Anti-Christian prejudice
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Anti-Christian prejudice is a negative categorical bias against Christians — both individually and collectively — or against Christianity as a whole. Such prejudice is a form of religious intolerance; it may be simply a mental or emotional attitude, or it may lead to stereotyping, discrimination, or even – in extreme cases – to persecution of Christians.
In nations where Christianity is a minority prejudice against Christians in general is most plausible. In nations like that where freedom of religion is limited the issue becomes more Persecution of Christians and is dealt with in that article.
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[edit] Prejudice versus criticism
Anti-Christian prejudice should not be confused with reasonable criticism of Christianity or its claims.
A legitimate, reasonable criticism of Christianity as a whole may not always be applicable to every individual Christian, nor should unjustifiable actions by any individual Christian or Christian group necessarily be taken as representative of Christianity as a whole.
Similarly, anti-Christian prejudice should not be confused with criticism of an individual Christian's own words and actions, insofar as those words and actions are themselves worthy of criticism and criticism is not directed at the individual simply on the basis of their being Christian.
[edit] Christianophobia
Christianophobia, sometimes (if ungrammatically) called christophobia, is a term used by some to describe an irrational fear or hatred of Christians, or Christianity in general.
[edit] Origins and use of the term
The term originated with American legal scholar J.H.H. Weiler. It was described in detail by American conservative writer, activist, and Catholic theologian George Weigel in his books, Is Europe Dying? Notes on a Crisis of Civilizational Morale and The Cube and the Cathedral: Europe, America, and Politics Without God.
In December 2004 the late Pope John Paul II argued that Christianophobia was spreading around the world and called on the UN to draft laws on Christianophobia, as it has done on "Islamophobia" and anti-Semitism.[citations needed]
The UN Human Rights Commission in Geneva now speaks of "anti-Semitism, Islamophobia and Christianophobia." The use of the word Christianophobia has been proposed for use in the UN General Assembly.
[edit] Reasons some people claim to have Christianophobia
George Weigel attributes christianophobia today to a number of causes:
- the rejection of Christianity in favor of secular humanism by many European and American intellectuals in the 19th century;
- the disappointment allegedly felt by European leftists over the collapse of European communism, for which Christianity is held partly responsible;
- pre-World War II church support for reactionary right-wing politicians, some of whom would later collaborate with the Nazis – prior to the Christian Democrat movement which attempted to break from this legacy;
- guilt by association with the political policies of the United States and the West in general, especially the war on terror which is perceived by some to be an imperialist war;
- strong political statements made by controversial pastors Jerry Falwell and Fred Phelps; Christian network founder and presidential candidate Pat Robertson; singer and anti-gay rights activist Anita Bryant and some American televangelists who condemn behaviour of certain social groups and political leaders;
- self-defense by groups and individuals attacked by Christians (see below).
Other writers point to evangelization by Christians as a cause. The activity of the Christian Right is sometimes characterized by its opponents (usually from the political, social, or religious left) as promoting the ideologies of Zionism, Fascism, nationalism, theocracy, intolerance, homophobia, xenophobia, heterosexism, patriarchy and sexism, and fostering anti-science attitudes, in part because it aims to prevent access to pornography, abortion, euthanasia and gay marriage through the use of laws, tends to favor the existence of Israel, promotes public policies entailing religious belief in God, and sometimes frustrates the teaching of evolution in the public schools, among other things.
Erratic and/or violent behavior of individuals can distort the public view of the conglomerate: individuals who try to thwart activity in abortion clinics through shootings and bombings, those who themselves commit hate crimes, those who pilfer from organizations with intent to redirect funds to worthier causes. This violence does not represent the actions of the majority, but stands out to some.
Excessive solicitation of funds from a handful of televangelists, compiled with the necessary solicitation from shows that deny advertising support, present the image of churches always asking for money.
Some people use the scandals of Ted Haggard, Jimmy Swaggart, Jim Bakker to demonize or generalize on Christianity even further.
[edit] Issues Concerning the American Government
Disagreement with Christians in the United States has sometimes led to the generalization that all Christians share the same outlook, though other Christians would note that their belief system has little relation to what is advocated by the religious right.
From the 1970s onward, there have been increasingly bold efforts by some people to influence various issues in various ways, including the intelligent design, Pro-life and gay marriage opposition movements. These attempts have been met with opposition from various groups such as the ACLU, Planned Parenthood and Americans United for Separation of Church and State.
According to some people, the public school system regularly discriminates against Christians. Common examples given include the lack of curricula including intelligent design as a possible explanation for the origins of human life, the banning of state-sanctioned school prayer, and a ban on any religious expression by faculty or students.
Some people believe organizations such as ACLU are intentionally trying to prohibit freedom of religious expression in a veiled attempt to secularize America.
Numerous conflicts between the ACLU and conservative Christian activists prompted the creation of the ACLJ in 1990, by televangelist Pat Robertson. The ACLJ promotes what it sees as family values and freedom of expression, as well as establishing itself as a counterbalance to the decidedly "liberal" ACLU. While both organizations argue that they are dedicated to defending freedom of religion, each takes a vastly different approach. While the ACLU argues that the state should maintain a neutral stance on religious affairs in order to protect civil liberties, the ACLJ believes that separation of church and state in its current form is contradictory to the original intentions of the Founding Fathers, and that policies designed to foster religious tolerance are actually and pointedly intolerant of Christianity. A large part of the ACLJ caseload involves defending the First Amendment rights of Christian students who believe that they have been denied freedom of speech by school administrations.
[edit] See also
- Anti-Catholicism
- Criticism of Christianity
- Evangelicalism
- Persecution of Christians
- Religious intolerance
- Separation of church and state
