Whenever a group (social, ethnic, religious, etc) has had special privileges, it’s very difficult for them to see those privileges extended to others, and so it “feels” like oppression to them. It isn’t, in fact, oppression, but it “feels” that way.
One of the reasons it "feels" like oppression (to some) is that they are not persuaded by reason or humanity or compassion, and they have to be forced to extend equal rights and privileges to others. They experience this as a violation. And they blame those others whom they have been forced to treat as equals. They kick. They complain. They cry foul.
In every case of this, there have been people in this “oppressed” majority that exaggerate the limitations that have been placed on their dominance, like the people who claim that kids in public schools can’t carry their bibles or read them, or people who claim that their kids cannot pray in school. This is utter nonsense; I’ve pointed out over and over that there is *constitutionally protected* prayer in public schools, and that there is TREMENDOUS leeway for religious activities – just not during instructional time and not led by any school employee (for the kids – teachers may bring their bibles to school and read them and have prayer groups, etc.). For anyone who is interested in the truth rather than propaganda, the Department of Education has a very nice website to acquaint people with what is legal:
http://www.ed.gov/policy/gen/guid/religionandschools/prayer_guidance.html
(For ease of understanding, page down to the heading “Applying the Governing Principles in Particular Contexts”).
Most of the time the people who are stirring up the idea of being oppressed are being less than truthful, and relying on the fact that their readers (listeners, viewers) don’t have a good grasp of history and don’t have the desire to find out what is the truth. My own opinion is that many of these "Christian" leaders KNOW that they are not telling the truth…and don’t care.
Like the “In God We Trust” example and the “under God” example. And like the fact that democracy was an invention of the Pagan Greeks. They're not about to inform anyone of the truths of these things, either:
http://history.vineyard.net/pledge.htm
http://www.treasury.gov/education/fact-sheets/currency/in-god-we-trust.shtml
There is constant exaggeration, and outright lies, that are spread in order to promote the feeling of oppression – and some of the folks here have swallowed those exaggerations (and lies) whole. People in the U.S. certainly can swear on the bible in court – that’s NOT being taken away from those who wish to do it – it’s simply not a requirement for everyone.
I think it’s sad that this is the case. But people who have had special privileges don’t give them up easily, and this is something we’ve seen over and over. When blacks got the vote, there were white people who felt oppressed. When women got the vote, there were men who felt oppressed. And so on.
We have to be patient, we have to continue to point people toward what is actual and factual, remind them of the history of their examples of “oppression”, and continue to forge ahead on making our society one that affords every citizen the same opportunities and rights. That’s why I’m a dues-paying, card-carrying member of the ACLU - about whem there are also a bunch of lies that are regularly promulgated, like the nonsense that the ACLU is anti-Christian:
http://www.aclufightsforchristians.com/
2007-03-16 03:04:40
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answer #1
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answered by Praise Singer 6
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I call it the "Martyred Majority" complex. When Christians were last an oppressed minority, around 80CE, the persecution did wonders to bind them together and inspire them to acts of fidelity and comraderie and piety like at no time after until the Protestant Reformers were persecuted for the short while that they were.
So organizations and groups have all learned to use the power of shared danger to create group cohesion, even group hysteria. That is in fact how the clergy recruited the Crusaders with tales of the Moslems slaughtering Christian pilgrims to the Holy Land, when in fact the Islamic rulers protected the pilgrim routes for the most part and left all but the Christian rulers and their armies unmolested. The same techniques are still ued today in fraternity initiation, military training, team-building exercises. Christian "leaders" have learned the lesson. Keep the fiathful pumped up with a never-ending aura of danger, opression, victimization, prophecies of impending doom, etc. In fact preachers and false Christians prophets somewhere are predicting the edn of the world every day and have done for nearly 2000 years.
Republicans used the same tactic to drive evangelicals to the polls with dire tales of lesbians coming for their daughters and gay men bending their sons over in the Army barracks if GWB wasn't elected, and marriage was about to be destroyed. This from politicians with enough ex-wives to make a baseball team. But Christians are trained to turn off thei brains and line up for Jesus when the magic words are uttered.
So here in the US there is one openly atheist congressman. Every other public official in the House, Senate, White House and Judiciary at least acknowledges their theism. There's a Christian church on nearly every corner in America, and yet to hear them tell it, Jews and atheists are in charge and gearing up to give everyone the mark of the beast with the social security system, I mean the bar code, I mean the Visa card, I mean the microchip, I mean the RFID.
See how it works? No matter how many times the final sign never actually materializes and Jesus never actually comes in the clouds with a trumpet blast, it's about to happen any minute, so be ready, and give your most generous gift to this ministry, cause the final hour is at hand and the Lord needs your money to help with the harvest.
That's why the Bible compares people to one of the few mammals that's dumber than a turkey: sheep.
2007-03-15 14:59:53
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answer #2
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answered by Anonymous
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I always thought that the USA was about religious freedom (this makes sense if you look at the Constitution and the history of the first pilgrims). A state with religious freedom usually ensures it by separating church from state. But now we see exactly the reverse trend in the US. Religious groups (and we all know I'm talking about the christian fundies) invade science classes, vote for a president which sends troops to Iraq because God supposedly told him so, opress homosexuality because the bible says it's immoral etc.
In fact, USA is on its best way to a God-state. Just like its sworn enemy of the time: Iran.
2007-03-15 14:59:23
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answer #3
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answered by Dr. Zaius 4
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No offense, but this nation was founded under Christian beliefs. Where do you think the phrase "one nation under God" came from? You think they just thought it sounded cool, so they'd start putting it on everything?
