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Anti-Christian discrimination
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Anti-Christian discrimination, anti-Christian prejudice, Christianophobia or Christophobia is a negative categorical bias against Christians or the religion of Christianity. Such prejudice and discrimination is a type of religious intolerance and a form of religious discrimination. Anti-Christian prejudice can be held by individuals or groups, and may be the result of religious or antireligious fanaticism or bigotry. Anti-Christian discrimination is practiced by members of other religions, as well as antireligious adherents of secularism[1]. As a mental and emotional attitude, anti-Christian discrimination leads to stereotyping, hate, and oppression. Anti-Christian prejudice results in the dissemination of hate speech, the commission of hate crimes, and the formation of hate groups, as well as other forms of discriminatory behaviour. Widespread Anti-Christian discrimination may attach social stigma to Christians or Christian beliefs, and may result in an experience of social inequality by Christians. In nations where freedom of religion is limited, the issue becomes persecution of Christians.
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Christianophobia sometimes called Christophobia (which means literally "fear of Christ") is a fear or hatred of Christians or Christianity. The term "Christianophobia" 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.
Christophobia (from Greek: Χριστός ("Christ") and -φόβος, (phobia, fear)) is a term used to describe the fear of, aversion to, or discrimination against Christ or Christians. It can also mean hatred, hostility, disapproval of, or prejudice towards Christians, or Christian behavior or cultures like the USA. Christophobic is the adjective form of this term used to describe the qualities of these characteristics while Christophobe is the noun form given as a title to individuals with "Christophobic" characteristics. Some believe any usage of Christophobia is controversial and several dictionaries characterize this type of fear as irrational. Christophobia in men or women is correlated with insecurity about spirituality.
A number of words and phrases have developed to express antipathy toward Christians. The epithet "Jesus freak" is sometimes used to refer to Christians in a disparaging way. In the 1960s and 1970s, this term was reclaimed by members of the Jesus movement as a way to identify themselves. The word "sheep" as a reference to Christians originated within the Christian church, but when used by outsiders it usually carries derogatory connotations. The words "bible beater" and "bible thumper" are also widely used in the "bible belt" portion of the United States
The Hate Directory lists three online anti-Christian hate sites.[2] The Southern Poverty Law Center also lists several anti-Christian hate groups in the United States.[3]
The vandalism or defacement of Christian symbols or property is one form of the expression of anti-Christian sentiment. If the defaced or vandalized object is considered holy by Christians, such as the Bible or the Cross, the case becomes that of desecration. Such destruction may be illegal if it violates property rights or hate crime laws. Church burnings, the arson of Christian meeting places, is one such hate crime.[1] Churches are a target for hate crimes because of various motivations, including anti-Christian sentiment.[2] An aggravating factor in the burning of a church in Minnedosa, Manitoba was that two of the arsonists were fans of heavy metal music with anti-Christian themes, according to the Crown. [3]
Some elements of the black metal scene declare open hatred of Christianity. Headliners of the black metal scene have claimed responsibility for inspiring (if not necessarily perpetrating) over 50 arsons directed at Christian churches in Norway from 1992 to 1996[4]. Many of the buildings were hundreds of years old, and widely regarded as important historical landmarks. The most notable church was Norway's Fantoft stave church, which the police believed was destroyed by the one-man band Burzum, Varg Vikernes, aka "Count Grishnackh"[5]. However, Varg would not be convicted of any arson offences, until his arrest for the murder of Øystein Aarseth in 1993.
When anti-Christian discrimination becomes systemic, the result is the persecution of Christians. The persecution of Christians is the religious persecution that Christians have endured as a consequence of professing their faith, both historically and in the current era. In the two thousand years of the Christian faith, about 70 million believers have been killed for their faith, of whom 45.5 million or 65% were in the twentieth century, according to "The New Persecuted" ("I Nuovi Perseguitati"). Currently, Christian persecution is most severe in Sudan and North Korea, with Saudi Arabia running a close third.[6] [4]
Christianity has a long history in Anatolia, modern-day Turkey; it is often said to have gained status as a world religion when Istanbul (historically known as Constantinople in the English-speaking world) became the world's most important Christian city, see also Christendom. Although this would not last, Christians were treated poorly under the Ottoman Empire, until its collapse following the first World War. Nationalist passions ran hot, and some paramilitary groups, such as the Young Turks, began to discriminate against, and murder, Christians of Greek, Armenian and Assyrian people. (For further information, see Armenian Genocide, Assyrian Genocide and Pontic Greek Genocide)
In the 14th century Kosovo was conquered by the Ottoman Empire; unlike in most of the empire, Christians (mainly Serbs) have been routinely persecuted, mainly by Albanians, who for the most part converted to Islam. This long-standing rivalry escalated into the Kosovo war.
Kemal Timur, a convert from Islam to Christianity, was detained in May 1999 for distributing Christian Bibles on the street. While in police custody, Timur allegedly called Muhammed a "sorcerer," violating Turkey's blasphemy laws. The charge carries a sentence of up to a year in jail, however, in this case the court dropped the charges.[7]
- See also: Christianity in China
The ruling Communist Party maintains tight control over religion in China.
Christianity was banned for a century in China by Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty, after the Pope forbade Chinese Catholics from venerating their relatives or Confucius.[8]
A check-in counter worker for British Airways was put on unpaid leave after refusing to hide her cross necklace.[9] British Airways later lifted its ban on visible crosses. [10] The airline maintained the order for the employee to hide her cross was due to the company's policy of keeping jewellery out of sight beneath uniforms. Other visible symbols of faith were permitted.
