Thursday, December 27, 2007

In the name of tolerance


Today while driving home from work I saw a curious bumper sticker. It read, "Too many Christians, not enough lions."

Okay, a little history lesson.

In the early days of Christianity, after the Catholic Church had sealed its pact with the Roman Government, underground Christians, or Paulicians, were heavily persecuted for refusing to allow their faith to be controlled by the government. In those days Rome, in order to satisfy the public's lust for violence, threw these renegade Christians into the Roman coliseum to be eaten alive by animals, including Lions, in front of sold out crowds. Why were these Christians doomed to death? Many historians believe that the biggest reason behind this unthinkable brutality was the nature of their message. The Christians dared to place God above the government, and they dared to carry on the same message that got Jesus killed. Jesus told him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me." (John 14:6)

Okay, back to the bumper sticker. "So many Christians, not enough lions." From a historical standpoint lions were an instrument of death against Christians, so in a sense, this bumper sticker is proclaiming that the driver desires death to be applied to Christians.

Am I over-reacting?

It is only a bumper sticker. Right?

But what if it said "So many Jews, not enough Nazis." or "So many Muslims, not enough bullets." Or what if the bumper sticker had said, "So many gays, not enough AIDS cases."

In this post-9/11 world Islam is treated so tenderly that any time Muslims demand a concession, everyone bends over backwards to provide them. Example? In a traditionally Polish Catholic enclave in Hamtramck, Michigan, the noise ordinance has been altered to allow local mosques to blast the Muslim call to prayer from loudspeakers. Society has determined that in this all inclusive, tolerant society, everyone is accepted - except Christianity.

Liberal secular crusaders treat Christianity as if it was second-hand smoke from cigarettes that should be segregated, hidden, and wherever possible in the public eye - banned. They wish Christians to take their religion inside, indoors out of sight, practiced as if it was sex, in the privacy of one's own home or private church. The bumper sticker may seem to be merely a harmless joke to the secular liberals, but it is a perfect example of society's willingness to be hostile toward Christians. However, such hostility to another world religion would not be tolerated, and in fact, such a bumper sticker pointed at any other group would be considered tasteless, and intolerant.

The ACLU argues that symbols of Christianity can't be permitted in public places, and that our children cannot freely express their faith in the public school system. This same ACLU that proclaims that Christian symbols in public places are offensive also defends as freedom of expression Andre Serrano, who placed a crucifix in a jar of his own urine and called it art.

In the name of tolerance Christianity has been censored. The secular liberals claim they are in favor of freedom of speech. Yeah, right - - - freedom of speech for pornographers, illegal aliens, drug addicts, Jihad supporting Islamists, and so forth - but not freedom of speech for Christians.

Sorry, I didn't find the bumper sticker funny at all. Proclaiming that you wish me dead by being devoured by a wild animal is not funny to me at all.

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