I believe a lot of the rise in heated rhetoric from the christian community, that by no coincidence takes the form of a persecution narrative, is wholesale in response to the erosion of special privilege the christian church has received in the United States since it's founding.
By special privilege and it's erosion I mean:
1. “In God we Trust” on the currency, not in Allah or Yahweh or any other term disassociated with the Christian god or even “In a God we Trust” allowing for multiple theologies to make a claim on that trust.
2. “I pledge allegiance to the flag... one nation under God...” just as the above a deliberate reference to the christian god.
3. Dominance in culture leading to cultural influence and political power.
4. The domination of christian morality in legislature now diminished, Roe v Wade, Same Sex marriage.
So the cry of persecution has been taken up to rally Christianity to combat a culture that no longer looks to Christianity for it's basis. That's why we see outlandish requests for exemption or “special privilege” for Christianity such as the Hobby Lobby case. The Law is the Law for everybody, unless your christian.
It's an expectation of exceptionalism, which is then translated into law. Which I find very frightening in a country one of whom's key tenets is the separation of the church and it's morality with the elected government as a reflection of the overall cultural morality of that nation.
By special privilege and it's erosion I mean:
1. “In God we Trust” on the currency, not in Allah or Yahweh or any other term disassociated with the Christian god or even “In a God we Trust” allowing for multiple theologies to make a claim on that trust.
2. “I pledge allegiance to the flag... one nation under God...” just as the above a deliberate reference to the christian god.
3. Dominance in culture leading to cultural influence and political power.
4. The domination of christian morality in legislature now diminished, Roe v Wade, Same Sex marriage.
So the cry of persecution has been taken up to rally Christianity to combat a culture that no longer looks to Christianity for it's basis. That's why we see outlandish requests for exemption or “special privilege” for Christianity such as the Hobby Lobby case. The Law is the Law for everybody, unless your christian.
It's an expectation of exceptionalism, which is then translated into law. Which I find very frightening in a country one of whom's key tenets is the separation of the church and it's morality with the elected government as a reflection of the overall cultural morality of that nation.
