War on Christianity?

If you are a conservative evangelical, you probably think that there is a "war" being waged on biblical Christianity in America. Christians aren't being rounded up and put in jail, Christians don't risk arrest for practicing their faith in public, and Christianity doesn’t have a second-class legal status. Nonetheless, the "war" label is employed often and deliberately.

In the Daily Illini, Zachary Schuster writes:

The "War on Christianity" is one of those Fox News catchphrases that riles up conservative Christians against American liberals. I find this mythical American "War on Christianity" to be pretty tragic, especially because there are actually countries such as the Sudan and Saudi Arabia where being a Christian can actually get one killed. ... A recent battle in the "War on Christianity" was the "War on Christmas," which we all thankfully managed to survive.

The basis of this "War" was anecdotal evidence of people not allowing the use of the words "Merry Christmas" and some stores' refusal to display anything with religious references. In light of these little stories, conservative Christians everywhere vowed to say the words "Merry Christmas" to everyone as an "Up yours, you liberal bastard." I guarantee that Jesus would have wanted his birthday used in such a spiteful manner.

Even better than the Christian "Up yours" was conservative Christians whining because stores were displaying "Happy Holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas." First they complain that Christmas has become too commercialized by these stores; then they complain that the companies that have ruined Christmas refuse to acknowledge it. ... A part of why I no longer identify myself with a Christian church is that I am embarrassed that Christian leaders devote their energies to farces such as the "War on Christianity." For many American Christians, being a Christian has become all about proving to everyone else that you are a great Christian.

A "war" on Christianity is simply a rhetorical slight-of-hand used by the Christian Right to avoid admitting that what they are really fighting is the loss of privilege and status that was once according Christianity in America. There was a time when being a Christian rather than something else was special — both private business and government generally assumed generic Chritian beliefs and principles in much of what was done. That isn’t the case anymore and now Christians are treated just like everyone else. They don't like that. All the talk about America being a "Christian Nation" is simply a way to argue that America should accord Christianity privileges and status denied to other religions.

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