The Arkansas Capitol Building had a Ten Commandments statue erected on its lawn Tuesday, and the next morning, it was found in shambles. A mentally unstable young man, calling himself a Christian who "believes in separation of church and state," allegedly rammed his car into the monument. Importantly, no one was killed or injured.
Of course, some folks, particularly on the right, see this fracas as an attack on Christians by liberals.
I've had enough of the conservative hand-wringing about how liberals are trying to destroy or outlaw Christianity. We aren't.
While it was wrong to destroy that monument, the Ten Commandments DO NOT BELONG on government property in the first place. I don't care how deep in the crevices of the Bible belt your state is, church and state should remain separate.
Don't confuse "separation of church and state" with "liberals hate Jesus." You are allowed to pray in public school on your own terms, but public school is not allowed to lead any kind of prayer. If you don't see the difference, I would advise retaking high school civics.
Oh, and guess what? You aren't persecuted here. In fact, you have it made. Yes, one of those awful liberal ingrates you so gleefully mock thinks you have it pretty good here.
As a Christian, you are afforded privileges that people of other faiths (or no faith at all) don't have. Think about it:
"In God We Trust" or "One Nation Under God" presumably refer to your Christian God, as opposed to Allah, Buddha, or Zeus.
You can put an Ichthus or "John 3:16" sticker on your bumper and not have to worry about someone slashing your tires. If I put an "evolution is real" sticker on my car, I must face that possibility.
You can wear a cross around your neck without having to watch your back. A Muslim woman in a hijab can't.
You can expect to have time off to celebrate your holidays. You can expect Wal-Mart and Macy's to decorate for your holidays.
You can expect people to immediately cite the gentle(r) verses of your scripture, as opposed to the more barbaric ones.
You can expect to have accessible media and music pertaining to your faith. You get your own TV stations, radio stations, the whole nine yards.
You can expect to win custody of your children over your ex-spouse due to your faith.
You can expect to adopt children without a ton of hurdles due to your faith.
You can expect teachers, cops, judges, and most public officials to share your faith.
You can expect your senators and representatives to share your faith.
You can expect the President to share your faith.
When a "fringe group" like the Westboro Baptist Church preaches their garbage, you can easily say they don't represent your whole religion.
You can practice your religion above ground and not risk death in this country. Christians in The Middle East cannot.
Please stop with your persecution complex. It is insulting to people who are actually persecuted for their faith (or lack thereof.) Compared to others in America, or Christians in other countries, the things you call attacks on your faith are petty and insignificant.
Did you wake up this morning asking yourself "Will someone put a bullet in my skull for believing in Jesus today?" If you didn't, congratulations, because a Copt in Cairo asked himself the same thing and answered "yes."
Remember that in December when the cashier at Target wishes you "happy holidays."
