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{{Discrimination sidebar}}
{{Discrimination sidebar}}
'''Anti-Christian sentiment''' is [[bias]] against some or all [[Christian]]s, the Christian [[religion]], or the practice of [[Christianity]].{{Fact|date=February 2009}}
'''Anti-Christian sentiment''' is [[antipathy]] against some or all [[Christian]]s, the Christian [[religion]], or the practice of [[Christianity]].r


==Anti-Christian expressions==
==Anti-Christian expressions==

Revision as of 06:46, 18 March 2009

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Anti-Christian sentiment is antipathy against some or all Christians, the Christian religion, or the practice of Christianity.r

Anti-Christian expressions

Vandalism

The vandalism or defacement of Christian symbols or property is one form of the expression of anti-Christian sentiment. If the defaced or vandalized object is considered holy by Christians, such as the Bible or the Cross, the case becomes that of desecration. Such destruction may also be illegal if it violates property rights or hate crime laws. Arson directed at Christian meeting places or churches is often considered a hate crime.[1] However, churches may also be targeted for reasons unrelated to anti-Christian sentiment, especially rascism.[2] An aggravating factor in the burning of a church in Minnedosa, Manitoba was that two of the arsonists were fans of National Socialist black metal music with anti-Christian themes, according to the Crown.[3]

Music

Some elements of the black metal and death metal scene declare open hatred of Christianity. Headliners of the black metal scene have claimed responsibility for inspiring (if not necessarily perpetrating) over fifty arsons directed at Christian churches in Norway from 1992 to 1996[4]. Many of the buildings were hundreds of years old, and widely regarded as important historical landmarks. The most notable church was Norway's Fantoft stave church, which the police believed was destroyed by the one-man band Burzum, Varg Vikernes, aka "Count Grishnackh"[4].

Examples of anti-Christian sentiment in politics and culture

United States

Christians of various denominations, including figures such as Ann Coulter and Jerry Falwell, claim that American society and the United States government discriminate against Christians. Christian activists routinely speak out against the perceived increasingly secular nature of American society, and what they see as the minimizing of formerly dominant Christian traditions, e.g. the War on Christmas popularized by Bill O'Reilly.

David Kinnaman, president of the Barna Institute, and Gabe Lyons of the Fermi Project published a study of attitudes of 16-29 year old Americans towards Christianity. They found that about 38% of all those who did not regularly attend church had negative impressions of Christianity, and especially evangelical Christianity, associating it with conservative political activism, hypocrisy, anti-homosexuality, and judgmentalism.[5] About 17% had "very bad" perceptions of Christianity.[6][7]

Irreverent or, by some opinions, inappropriate depictions of Christian symbols in American art have been taken offensively, resulting in moves to cut public funding of art exhibitions that offend Christian symbols, and requests that offensive works be removed from private galleries, such as the Catholic League's 2007 campaign against Cosimo Cavallaro's My Sweet Lord, a 200 pound chocolate sculpture of Christ. The Lab Gallery where it being shown removed the work after it received "anonymous death threats" related to the sculpture's exhibition.

Several groups, including ACT UP and the Freedom from Religion Foundation, have openly condemned Christianity in the United States government.

Saudi Arabia

See also: Freedom of religion in Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia is an Islamic state that practices Wahhabism and restricts all other religions, including the possession of religious items like the Bible, a crucifix, Star of David, etc. [8] [9]

China

See also: Christianity in China

Christianity was banned for a century in China by Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty after the Pope forbade Chinese Catholics from venerating their relatives or Confucius.[10]

United Kingdom

In 2006 the London branch of the Gay Police Association placed an ad in a newspaper with an image of a Bible beside a pool of blood, under the headline "In the name of the Father". The ad highlighted details of a recent 74% increase in homophobic violence motivated primarily by religious reasons. Over 50,000 complaints were made but after a 3 month investigation the Crown Prosecution Service and the Metropolitan Police Service announced there was insufficient evidence to bring charges of discrimination against the group.[11][12]

Indonesia

In 2006 Islamists beheaded three Christian girls as retaliation for previous Muslim deaths in Christian-Muslim rioting. Two participants in the murders were sentenced to 14 years in prison each, and the ringleader Hasanuddin received a 20 year sentence. [13] On going to jail, Hasanuddin said, "It's not a problem (if I am being sentenced to prison), because this is a part of our struggle."[14] Hasanuddin was the leader of the regional Islamic terrorist group Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) for the Poso district.[15]

Israel

In May 2008, several hundred New Testaments were burned in Or Yehuda, Israel. Somehow the books had made their way into a number of local Jewish homes, and in an effort to deter distribution of Messianic literature in the city, the Deputy Mayor had them collected. He later reported that while he was absent from the scene, 3 Israeli students started a fire and incinerated at least 200, before he returned and put a stop to the book burning.[16]

Lebanon

In 2002, a currently unidentified gunman killed Bonnie Penner Witherall at a prenatal clinic in Sidon, Lebanon. She had been proselytizing and attempting to convert Muslims to Christianity.[17]

Yemen

Three Christian missionaries were killed in their hospital in Jibla, Yemen in December 2002. A gunman, apprehended by the authorities, said that he did it "for his religion."[18]

See also

References

  1. ^ Time Magazine
  2. ^ Washington Post article
  3. ^ CBC: Minnedosa Fire, 6/28/2006
  4. ^ a b Grude, Torstein (Director) (January 1). Satan rir Media (motion picture). Norway: Grude, Torstein. {{cite AV media}}: Check date values in: |date= and |year= / |date= mismatch (help)
  5. ^ About 91% of young non-Christians felt that Christians were anti-homosexual, 87% felt Christians were judgmental and 85% thought Christians were hypocritical.
  6. ^ unChristian: What a New Generation Really Thinks about Christianity... and Why It Matters, David Kinnaman and Gabe Lyons, Baker Books, October 1, 2007, ISBN 0801013003
  7. ^ Who Do People Say We Are? It doesn't hurt to listen to what non-Christians think of us., A Christianity Today editorial, Christianity Today, December 12, 2007
  8. ^ Bibles, Crucifixes Not Allowed into Saudi Arabia | Christianpost.com
  9. ^ SAUDI ARABIA Arrested: four Christians found praying at home - Asia News
  10. ^ Mr. Ye Xiaowen, China's Religions Retrospect and Prospect, Hong Kong, 19 February 2001
  11. ^ Lifesite.net: No prosecution for Anti-Christian London Gay Police Association Ads September 26 2006
  12. ^ [1]
  13. ^ Beheaded girls were Ramadan 'trophies'
  14. ^ BBC News: Indonesians jailed for beheadings
  15. ^ Islamic Militants in Indonesia Jailed for Beheading Christian Girls
  16. ^ Hundreds of New Testaments torched in Israel, May 28, 2008, cnn.com
  17. ^ [2]
  18. ^ [3]

Further reading

  • David Limbaugh. Persecution: How Liberals are Waging War Against Christianity, ISBN 0895261111
  • Marvin Olasky. Prodigal Press: The Anti-Christian Bias of American News Media , ISBN 0891074767
  • Michael Moynihan, Didrik Søderlind. Lords of Chaos: The Bloody Rise of the Satanic Metal Underground, ISBN 0922915482
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