Its not necessary to search for ISIS, Boko Haram, atheist North Korea or Al Qaida to find a war against Christianity. Just turn on your television, open your local newspaper, or spend a couple days sitting through public school classes with your kids. Disparaging, belittling and insulting Christianity and Christians has become not only acceptable in the United States, it is now considered an admirable course of action. What makes this development all the more pathetic is that the citizens of the United States continue to be Christian by a substantial majority. According to a July 2015 ABC News poll, 83 percent of Americans identify as Christian. I chose the ABC poll result, but other polls available in the media offer similar results. Why does a nation of Christians basically sit back and watch as the younger generations show no understanding of life and teachings of Jesus Christ, except as something to mock and disrespect? I realize that there exist many exceptions to this trend. Many Christian Churches continue to offer young adherents the opportunity to proselytize both within the United States and overseas. But more and more we read stories of these young people being refused entry into business estsblishments and secondsry school grounds. The targeting of Mormons, who we all recognize as they politely make their way in ties and on bicycles, has caused the Church to reconsider its intended destinations for outreach. Its not difficult finding episodes of Christians being descriminated against and Christianity being insulted, but is it really all that bad?
I started noticing the trend a few tears ago. The ACLU had succeeded in forcing another municipality in some midwestern state, to remove a nativity scene from its holiday display. Christmas was a surprisngly easy target, as Christmas trees became Holiday trees and Christmas break at school became Winter break. When approached, the municipal leaders all repeated the same comment: because of the separation of Church and State, it is uncomstitutional to mention anything religious on government property. And for those who didn't abide by this perspective, the ACLU was ready with deep pockets to take things to court. Frankly, most folks just didn't want to fuss with it; we'd dealt with these latter-day hippie types before, and they usually end up just going away.
That has not been the case. The political left in the United States, with the complicit support of the Democratic Party, have turned this issue into one which they claim has caused untold damage to religious minorities and must be addressed immediately. Not surprisingly, no one was required to back up this argument with proof. That is the current state of affairs in our great nation these days: those on the left no longer have the obligation to support their argument with anything other than accusations of bigotry and racism. For those who are interested, the numbers of immigrant applications to the United States who claim to be in search of religious freedom are not declining. People want to emigrate to the United States because we protect a person's right to practise the religion of their choice. Atheists, Hindus, Muslims, Jews and Buddhists are not injured by a community expression of the majority's traditional celebration of the birth of our savior. When I have been in traditionally Islamic or Hindu nations, I was not offended or injured in any way by public displays of religious expression. Most people in the United States agree with my point of view; so why does the situation seem to become more absurd every day?
This last Monday, on everyone's fsvorite daytime show, "The View", panelist Michelle Collins (who?), when discussing the recent National Enquirer claim that Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz had cheated on his wife at least five times, described Cruz as living by a "crazy moral code". It was obvious that Collins was referring to Cruz being a Christian. Collins was relishing the idea that another "Christian hypocrite" (my quotations) had been caught cheating, even though Collins herself considers the Christian code of morality to be "crazy", regardless. Normally, televised daytime talk-shows wouldn't touch the Enquirer with a ten-foot pole. But the media, which has gladly become the sword of this anti-Christian effort, loves any message that claims to show evidence of prominent Christians being hypocritical. The problem is, even the National Enquirer realizes their story is false, which they are quick to declare at the beginning of the piece. They are smart enough to play the game and not have to face a lawsuit. The Enquirer announced the accustations on page one, as if the case was aleeady closed, then reiterated that the story was simply something provided to the Enquirer by a Trump supporter. The glee with which this Collins person commented on the accusations of infidelity by Cruz, is something we see all the time in our press and media. Non-Christians who behave immorally are given a pass, because, of course, they don't pretend to be ethical. Its the hypocritical Christians that must be outed!
Forgive me for getting in the weeds just a bit, but it can be occasionally necessary. Its past time that the Christian community in this great nation stop applogizing for itself. The pioneers who suffered untold hardships building this country, many times were obliged to survive rough times on Faith alone. During the dark years of slavery, many suffering Americans relied on Faith in Jesus and His love, to make it from one day to the next. The people who built this country did not shy away from their Christian Faith, as is evidenced by its inclusion in our National Anthem, our Constitution, our songs, school books and our literature. It is only in the last half-century that Academia in the United States has allowed itself to become the lightening rod for the anti-Christian movement. Do not misunderstand; a healthy application of the principle of "separation of church and state" is essential in our Republic. But we have allowed this battle-cry to move us away from the truths by which we arrived at this particular place in time. I am a Christian, and I am a better man for it. I make no apologies for my Faith, and I will speak up when I see history being rewritten and the will of the majority of this country ignored. I can only hope that I'm not alone in my sentiments.
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