No, you are not being persecuted

Reading the NYT article Christian Conservatives Face Reality: Increasingly, They Stand Alone I was reminded of the nonsensical claim of persecution by some Christians in America. As someone who has worked in areas where being a Catholic or a Protestant means living and working separately, I can say that persecution is not what is happening in America, it's just good old fashioned butt-hurt. That's right, it's some Christians* being overly or unjustifiably offended or resentful, so definitely butt hurt, not persecution. 

One might argue the last time America experienced any sort of religious persecution was the Philadelphia Nativist Riots of 1844 but as my father can attest the Civil Rights Era of the 1950s and 1960s may be a closer example. My father, who was attending Georgia Tech in the 1960s, was invited to services at The First Baptist Church of Atlanta. Guarding the doors a group of burly white men lined the steps of the church to ensure no one who didn't belong would enter. Across from the church a mixed group of Civil Rights demonstrators were protesting the segregation that remained in the churches. James Baldwin and Martin Luther King, Jr, referenced the racial divide in America, saying the most segregated hour is high noon on Sundays. Witnessing this racist contrast, my father realized churches were "more interested in paving parking lots than people." He left The Church that day. 

Gerald Harris, the editor of the Southern Baptist's The Christian Index, recently bemoaned the Paris Olympics Opening which included an homage to “The Feast of the Gods,” painted by the Dutch artist Jan van Bijlert, and in the collection of The Musée Magnin in Dijon, France. Like a subgroup of fellow offended Christians in the US that claimed the painting referenced was The Last Supper by da Vinci, they claimed persecution because without persecution how can one play the martyr. Harris argued that this justifies the missionary zeal of the Baptists, the ones who tell you that you're wrong, what you believe is immoral, and you're going to burn in hell. 

Despite the Paris Olympics artistic director's attempts to explain the inspiration, the offended stayed on their crosses because of the director's complete statements. The opening ceremonies' artistic director, Thomas Jolly referenced the Olympian gods and included his commitment to diversity and inclusion of all people. And therein lies the rub: transgender and crossdressing communities are scorned by right wing evangelicals. Their existence was the real problem for this sect of Christians. These types of Christians are always looking for a reason to be offended.

It is not the first time that Harris has courted controversy about non issues. He has been met with criticism within the Baptist community, yet another religious group which has broken off into a variety of sects throughout its history. Ironically the Baptists were begun by English Separatist John Smyth, yes, another splintering of Protestantism, itself a splintering off of Catholicism. I have a unique perspective on the Harris clan as my husband is tied to the family tangentially. We have witnessed their brand of Christianity first hand as one that sows division within their own family. But I digress...

As understanding of Project 2025 has moved into mainstream circles as part of the Trump transition to power, there has been a large backlash against the proposed policy agenda. Within the NYT article evangelical, fundamentalist Christians say "the coming election feels like a referendum on the role of conservative Christianity in American public life. And some conservative Christians worry that it is a race that is harder and harder to win." The article continues: "The country is growing more secular and pluralistic by the year, with regular church attendance declining." One might strongly argue that it is the actions of these Christians which is driving people away from religion.

The Christians in the article are pleased about Roe v. Wade being overturned and the Alabama Judge's statements about IVF. They also reference a little known win for the Californians for Equal Rights Foundation which "fights things like race-conscious admissions and diversity, equity and inclusion programs in the wake of the state’s push for affirmative action... [The group] sued California in 2021, ultimately resulting in the removal of Aztec and African prayers from the public school curriculum." But the irony is lost on these people who seek to force the return of Christian prayers to public schools. 

The NYT article ends with a telling quote: “I believe we can still influence government for Christian values in America today.” This says more than the entirety of the article. This subsect of Christianity seeks to place their beliefs above everyone else's beliefs. And THAT is where the rub occurs. THAT is what these people do not understand about why their agenda, the radical Project 2025 Agenda, and Christian Nationalism is being rejected by more and more Americans. 

Believe what you want. Practice your beliefs within reason without harm to your children or the greater good. But DO NOT try to impose YOUR beliefs on our government, its laws, and the citizens. You are not the arbiter of morality and decency. We are good people too and unlike you, we accept diversity and promote inclusion of all people. But step over the line and force your beliefs on others and you will be met with resistance. Claim persecution and we will call out the BS.

Get offended all you want but know this: we will call you out on your bigotry, your racism, your misogyny, your homophobia, your transphobia, your xenophobia. Hide behind your religion but we will call you out for your hatred, indecency, and callousness towards humanity. Take it to the polls and we will fight back. These attitudes are as outdated as the Tower of Babel division of the races rhetoric of the Civil Rights era. Yet today some would deny Civil Rights to fellow Americans. These are the ideas which sow division and cause revulsion from fair minded, decent people and, like my Dad, you will find a lot more of us walking away from The Church.

*Some Christians are like these types who are constantly offended and claiming persecution, but not all. This excellent article rebuts those types which claim to speak for all of Christianity, offering an alternative to the hatred and division spewed from the extremists on the far right.