesus enraged the fundamentalists of his day, so they killed Him.
posted by Anonymous, at
3/31/2006 12:44 PM
I can't say this any better than Austin Cline, who states:
"A "war" on Christianity is simply a rhetorical slight-of-hand used by the Christian Right to avoid admitting that what they are really fighting is the loss of privilege and status that was once according Christianity in America. There was a time when being a Christian rather than something else was special — both private business and government generally assumed generic Christian beliefs and principles in much of what was done. That isn’t the case anymore and now Christians are treated just like everyone else. They don't like that. All the talk about America being a "Christian Nation" is simply a way to argue that America should accord Christianity privileges and status denied to other religions."
posted by zannebee, at
3/31/2006 2:56 PM
First, although there's a buttload of "conservative christians" only about 7% of the population believes the tenats of faith that make them "evangelical christians"
So this 7% controls a number of states, the republican party, a big chunk of the democrat party, and thinks that America is attacking it? Wow, that's some paranoia.
Second, there was a time when the word "christian" was a positive thing. A non-believer knew that a "christian" would always treat them decent and try to help them out. The phrase was "that's real christian of you".
But that sort of thing is earned. At the time that christian was a positive, the christians believed in helping their neighbor and being kind and loving. The fact that "christian" is now almost a curse-word is also earned.
If the christians want to be treated with respect again, all they have to do is act respectable. If they spent 1/10th of the time and money fighting AIDS, poverty, and the causes of crime that they do fighting gays, the homeless, and the criminals then people would again say things like "he's a real christian".
Thanks Chris!! Fundamentalist, which is the Religious Right (though they are Very WRONG!)can teach and preach all they want to and how they live should be their own business, which is fine with me, but they shouldn't have the nerve or arrogance to think they have to enforce their way on ALL of us out here giving "other" Christian groups a BAD name!!???
