Study: Anti-Christian Bias Hasnt Grown. Its Just Gotten Richer.

[guillaumeb]

From the article:

While conservative Christians have long complained about worsening societal hostility and persecution for their beliefs, there’s been little empirical evidence to gauge such claims—until now.

Sociologist George Yancey analyzed 30-plus years of data to track approval ratings for evangelical and fundamentalist Christians. His big takeaway: What has changed is not the number of Americans who dislike conservative Christians, but which Americans

To read more:

http://www.christianitytoday.com/news/2017/october/anti-christian-bias-richer-evangelicals-persecution-complex.html

[Cuthbert Allgood]

1. The article kind of gets to this

but a lot of this is "people are actually saying that our views are really shitty and bigoted--stop persecuting me!" Maybe if enough people are telling you (not the OP) loudly enough that your views are repulsive, perhaps your views are actually repulsive? Doesn't mean you can't hold them, but people don't have to shut up about your bigotry.

[trotsky]

2. Considering that individuals right here on DU have posted in defense of right-wing Christians...

(See https://www.democraticunderground.com/1218247742)

...it illustrates the incredible privilege that religion has long been granted - and how nasty people can get once they realize it might be slipping away. They will align themselves with bigots, as long as the bigots also stand for religious privilege.

[Cartoonist]

3. A personal agenda

In his own words:
I am working to establish a program for Christian Studies at that institution. It will be the first center that concentrates on conducting critical, but non-hostile, research that helps Christians to better serve their communities and the larger society.

[angstlessk]

5. Will you wear sack cloth and be a beggar like jesus?

Or do you plan on making cash?

[msongs]

4. religion peddlers are interested in $$ and power. religion is just to vehicle to deliver them nt

[Thomas Hurt]

6. Where is the bias....

1. Around 70% of Americans are Christian of one flavor or another, that is 210,000,000 million
2. There are Christian radio stations in every market in the US https://tools.wmflabs.org/wp-world/googlmaps-proxy.php...
3. There are numerous Christian publishing houses
4. There are Christian book stores in the US
5. You can't swing a dead cat without hitting a church
6. This country has multi-million dollar mega churches and legacy denominational churches and small mom and pop churches
7. This country has the huge Mormon church, which is Christian no matter how much others protest that holds political and social sway over a whole state and parts of at least two others
8. The catholic church, is a powerhouse itself
9. There is faith based initiatives office in the WH
10. Christians hold around 90% of seats in Congress
11. Christians have lobbyists in DC
12. Christian websites and apologetics are rife on the internet
13. Christian faiths of all kinds have TV shows on public access and cable networks
14. No Christian is prevented from going to church
15. No one is making a Christian get an abortion or use birth control
16. No one is making a Christian marry someone of their same sex
17. Congress has passed legislation to help protect, ostensibly all religions but they in practice protect Christianity almost entirely.
18. There are thousands of private Christian schools from kindergarten to universities in this country.
19. Christians are free to annoy others with their proselytizing
20. Christians are free to leave this country and annoy foreigners with their proselytizing
21. They are free to pray to themselves anytime
22. They are free to pray in public aloud as long as it is not sanctioned by the government
23. They are free to raise their children in their faith, they do not have let them watch worldly, tv or listen worldly music or go to secular schools etc.
24. Churches don't have to pay taxes and yet receive the protection of our military and fire and police.

[Act_of_Reparation]

7. But an atheist said something mean on the internet.

So none of that counts.

[AtheistCrusader]

9. And he was upper middle class, so part of the 1% or something.

[BigmanPigman]

8. Every single post reply before this one nails the subject! Well said DUers.

[Angry Dragon]

10. Be a christian, just don't make me believe what you believe

and make me live your belief

[guillaumeb]

11. Agreed. eom

[Lordquinton]

12. Study is gated behind a paywall

but reading the article shows the typical confusion of Christian individuals with actions. Basing things on backlash to bigoted (and they are bigoted) actions as evidence of hate towards conservative christians confuses where the attention is focused. It also doesn't account for the fact that those corporations they listed acted as such due to customer outrage. the necessary paradoxical intolerance of bigotry has grown against conservative christians, just as they have grown their influence while hiding behind their religion (not their fath, no that is fragile and delicate, one question can shatter it! Therefore religion)

This is an odd article to see here, something so pro-conservative and flawed...

[muriel_volestrangler]

13. Yeah, it claims being "rated negatively" is "societal hostility and persecution for their beliefs"

What the poll measured was "the people who rated evangelical and fundamentalist Christians most negatively over the decades have consistently—and unsurprisingly—been politically liberal, highly educated, and less religious".

It all smacks of "what? We're not allowed to be nasty to other people anymore without people criticising us for it? PERSECUTION!"