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I think part of that fear comes from that background. We've never been "tolerated". We've been either vilified or priviledged. Now we are losing our priviledged status in society, which can be both good and bad. Another thing to think about is that Christianity is the most persecuted religion on the planet.
I must be living on a different planet. When I travel overseas, I notice how many countries in Latin America, Africa, and Asia were former colonies of Christian Europe. Their people were subjugated by their Christian colonizers, forced to convert to Christianity on pain of death. Entire cultures were wiped out. The Philippines for instance had a flourishing Indo-Malayan and Chinese civilization which was demolished when the Christian Spaniards arrived and claimed the archipelago for Spain. The natives were forced to convert. Those who resisted were killed. Meanwhile, the Christian Spaniards grabbed select lands for themselves and turned the natives into serfs to enrich the newly arrived elite.
Christianity is not the "most persecuted religion" on the planet. On the contrary, Christianity has blood on its hands for the genocide of millions of people on this planet.
Never before in American history have Christians experienced being hated for following Jesus Christ as they are today.
Only in their own minds. Most want religions to be like they way they want their government. Keep out of my personal life. Period.
They are not 'disliked' (they are not hated) for following jesus.
They are disliked by many for being hypocrites.
(of course, there are a few people who hate anyone different, so christians will easily be both the victim and the creator of the hatred. but so will most other religious groups)
Last edited by plannine; 05-25-2009 at 06:58 AM..
Reason: (added last line)
Christians do not believe in forced conversions. Our purpose in sharing our faith with unbelievers is just that - sharing. When I share my faith with someone and they express that they do not wish to hear my message, then I will respect their wishes. You have the right to believe or not believe as you wish but please don't use your unbelief to limit me in practicing my faith.
Christians converted the natives in Latin America, Asia, and Africa to Christianity on pain of death. That pretty much sums up the history of Christian colonialism over the last 500 years.
The only reason Christians today don't convert by force anymore is because of separation of church and state, a principle embraced by majority of countries. Secular governments have restrained the zealots from ramming their beliefs down everyone else's throats.
Plus, Christianity is a house divided. There are hundreds of Christian sects and denominations whose beliefs contradict with each other. They pretty much have to convert each other at risk of igniting another religious war, slitting each others' throats (which Christians have much experience of). So, Christians can't convert by force because of the mutually assured destruction that will inevitably happen.
Originally posted by ndfmnlf
I must be living on a different planet. When I travel overseas, I notice how many countries in Latin America, Africa, and Asia were former colonies of Christian Europe. Their people were subjugated by their Christian colonizers, forced to convert to Christianity on pain of death. Entire cultures were wiped out. The Philippines for instance had a flourishing Indo-Malayan and Chinese civilization which was demolished when the Christian Spaniards arrived and claimed the archipelago for Spain. The natives were forced to convert. Those who resisted were killed. Meanwhile, the Christian Spaniards grabbed select lands for themselves and turned the natives into serfs to enrich the newly arrived elite.
Christianity is not the "most persecuted religion" on the planet. On the contrary, Christianity has blood on its hands for the genocide of millions of people on this planet.
You raise a good point....
I didn't say it was. I said that it is. Part of this is because there are more self proclaimed christians than any other religious group. But Christians are attacked in China and the muslim world on a regular basis. And in some cases you're attacked by the institutional church itself--like during the Middle Ages and the Reformation.
Of course the church has blood on its hands. I never said it didn't. We will always have to live with its sins and it will always be a black spot on our history. But Jesus' teachings transcend the church and it's actions. And about those damned Spanish conquistadores; I never did like them. Personally I don't consider them to have been christians because no real follower of Jesus would do the things they did.
I guess its the same reason so many middle class and other groups feel like they are being attacked in our society.Christian feel that they are being banded as a group from expressing their beliefs in such places as schools which I think seems true and its being replaced by ever more political beliefs teachings of the secualr world. Afterall they saw the same with national sociaism in geramny;socialism i russisia.and communtism in so many countries.
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