Hysteria over "foreign" religions is by no means anything new in America..

[Fumesucker]

As this 1875 cartoon from Harper's Weekly magazine shows..



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Ganges1876.jpg

[no_hypocrisy]

1. Ironic that Virginia was legally allowed to imprison Baptists.

[Fumesucker]

2. You say that like it was a bad thing..

:evilgrin:

[gratuitous]

3. Which is why the lies are so effective

It's ingrained in the American consciousness to suspect anything "foreign" until we've worked it over and made it our own. The Nast cartoon is about the "invasion" of Catholic schools on our shores. Many interesting details: The stern-looking white guy standing between the bishops and their prey, ready for action, his hat on the ground, Bible peeking out of his shirt. In the background are Native American and black children who have no such defender stoically awaiting their seemingly inevitable fate. Some children being hoisted to safety in front of crumbling public schools by other folks - or are they being dangled as bait? I'm not sure I get the significance of the woman with long hair being led to the far-off gallows.

[Fumesucker]

4. Not to mention the title...

That brings out even more religious bigotry.

I think the children are being dangled as bait, not hoisted to safety but I'm not conversant with all the political nuances of the era either.

[pleah]

5. Religious hysterics nothing new in America, period. n/t

[iamtechus]

6. Just imagine what some foreigners might think of us