I recently watched a news clip from the recent Value Voters Summit. One attendee interviewed said that Christians (Evangelicals) were being persecuted before Jesus-loving, pussy-grabbing, liar-in-chief Donald Trump became president. The woman’s proof of persecution? People said bad things about Christianity. The following graphic pretty well sums things up:
Please use the comment section below to list all the ways Evangelicals were persecuted under President Obama.
The following is a complete list of incidents of Christian persecution in the US during Obama’s presidency
1.
Thats as far as I got.
Obama must be the antichrist in some way though for trying to treat everyone with decency and respect.
1) Obama passed laws protecting the rights of LGBT people.
2) Er…
3) That’s it.
I recall IRS targeting of conservative and faith based groups.
In general I don’t think there was an all out persecution so much as a lack of support of rights.
NOM and several of those groups forgot to file necessary paperwork with the IRS and also wouldnt turn over documents that were supposed to be available to the public. Also Greg Abbot(r- gov of texas)tried to withold state funds from christian charities that were motivated by their religious beliefs and helping resettle syrian refugees in the state. There might be something there, but it is nothing like the villification and efforts to defund planned parenthood over several dubiously edited and politically motivated videos(not that planned parenthood is a perfect organization either).
That being said, several christian non profits dealing with politics and fox news are nothing more than the fear mongering propaganda machine of the Republican party. The main thing I noticed since leaving evangelicalism and conservative politics is how much of it was based on fear of “other” that in many ways has no base in reality. They talk about atheists being evil without actually talking to atheists. They want to make abortion and contraception illegal without understanding the science behind it or all the factors that go into why woman(or their married republican congressmen who was having an affair with them) choose to get one. Point being, no christians were sent to jail for their beliefs despite the nonstop barrage of name calling, insults, and outright lies (hes a muslim, his birth certificate is fake) sent Obama’s way while he was in office. However, Trunp has enacted a discriminatory travel ban, said he wants to loosen libel laws, destroyed the epa and state statedepartments and is continuing to try to take healthcare from millions. All actions that will cause people to be seriously harmed or die, and most of the people who voted for him say they are pro life.
Bruce. As a former fundie, you and your readers surely missed the most important aspect of Christian fundamentalism and conservative evangelicalism in asking people to submit this list. Therefore, I shall make a list for you by reminding you of that most important fact.
1. Many tens of millions of American Christian fundamentalists and conservative evangelicals were persecuted throughout the Obama Administration—and almost none of it required laying premeditated plans, implementing plans, or use of muscle actions, torture machines, prisons, concentration camps, or means of execution. How is that possible? Why surely you have heard:
“I am a Christian fundamentalist. Merely to disagree with me on any point of my faith is to persecute me. All human beings must conform in the most comprehensive and microscopic way to exactly what I believe because all else is Anti-Christ in nature. Whatever is Anti-Christ in nature, by its very nature, always persecutes me.”
Of course, this is insane fundie bullshit—but—you will never convince them of that for one very good reason. Fundies want persecution. Fundies need persecution. Fundies desire persecution. They are taught from birth that the Bible says all “true” Christians will be persecuted. If you are not being actively persecuted, that means you might not be a “true” Christian. Unfortunately for American fundies, they live in a country with a U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights that prevent real persecution—like ancient Roman persecution of Christians. So, fundies have to create out of thin air false, dubious, plastic pink flamingo persecutions that are not actual persecutions at all. In other words, they have to create a web of PERSECUTION LIES that allow them to feel like they are being persecuted when they are not actually being persecuted. Why again? Because if you are a “true” fundie Christian, you need persecution to reassure you that you are actually a “true” Christian because the Bible says all “true” Christians will be persecuted. Circular? You betcha!!! But that is precisely what they are doing—and it is a form of lie-telling to one’s self and one’s fellow fundies—and by their own belief system—this lie-telling alone could land them in the Lake of Fire forever—and possibly prove that they were “never really saved” to begin with—and thus—not “true Christians.
Let me give you an example:
Three young women are going shopping together. The woman driving and the woman in the front passenger seat are biological sisters. The driver is a United Methodist because her husband is, and her sister is a strict and totally anal convert to IFB Baptist. All of a sudden, the driver mentions to her sister that she is picking up a college friend she just met a few weeks ago, and her name is Caitie. Catie is going shopping with them, and they are on the way to pick her up at her house.
Catie is running behind on her tasks at home, stopped for a moment to watch something interesting on CNN, and popped a can of beer when she sat down. Suddenly, she remembers that she is being picked up to go shopping, hastily grabs her purse, throws on her coat, and absent-mindedly takes the near full beer can with her as she dashes out to the car that is already waiting for her.
As she jumps in the car, the IFB fundie sister glances at the beer can in terror. How could my sister do this to me? She knows that I practice strict separation from nonfamily strangers who are not fundies—and she knows I hate drinking. I bet the woman in the back seat knows it too, and she brought that beer can into the car just to mock me. I feel so persecuted!!! ow could she and my sister do this to me? This is really scary for me. But it let’s me know I am a “true” Christian who is right with Jesus. Jesus told me in scripture that I would know that I am one of his own because I will be persecuted in this world. I will play it cool and take deep comfort in that.
The Truth:
In her exhuberance and excitement at having a new friend at college, the driver simply forgot that her sister had decided to emphasize strict separation in her life several years ago when she converted to IFB Baptist. She had no idea that Caitie would come to the car with a beer can in her hand. Caitie was just in such a hurry to dash to the car that she forgot that the can in her hand was beer instead of Coca-Cola. Catie almost never does that because it is illegal to have open containers of alcohol in cars in her state. No one was consciously or unconsciously trying to persecute anyone.
Feel free to visit me at my blog where I try to explain fundies to the world and delve into their nonsense and all the evil and hurt that comes with the “Fundie Package.” Here is the safe link to click:
https://faith17983.wordpress.com/
This article showed up in my news fees today.
I wouldn’t call this persecution.
Of course you wouldn’t. It doesn’t fit your narrative.
Please stop. If you can’t think any deeper than this, go away. My response has nothing to do with my “narrative.” It has everything to do with whiny Evangelicals who view being told no as persecution. When I read this story at the time it happened, I did not approve of what the Obama administration had done. You see, I have ethics and I am able to see beyond party affiliation and judge accordingly. That said, this is NOT persecution. It’s bad behavior by government officials. No one was physically harmed. In the end, everyone was made whole.
Those who need to believe they are being “persecuted” are great at manufacturing it.