Yes some people dont like us. And yes there are a lot of (mostly false) sterotypes of Christians throughout the world. But theres also a lot of (mostly false) negetive sterotypes of Muslims, Jews, athiests, gays, blacks, liberals, whites, zombies(they dont really eat brains), pirates, ect. So I guess all these groups are 'persecuted' as well.

Ok I'm dont ranting now.

Mr. Obama just doesn’t get it. Xians are oppressors in the US. They are not the oppressed. They make jihad against women and their rights not to be dominated by male throwbacks to 19th century hypocritical puritanism. (The pro-birth idiots, male and female.)

Persecution? Sure, give'em some. Get rid of their unconstitutional special status: tax their property, tax their income, de-fund their so-called faith-based initiatives. Then we’ll see how long their pernicious special interest groups last.

Some just restitution for 225 years of xians enforcing prig morality and unlawful control, especially at the state, county, and local levels.

A secular state ought to stop forcing us to support xian con men, liars, pedophiles, politicos . . . who cram their non-existent god and perverted values down our throats.

“Crush the infamy.” -- Voltaire

anti-supernaturalist

INSTANCE #4: Colorado Law Criminalizes the Bible - SB200, a Colorado state bill recently signed into law, criminalizes the Bible. Section 8 of the bill entitled "Publishing of discriminative matter forbidden" makes publishing the Bible illegal because it contains anti-homosexual passages. This is part of a larger effort to criminalize the expression of certain opinions and beliefs.

I realize the opinion most people here have of me, and I'm okay with that, but this is a shining example of why I think most of your opinions against mainstream Christians are justified. It's obvious Cass and his people didn't take the time to read through the entire bill. I did, and I disagree with the CADC's slippery slope argument 100%. OTOH, if Bible printing were outlawed, such would be cause for alarm, and imagine the countless other books that would equally have to be pulled or prevented from going to press.

As a Christian I am saddened by this list...saddened that some people who call themselves Christians have nothing better to do than to scream persecution at the first sign of disagreement. (BruceA)

While I typically don't call myself a Christian, I concur. They do sound like a bunch of whiners to me, and IMO, when people actually seek to silence their critics for nothing more than criticising, we can be sure that fear is most definitely a factor.

Religion has way too much influence on our government and uses it and media to lash out against any with different viewpoints. (glenn)

I agree.

The best thing you and your fellow Christians can do is to keep talking, to say that people like the CADC don't speak for you. Thank you for already doing so. (Leum)

I agree, and if such is not evident from my comment, they do not speak for me. As you all know too well, I thrive off of cogent criticism.

The fact that American Christians gripe about petty crap like this indicates that they enjoy freedoms that many people around the world can't even imagine. (the chaplain)

I agree, and would add that they do so most ungratefully.

SB200 is an anti-discrimination law, barring businesses from discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation (including transgender status) as well as race, gender, religion, etc. (Greta Christina)

That was the gist I got, too, and those are ideas I support. I agree that gay, atheist or (fill in the blank) people are equally deserving of the same rights as the rest of us. To imply otherwise is tantamount to casting the first stone. To any so-called Christians who support such discrimination on account of the Bible's stance that homosexuality is a sin, I must ask - do any of you sin? Maybe swear on occasion or harbor hatred for others? Should we prevent people who swear their civil rights? Their argument breaks down to, "Your sin is more offensive than mine," and such is neither Christ-like nor biblical.

I am equally, if not more concerned about rebutting absurd dominionist theocracy than any of you, because I'm the one it makes look bad by mere association with my belief that there is a God - not you.

Live and let live, love and let love.

So, for those keeping score at home: If the CADC criticizes someone for identifying as a Christian, it's research. If someone else does it, it's bashing. I'm glad we could clear that up.

Wow! Excellent Bruce! That encapsulates the sheer hypocrisy of the CADC so well, and with so much economy of words... Pure artistry!

American Christians are griping about atheist bus slogans while Christians in India are slaughtered by Hindus. American Christians complain about people protesting in front of their churches while political dissidents in China are tortured by government officials.

Some American Christians suffer from a serious case of persecution/martyrdom envy. Their holy book teaches that martyrdom is great and they are commanded to suffer for their faith. Since their lives are relatively easy, they have to fabricate instances of suffering to assure themselves that they are fulfilling their calling faithfully. It's all seriously f**ked up crap.

My favourite one has to be how Obama is 'Christian-bashing' by claiming to be a Cristian while holding progressive views on certain social issues. I wonder if they'd accuse ol' JC of Christian-bashing if he was to re-appear and restate the sermon on the mount?

(Note, I'm not in any way comparing Obama to Jesus! Don't particularly like him to be honest but he was better than the alternative.)

The best thing you and your fellow Christians can do is to keep talking, to say that people like the CADC don't speak for you. Thank you for already doing so.

Also, checked out your blog, where you continued your thoughts, loved this line:

So, for those keeping score at home: If the CADC criticizes someone for identifying as a Christian, it's research. If someone else does it, it's bashing. I'm glad we could clear that up.

I work in a public library. Earlier this week I returned to my desk after lunch with a stack of books which included both "Life is a Miracle" by Wendell Berry, and "The God Delusion" by Richard Dawkins. A co-worker who is an atheist saw the books, and we had a good conversation about the importance of being exposed to a variety of viewpoints; while we may not agree about the existence of God, we could at least find some common ground that could be the basis of a healthy discussion.

I'm not alone among Christians in this belief; President-elect Obama is working hard to welcome a variety of (political) viewpoints in his administration. I don't know much about the religious views of his cabinet members, but I doubt he has a religious test for them. On the other hand, the Christian Anti-Defamation Commission doesn't think Barack Obama should call himself a Christian, so I'm pretty sure they wouldn't want me to claim to be one either. So I think I know just who wants to be an enemy of my faith.