The political season started early this year. More so in Iowa than many other states. Candidates are scrambling over each other to win the Iowa Caucuses and take an early lead in the Primary season. One message that keeps getting air time as politicians scrape the bottom of the barrel for voters they can bribe or scare to the polls is the idea that there is some kind of war on Christians. So the story goes—religious freedoms are being trampled and Christians are being increasingly coerced to deny their faith. The politicians are promising to fix it somehow and make it all better.
There was a political rally in my town last Saturday that was overtly pandering to the religious voters. A group I belong to held a protest, specifically to promote the separation of church and state and to call attention to the problems of religious influence on government (and also the political influence on religion).
A young reporter from CNN came across the street to talk to us, and after listening to our main talking points, asked a very thoughtful question. He said, “I’m sure that most of the people [attending the rally] would argue that Christianity is being marginalized and repressed. What would you say to them?”
I took a moment and realized that this reporter was actually thinking about both sides of the issue. He was trying to contrast the motivations of hundreds of believers who support Christian politicians with a similar motivation for our group to oppose them. Here’s how I responded.
I suppose that there is some truth to the notion that Christians are being marginalized, but only relatively. The culture is shifting rapidly, especially among the under thirty demographic. There is a recent survey of incoming students at Harvard, which shows the number of Atheists and Agnostics outnumbering Protestants and Catholics combined. It’s understandable that Christians who have felt secure in cultural dominance for such a very long time might be feeling a bit out of touch now, but that’s okay.
Muslims, Jews, Atheists, Hindus—all have been very much marginalized and repressed in this country for 200 years. If we are going to have actual religious equality in this country, the Christians may have to dial back a bit of their longstanding privilege.
Like floppy disk manufacturers and video rental stores, some people face painful choices when the cultural sands shift beneath their feet. It’s not a war. It’s not persecution. It’s just what happens naturally when the old way of doing things no longer fits.
Sorry to break the news.