A "Persecution" Poll?

Question

We keep getting these "I'm persecuted" questions. Let's get a poll going. I just want to make a point that we all have to put up with flack for our beliefs or lack thereof. And I suspect that Christians aren't nearly as "persecuted" as they seem to think. Now - please be honest when you answer the following.

What religion are you?

Have you ever had any of the following happen to you (please indicate by number):

1. I have been teased or badmouthed about my religion (or lack thereof).

2. I have been physically assaulted because of my religious beliefs or lack thereof.

3. I have lost a job due to my religious beliefs or lack thereof.

4. I have had my personal property destroyed or vandalized due to my religious beliefs or lack thereof.

5. I have been put on a police watch list due to my religious beliefs or lack thereof.

6. I have been wrongfully accused of a crime due to my religious beliefs or lack thereof.

7. Other - please specify.

Oh - and I should probably answer for the sake of being fair - I've personally experienced 1, 2, 4, and 5

Oh - and I practice Daemonolatry.

A Follower of Christ: I think you've missed the point of this poll. Take off the blinders and look around. The Christians are not the only ones who get teased or bad mouthed about their religion. So you really can't say you're being "persecuted" can you? I've been badmouthed and made fun of, too. And I've actually been physically assaulted, had my personal property vandalized, AND I'm on a police watch list because I'm not a Christian. I don't consider myself persecuted - but from where I'm sitting the Christians crying persecution just because they're being criticised is ridiculous and I see that there are several people on this list who likely agree with me. Some of us have been physically assaulted for our beliefs and you don't see us crying how persecuted we are. Come back and cry when someone twice your size breaks your ribs because they think you deserved it because of your religion.

Answer 1

Pagan.

1. Yes
2.Yes
3.Yes
4.Yes
5.Yes, the police here think I'm part of some kind of "Satanic cult".
6.Yes
7. I've lost many friends and acquaintances, after they learned what my religious beliefs were.

Answer 2

What religion are you? Asatru


1. I have been teased or badmouthed about my religion (or lack thereof). Yes. Mainly by (fundie) Christians and (fluffy) Wiccans.

2. I have been physically assaulted because of my religious beliefs or lack thereof. Yes, I have. I fight back though. Luckily I'm on good terms with the cops.

3. I have lost a job due to my religious beliefs or lack thereof. Yes. I live in fundie land, when they find out you aren't a good Church going Kristjan, they make it miserable on you and/or find a way to fire you. Why do you think I decided to run my own business?

4. I have had my personal property destroyed or vandalized due to my religious beliefs or lack thereof. Yes. (And no, I don't mean someone keying my car or just ripping off a sticker... I mean someone taking a sled hammer and totaling it and then setting it on fire. I also mean someone taking spray paint and graffiting my house.

5. I have been put on a police watch list due to my religious beliefs or lack thereof. No, at least not that I know of.

6. I have been wrongfully accused of a crime due to my religious beliefs or lack thereof. No.

7. I get called the wrong religion all the time. I've been accused of being everything now from a Atheist, to Wiccan, to a Satanist, to a Muslim, to a Scientologist..

Answer 3

Which a kind of unfastened agent pitcher's in 009 will the yankees sign to open up our new ball park? one million. Ben Sheets 30 2 CC Sabthia 28 3 Brad Penny 31 4 Mark previous 27 5 AJ Burnett 32

Answer 4

I follow a Celtic reconstructionist path.

1. Yes
2. Yes, but this was many years ago when I was still living with my parents.
3. Yes, twice. But both were more than a decade ago.
4. Yes, but only when I was still young enough to live with my parents.
5. No
6. No

I have found that most people really don't care what religion that I am. Yes, I have ran into unreasonable people but they are the vast minority. I have been a polytheist for my whole life so it's only natural to have had these things happen occasionally. But I definitely don't feel "persecuted". Nor do I have a "victim" mentality.

Answer 5

What religion are you?
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon)

Well, I have never really thought Mormons were that persecuted where I grew up. Actually, people thought of me as "the Mormon" in an affectionate kind of way, and used to ask me what I thought, because it created interesting debate. As for persecution: I only had #1 and #6, and it was mostly other Christians that did this, although my Dad (an atheist) yelled at me a lot for being a Mormon.

My husband (also LDS) has had all of them except #5 and #7. #2 - He was actually bashed for some years by a group of louts at his school who objected to his maintaining his moral standards.

Edit: You make a very good point, though. I think maybe we do have too much of a persecution complex.

Answer 6

Zen Buddhist.

1. Badmouthed. The street preacher says that I'm going to hell.
2. Nope.
3. Nope.
4. Nope.
5. Nope.
6. Nope.
7. Can't think of any.

I don't think I'm persecuted. I'm uncomfortable and tend to keep a low religious profile because it's not really socially acceptable to be non-Christian. It's just the way the dominant part of culture is. It's changing, but stuff like that takes time.

Answer 7

None of those, really. Badmouthed for sure (you believe in a false religion and WILL go to hell) but that doesn't seem like persecution to me.

I was required as a student to learn and recite in class prayers that were not of my religion and required in a court room to swear on a holy book that was not of my religion.

They don't count as persecution to me either but I'm quite sure Christians would think so if it happened to them.

A Christian's idea of persecution seems to be not being allowed to teach their religion to other people's children, not being allowed to have their religious symbols canonized in a court of law, and not being able to insist that all people follow the rules of their religion whether they happen to believe in it or not.

Answer 8

Wiccan.

1. Yes, but only by family members in a relatively friendly way.
2. No.
3. No - and I taught in a Catholic school!
4. No.
5. Well, I hope not!
6. No.
7. In a sense all Pagans are discriminated against when we are forced to follow laws that are designed to serve those of other faiths (read:Christianity).

Answer 9

I'm a Christian.
1. yes.
2. no.
3. no.
4. yes.
5. no.
6. no.

Hey, what's your religion? It's terrible you had that much persecution.

Answer 10

1. Almost every day for years.
2. Never.
3. No.
4. Never.
5. Not that I'm aware.
6. No.
7. People refer to me sometimes as "the atheist". That's not persecution per se, but it's singling me out due to one specific outlook and labeling me accordingly.