What about the 10 commandments that used to be publicly displayed at courthouses? They were in the Bible (the basis for Christianity) and the government saw fit that they should be shown. However just because a couple people didn't like it, it was removed.
Students used to be allowed to freely read the Bible in school and pray. But a couple found that it was in some unknown way offensive to them, so that kids aren't even supposed to pray in schools these days! Talk about your claim that Christians are "taking away homosexual rights"..... You guys have already tried to take so many things away from Christians. Too bad that you can't stop them.. And why shouldn't creationism be taught in our schools? Our children have to go listen to all the crap about evolution, why shouldn't you have to learn about what we believe in (and the only real truth taught in science classes these days)?
When you go to court, you place your hand on a Holy Bible when you're sworn in. Why? Because the Bible just happened to look cool or something? No. Because we are ran on the foundations of Christianity and have been as long as we have been around. Now there are a few people that don't like the idea of swearing in on a Bible, so now they're trying to take that away too.
I would be very interested in knowing how you think Christians aren't being oppressed in today's society. As you said, the majority of Americans profess to be Christians, but because of the few that don't like it, we shouldn't be able to practice what our country was founded upon. Doesn't sound very fair to me.
2007-03-15 14:48:57
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answer #4
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answered by Miranda 3
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Athiest will win some good battles before the end. You guys are prophesied to do so.
‘Christ’s true followers to be objects of hatred by all nations on account of his name’ (Matt. 24:9) This was part of an answer about signs of the last days.
2007-03-15 14:41:46
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answer #5
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answered by Anonymous
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You're curious, eh, Miranda? Allow me to enlighten you.
"No offense, but this nation was founded under Christian beliefs. Where do you think the phrase "one nation under God" came from? You think they just thought it sounded cool, so they'd start putting it on everything?"
"Under God" was added to the Pledge of Allegiance in the 1954 in reponse to Atheist Communism. God was added to our paper currency in 1957 for the same reason. It has been on coins since the Civil War era for religious propoganda.
"What about the 10 commandments that used to be publicly displayed at courthouses? They were in the Bible (the basis for Christianity) and the government saw fit that they should be shown. However just because a couple people didn't like it, it was removed."
I'm not familiar with the 10 commandments being shown in courthouses, I'm afraid. I assume it's because, despite the FACT that this wasn't founded as a Christian nation, that Christians saw it fit to have the commandments in their courthouses as a sign of honesty.
"Students used to be allowed to freely read the Bible in school and pray. But a couple found that it was in some unknown way offensive to them, so that kids aren't even supposed to pray in schools these days!"
Students can still freely read the Bible and pray in school. It just can't be mandatory, because then they'd be supporting a religion. Do you know why they can't? In the Constitution, it states that the government may not choose any religion as their nation's religion, because this was supposed to be a secular, free nation for all religions and beliefs.
"Talk about your claim that Christians are "taking away homosexual rights"..... You guys have already tried to take so many things away from Christians."
How have we tried to take away your rights? You are free to believe what you want. You are free to pray. You are free to read the Bible wherever. You are free to have whatever job you want. You are free to talk about your religion all you want. Did you know that in some other countries, you can't do that?
"Too bad that you can't stop them.. And why shouldn't creationism be taught in our schools? Our children have to go listen to all the crap about evolution, why shouldn't you have to learn about what we believe in (and the only real truth taught in science classes these days)?"
Creationism is a religion with no proof backing it up. Funding Creationism would be funding a religion. Evolution has a lot of proof. Creationism is not a science, therefore it shouldn't be taught in science classes.
"When you go to court, you place your hand on a Holy Bible when you're sworn in. Why? Because the Bible just happened to look cool or something? No. Because we are ran on the foundations of Christianity and have been as long as we have been around. Now there are a few people that don't like the idea of swearing in on a Bible, so now they're trying to take that away too."
That goes back to what I said about the 10 commandments at the courthouses. A sign of honesty, perhaps.
"I would be very interested in knowing how you think Christians aren't being oppressed in today's society. As you said, the majority of Americans profess to be Christians, but because of the few that don't like it, we shouldn't be able to practice what our country was founded upon. Doesn't sound very fair to me."
Tell me how you're being opressed, as I've already told you how your people are opressing mine.
And again, your free to have whatever religion and belief you want, it jsut doesn't belong in schools and government. Keep it in your homes and churches.
As for out founding fathers, you're wrong to say they're Christian. Thomas Paine, as I said, openly spoke out against Christianity, saying that it's dangerous. He had a book called the Age of Reason, which I mentioned. George Washington says that he's a Deist in his own autobiogrphy. Read it too. I could continue, but this has taken me so long and I'm running short on time. Read the Constitution.
Read the Treaty of Tripoli as well. I quote:
"As the Government of the United States of America is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion; as it has in itself no character of enmity against the laws, religion, or tranquillity, of Mussulmen; and, as the said States never entered into any war, or act of hostility against any Mahometan nation, it is declared by the parties, that no pretext arising from religious opinions, shall ever produce an interruption of the harmony existing between the two countries."
e-mail me at klazzt@yahoo.com
2007-03-15 15:12:08
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answer #6
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answered by klazzt 1
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Absolutely it is true.
I believe that anyone is entitled to their beliefs. Just keep your idiotic religion out of the laws of this country. Like gay marriage for a start.
2007-03-15 14:41:10
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answer #7
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answered by Anonymous
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Because they do not care about other peoples beliefs just their own misquided notions
2015-09-06 15:54:39
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answer #8
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answered by ? 7
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wow good point
2007-03-15 14:42:45
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answer #9
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answered by Iluvhim 1
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