In the U.S. hostility to mainline Protestantism comes from stereotypes of WASPs. This a mildly derogatory term describing people of "White Anglo-Saxon Protestant" background, but can be applied to all Protestants of Northern European descent. It can describe upper middle class Protestant people and their values in teasing or disparaging terms. WASPs tended to be portrayed as rigid and emotionally reserved.
Missouri Executive Order 44 also known as The "extermination order" in Latter Day Saint history was an executive order issued on October 27, 1838 by Missouri governor Lilburn Boggs. The order was in response to what Boggs termed "open and avowed defiance of the laws, and of having made war upon the people of this State ... the Mormons must be treated as enemies, and must be exterminated or driven from the State if necessary for the public peace—their outrages are beyond all description." The order was not formally rescinded until 1976.[11]
Christians of various denominations, including Ann Coulter and Jerry Falwell, claim that American society and the United States government discriminate against Christians. Examples given by these commentators include:
- The ban on any religious expression by faculty in front of students.
- The increased usage of BCE/CE, not just limited to strictly non-Christian studies but also to more general historical terms, even including Christianity or societies which eventually lead to Christianity (such as Greece and Rome).
- The Christmas controversy. Media commentator Bill O'Reilly refers to "The War on Christmas", a phrase originated by journalist Peter Brimelow in 1999. Advocates of greetings such as "Happy Holidays" replacing "Merry Christmas" state that their goal is to be more inclusive of non-Christian faiths, but O'Reilly contends that such efforts are a veiled attack on Christianity. [12]
- In 2000, when the Brooklyn Museum of Art displayed an image of the Virgin Mary crafted of dried elephant dung, among other media, and festooned with photographs of winged female breasts, Mayor Rudolph Giuliani decided to cut the city's voluntary funding to the museum. The state court ordered him to resume the previous financial support with an added $5.8 million. [13]
- In March of 2006, one of the University of Oregon's campus newspapers, The Insurgent, in its coverage of the Muhammed cartoon controversy, published 12 cartoons of Jesus, along with two editorials criticising Catholicism. Two of the cartoons depicted Jesus with an erection and one presented him engaged in homosexual activity. In response, the Catholic League wrote Oregon lawmakers in complaint of the newspaper. The president of the Catholic League characterized the issue as hate speech. The response to the edition offered by the president of the university was criticized as tepid. [14] [15]
- Christians being fired for refusing to work on Sunday.[16]
- For the 1998 multi-faith memorial for the Swissair disaster, the Canadian government allowed Jewish and Muslim religious leaders to quote from their Scriptures during their speeches, but mandated that a Christian pastor could not read from the Bible or mention Jesus. [13]
- In 1991, the Vancouver Art Gallery purchased a sculpture entitled "Piss Pope" (see Piss Christ), a depiction of a bust of Pope John Paul II submerged in urine. [13]
- Canadian Heritage Minister Sheila Copps issued a calendar of all days, weeks, and months "important" to Canadian heritage. The calendar omitted Christmas and Easter. After complaints from Christians, the government recalled the calendar. [13]
- David Limbaugh. Persecution: How Liberals are Waging War Against Christianity
- Marvin Olasky. Prodigal Press: The Anti-Christian Bias of American News Media
- Anti-Catholicism
- Anticlericalism
- Anti-Protestantism
- Anti-Mormonism
- Civil rights
- Religious segregation
- ^ Gibson, John (2005). The War on Christmas: How the Liberal Plot to Ban the Sacred Christian Holiday Is Worse Than You Thought. Sentinel HC. ISBN 1595230165.
- ^ The Hate Directory
- ^ The Southern Poverty Law Center
- ^ Grude, Torstein (Director). (1998, Jan 1). Satan rir Media [motion picture]. Norway: Grude, Torstein.
- ^ Grude, Torstein (Director). (1998, Jan 1). Satan rir Media [motion picture]. Norway: Grude, Torstein.
- ^ 20TH CENTURY SAW 65% OF CHRISTIAN MARTYRS, 10 May 2002 -- Zenit News Agency
- ^ http://jmm.aaa.net.au/articles/380.htm
- ^ http://www.china.org.cn/english/features/45466.htm
- ^ "Woman loses fight to wear cross", BBC, November 20, 2006.
- ^ "British Airways caves in on cross ban", Laura Clout, BBC, January 21, 2007.
- ^ Whitman, Dale A.. Gospel Link. Retrieved on 2007-02-04.
- ^ O'Reilly -- "War" on Christmas part of "secular progressive agenda" that includes "legalization of narcotics, euthanasia, abortion at will, gay marriage", Media Matters, November 21, 2005.
- ^ a b c d "Anti-Christian prejudice", John H. Redekop, Mennonite Brethren Herald, January 11, 2002.
- ^ "Obscene depictions of Jesus in Ore. university paper cause stir", Erin Roach, Baptist Press, May 24, 2006.
- ^ "'Jesus with erection' ignites outrage", WorldNetDaily, April 26, 2006.
- ^ http://card.wordpress.com/2006/11/17/woman-wins-anti-christian-discrimination-case/
- News article on Bjorn Atldax Anti-Christian logo jeans
- News article about Christianophobia.
- News article about the Vatican's reaction to a "Seven Wonders of the World" contest that 'excluded' Christian monuments
- Protecting persecuted Christians - Christians throughout the world are victims of abuse, violence and discrimination
- Berlin Wall Between Church and State News and Commentary on the War on Christianity in the public square.
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Categories: Wikipedia articles needing rewrite | Discrimination | Social stigma | Bias | Prejudices | Human rights abuses | Prejudice and discrimination | Religious persecution | Criticism of religion | Anti-Christianity | Christianity | Christian interfaith and secular relations | Christian politics | Religion and society | Religion and violence