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You can call it "militant atheism" and say Christians and other theists are being persecuted when we start burning, torturing, imprisoning, and mutilating theists for their beliefs.
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Thanks to Shay Chandler for this Facebook post which she has kindly agreed that I can publish here.
15 comments:
which happens in many many countries.
Haha, really? Name one. Please. I can think of countries where Christians are doing that now. (Yes, in 20-f'ing-11. For realsies.)
Actually I've friends in this (UK) country who have received more than one death threat merely for being Christians and for living a quiet life. In fact I could provide you with names of a number of people who have been threatened with the death threat merely for being Christians with no provocation other than that. As for other countries, actually I don't think there is a country where it is not happening.
Hilary: What are the religious views of the persons doing the threatening?
If the christians in question are living a quiet life how did they come to the attention of those threatening them?
Well to be honest I don't really want to go into it all, but believe me, there was no provocation and the threats came from people who basically hate christians, some of religious background and some with atheist background. There is a great deal of this that goes on in this country but most people have their eyes closed and put their heads in the sand to it. I've had one guy tell me he was going to stick a knife in me - lovely! I've also had other threats over the years...just people finding out I'm a christian was seemingly enough for those threats...I never argued, provoked or anything...just kept myself to myself...but I've never hidden that I am a follower of Jesus Christ!
We do have laws against this sort of thing though.
I'm not in favour of attacking christians (except verbally and rhetorically of course), but you must admit that the churches don't have a perfectly innocent historical record themselves, and I expect some people are still angry about their behaviour.
ah yes, I expect that must be the reason...silly me, I should have been apologising for their feeling of needing to attack me...I'll know next time...thank you so much for pointing that out...
...and I expect there are some people who still are angry at the Germans and the Japanese...so maybe we need to understand racism a bit more so that we can take pity on those who do the attacking shall we...and who else shall we include in that...any suggestions...
Pointing out the fact that we have laws?
The first time I went to Japan I felt as you describe, but when I came back I was totally converted. Now I love to visit Japan in spite of the long flight.
When I was growing up the Germans were not altogether popular either. Now I love to visit Germany - especially Munich.
And now I have good friends in both of those countries. I can laugh with them and be serious with them. All the stereotypes that we hear are exactly that - stereotypes.
The one thing that I have found in my adult life is that almost all people everywhere are much nicer than you expect. The trick is (of course) to spot the exceptions. I haven't go the hang of that yet.
However, one of the DEFINITE exceptions was the headmaster of a school that I attended in York. He was a minister (eventually Canon) in the Anglican Church. He was of course a product of his age but I find it impossible to forgive the injustices that he administered on a daily basis.
From my own perspective he was hardly better than Stalin (who was atheistic) or Hitler (who was definitely Catholic). Some people are intrinsically evil, whether religious or not. But now that this particular christian is dead I find myself relieved of the burden of wondering what I might have done if I had ever met him again. I honestly don't know the answer - but few other people in my entire life have provoked any desire for violence.
So ... that's something I have never said in public before.
And ... it has nothing at all to do with my devout atheism which only started 30+ years later.
I think the violent feelings of anyone and everyone comes from a deep rooted knowledge or belief of being both unlistened to and being powerless against personal and social injustice. Unfortunately both atheistic ideals such as communism and religious beliefs can be the thin veil over people's greed and obsession with power...eg Hitler...Jesus spoke of sheep in wolves' clothing and His words have sadly been true again and again and again doing Christianity no good service. There will always be those who profess to be christian and who blatently hurt others and who seem not to care, and there will be those who desire to walk with Jesus, and do the right thing but who get things wrong sometimes and who unwittingly hurt others, who are genuinely sorry and who try to put things right. One reason I am a Christian is because I see my faults and failings and I know I need Jesus to save me from myself, and to redeem my whole life, and who gives His Spirit to me in order than I can see clearly and objectively how how my words and actions can affect others and how I can best live in this life. None of us is perfect and there are times, similar to when the press do a witchhunt of media celebs when I wonder whether their own lives are so squeaky clean that enables them so easily to criticise others. I feel this way about how atheists are so very quick to jump on any wrong doing of Christians and even when a christian genuinely shows sorrow and attempts to put things right it is taken as christians thinking they can do what they like. The vast majority of christians whom I have met duing my life, including the ones who drew me to be challenged about my atheism have be genuine people. All too often all atheists do and I have to include yourself and this blog in that, is to find examples of christians who have done wrong in order to prove something to your readers.
It does get a little tiresome at times and it would be much better if you balanced this up with examples of christians who actually do so very much for communities and for individuals of which there are many many more than who are bad examples.
Constantly quoting or citing 'bad christians' does your argument no good and simply makes your blog seem extremely prejudiced and this does your argument no good at all.
I can certainly find you thousands and thousands of examples of Christians helping communities and individuals only most of the time they would not want the publicity.
@Hilary: I think we all agree that there are many people who do so much for their community and these outweigh those who do not.
As many of these are non believers we cannot say that their good works are necessarily a result of their faith.
I agree that there are many non believers who do fantastic things for community, society and the individual, and perhaps non believer is the wrong word to use as clearly they believe in something...the general good of society etc...but, I disagree with your comment that those who are of faith in Christ (I can't speak for Muslims etc) do attribute any altruistic act as the reason being because of Jesus.
Lol What I mean was that D.S you say good deeds cannot be attribuatble to being because of faith, but christians do attribute any altruistic acts to our faith as being the reason ofr such.
I'm surprised to be accused of constantly quoting or citing bad christians. I think I'm generally good at avoiding it but once in a while one slips into the conversation. And after all, why should they be immune from criticism.
Ms. Chandler is quoting Monica Salcedo (@Monicks): http://monicks.net/2011/11/27/militant-atheism-i-dont-think-that-means-what-you-think-it-means/. The attribution must have accidentally been left off her Facebook post.
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