As I was walking the campus of the University of Missouri-St. Louis, I heard one of two middle-eastern women in conversation say: “Jesus f***ing Christ” which made me wonder why there isn’t more religious sensitivity in American society toward Christians the way there is toward Muslims, Jews, Hindus, etc. I can think of two reasons.
One reason is that Christians are the majority religion in American society. It is hard to take seriously the oppression of the majority. No one entertains the belief that there is a plight of the majority. If I make a comment in front of two middle-eastern women (say they are Muslim) to the effect of “F*** Muhammad” I can reasonably expect that this is perceived in a way that the parallel statement by the two women is not. Society tires of the majority as the majority in a way that it does not the minority and so we tolerate insensitivity toward the majority in a far greater way.
The second reason I can think that there isn’t more religious sensitivity in American society toward Christians is that Christians have reasons to tolerate it that others do not. Islam is not taught to endure those who hate you and speak evil of you as Christians are taught by Christ in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5). There is no command (that I can find) in the Q’uran to love your enemies. Consequently, I do not see that people fear violent repercussions from Christians either on an individual level or on organized level. There is within Christian teaching the idea that the world’s attitude toward us has already been established in it’s attitude toward our Lord. We share the same fate. So Christians should not be surprised at this. And the Christian response is to be the same as Christ’s. When he was reviled, he did not revile back but kept entrusting himself to God who judges justly.
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Hmm….there’s also the reality that dropping JC as a curse phrase is easily “in” today, perhaps in ways it hasn’t been before. Why, after all, aren’t Buddha, Mohammed, Krishna, Moses, Sam Hain, etc, not equally name-dropped as epithets? (I’d imagine the evil one gets far greater glee out of the Son of God being blasphemed constant, but I disgress). Even in Muslim countries, protecting Mohammed’s name is enforced. In Buddhist countries, I’d suspect that to be the case as well, partly. in mostly/formerly Christian realms, freedom becomes a reality that allows then for idolatry. Interesting…