Christians, notably members of the Westboro Baptist Church, continue to defile the American Flag, trampling it, flying it upside-down, and so on, as part of their campaign to discredit the United States for being too tolerant of gays. Further, they insist they have every right to protest loudly and crudely at the funerals of fallen soldiers.
Also very disturbing is this story about the Virginia Tech killer, from a good Christian family, who attended bible classes, and then went on to gun down so many innocent people. He seems to have been disillusioned with the church, but still...
Christians killing in order to save souls happens more than we think. This 8-year-old autistic boy was crushed and stifled to death by his well-meaning congregation. Another boy, this one six years old, was killed by forced drowning in the name of God. I could go on, but I won't. The evidence is overwhelming.
Okay, here's my point. I don't believe that Christians are bad. I can easily see that when Christians stick a symbol of Christ down someone's throat until he dies, that doesn't reflect mainstream Christian belief, and that I shouldn't judge all Christians by that act. A handful of Christians stomping on the US flag shouldn't tarnish the reputation of the others. A few dozen trusted priests molesting hundreds of children, covered up by well-meaning bishops, don't put other Christian clergy under suspicion, no, not at all. Why is it that when a killer admits to, or is suspected of being, Pagan, that becomes news? His beliefs are picked up by the media, mainstream and crackpot, like they are relevant. I'm willing to bet good money that the majority of murders committed in this country are by people who have attended mainstream services, and never had any connection to Paganism. Does the media report "Christian murders neighbor over girlfriend?" No. I found a similar complaint by a Muslim blogger who wrote, "I say that if religion is a trait to be identified in criminal cases, that it be done for all accused perpetrators, not just for Muslims. If an accused serial killer attends church or believes in the Gospel, his Christian identity is part and parcel of his failings." It seems that Muslims are similarly targeted.
Should I imply negative things about Christianity because of a few bad apples? Of course not. Should I, as a Pagan and a law-abiding citizen, expect the same courtesy and respect? Of course I should.
2 comments:
"mainstream Christian belief"
In your view, what would this be?
My point was that those extreme examples are not mainstream, and are not defended by mainstream Christians. Nor should they be. Every religion has its nutjobs, even mine. As far as mainstream Christian belief goes, I only know what they slide under my door. Everyone who doesn't accept Jesus as their personal savior is going the wrong way. There is only one God, and he's jealous. Hey, some of my articles of faith defy logic, too, so who am I to say?
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