A Thought Experiment: let us imagine that for the
past 20 years or so in many and various parts of the world we see young men
proclaiming their devotion to Christ and the advance of Christianity as a
prelude to murdering groups of unsuspecting Muslims they encounter in public
places such as airports, workplaces, night clubs, etc. In these massacres sometimes Christians are
killed as collateral damage. These men commandeer
airplanes and crash them into skyscrapers.
They invade mosques and behead elderly Imams. They make YouTube videos of beheadings,
immolations, drownings – all preceded by the cry “Jesus Christ is Lord.” Certain groups of them are also intent on
setting up by military conquest a “Christian Republic” where Christian morality
will be strictly enforced with severe penalties for adultery, homosexuality as
well as apostasy. Let us assume that these Christian zealots are a minority of
all Christians and the majority of Christian believers are law abiding people
who have made accommodation with secular society.
Let us also assume that many of these young
Christian mass murderers are being incubated in many parts of Europe where
Christianity flourished in its youth, especially Italy, the Iberian peninsula,
but also in Protestant enclaves in Sweden, Norway and Germany.
How then would the politicos, New York Times, the Washington Post and the remainder of the commentariat, from the mass
media syndicates and academia to the entertainment industry, have responded after a massacre
on American soil, let’s say a mass shooting of 50 gays in a Florida night club
by young man claiming affiliation with one of the major Christian terrorist
groups?
Allow me to
speculate how they would not have responded. Then President Obama would not have referred to the victims
as “some random folks” killed by a disturbed person. The American people would not discover that all
religions have their share of fanatics and that this massacre has nothing to do
with Christianity. In reporting the
story, The New York Times would not
omit the fact that before open firing the young man was yelling “Jesus Christ
is Lord” and reciting Old Testament condemnation of sodomy. The NYT
editorials would not refer to those individuals who talk about Christian
terrorists and the problem with Christianity as “Christianophobes” and remind
us that the majority of Christians are peaceful and law abiding. The
Democrats would not be encouraging the immigration of
millions of Christians from those incubating European countries. Republican leaders would not be condemning as
bigots those who urge a moratorium on immigration from those countries that are
breeding terrorists. Hollywood would not
be making movies that feature Muslim bigoted vigilantes who kidnap and murder
innocent Christians.
The following is the more likely response. From Barack Obama, a press conference
announcing the formation of a Federal agency to combat Christian terrorism and
to conduct surveillance of Tea Party and other Christian extremist groups.
Christians will then be barred from Federal employment. From the NYT
editorial staff, a piece that decries the inevitable culmination of
Christianity as a religion of violence, oppression and hate. The Washington Post publishes articles
predicting an escalation of Christian violence and warns non-Christian readers
to arm themselves in anticipation of further attacks. From the Republicans,
endless apologies for having been Christians and groveling petitions for
forgiveness. University presidents
across the country announce the establishment of “Christian-free safe zones,” Students
on the campuses demonstrate and demand that the universities require “trigger
warnings” on the syllabi of courses with content that relates to Christianity. From the DNC a declaration that public affirmations of Christian faith should be deemed as hate
speech.
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