The Future of Religious Freedom in the United States 2: Five Stages of Persecution, Where are We Now?
In the first post of this series, I surveyed the current state of religious liberty in the United States and concluded that:
- Our religious liberty is under assault.
- Rather than protect the religious freedom of the people, our government, particularly under recent and current Democrat administrations, has supported and contributed to the attack.
- We are in danger of losing our religious freedoms.
In this post, I outline five stages of religious persecution and evaluate where we currently lie along this continuum.
Stage 1: Stereotyping the Group
When we stereotype a group of people, such as Christians, we infer that all members of the group share the same characteristics, beliefs, practices, and behaviors. A common stereotype of Christians is that of the Christian extremist. The Christian extremist is one who holds radical religious viewpoints and will go to radical extremes to assert them.
For example, in a 2016 report from the United States Commission on Civil Rights, chair Martin Castro said this in response to suggestions that religious institutions should be exempt from issues involving sexual orientation and gender identity:
The phrases “religious liberty” and “religious freedom” will stand for nothing except hypocrisy, so long as they remain code words for discrimination, intolerance, racism, sexism, homophobia, Islamophobia, Christian supremacy or any form of intolerance.
Stage 2: Vilifying Group Activities
To vilify a group is to spread foul stories about them, regardless of the truth. Are Christians being vilified today? Here are a couple of examples:
Conservative Christian journalist Todd Starnes reported:
Several dozen U.S. Army active duty and reserve troops were told last week that the American Family Association, a well-respected Christian ministry, should be classified as a domestic hate group because the group advocates for traditional family values.
The briefing was held at Camp Shelby in Mississippi and listed the AFA alongside domestic hate groups like the Ku Klux Klan, Neo-Nazis, the Black Panthers and the Nation of Islam.
If you really want to find out who’s being vilified, you only need to go to the website of the Southern Poverty Law Center. This is a left-wing organization that has a history of labeling conservative Christian organizations such as the Ruth Institute, Probe Ministries, D. James Kennedy Ministries, and the Family Research Council (FRC) as “hate groups.” Ironically, the FRC was itself the victim of a hate-domestic terrorism attack in 2012. Why is the FRC listed as a hate group? Because the organization strongly opposes the gay agenda and supports traditional Christian values.
Stage 3: Marginalizing the Group
Marginalization means the ways by which individuals and groups are ignored or relegated to the sidelines of involvement in the public square.
A recent article from Decision Magazine captures the meaning of this for Christians:
For the last decade, I have said that the unspoken mantra of LGBTQ activists is, “We will intimidate and we will manipulate until you capitulate.” Today, those on the radical left have upped the ante considerably, as their goal is not just capitulation but cancellation.
Their tactics are more extreme as well. They will pressurize, marginalize and brutalize—and I mean that quite literally. Physical violence has come into play.
The article provides examples of marginalization by a university professor, liberal students near riot at the University of California Berkley to prevent a talk by conservative Jew Ben Shapiro who is an Orthodox Jew.
The author of the article then reports on his own experience:
Add Jesus in the mix and things become even more intense. The vast majority of campuses won’t even consider bringing you in to speak if you are a Bible-believing Christian conservative. In fact, as far back as 2011, when my book “A Queer Thing Happened to America” was published, leaders of Christian campus ministries made clear to me that there was no possible way they would host me at their college or university.
He concludes:
Can you even imagine the level of marginalizing that produces, among both faculty and students? Can you imagine how difficult it is to speak out? And what happens when the bully pulpit of the White House is against you as well?
Stage 4: Criminalize the Group or its Works
Criminalization means making activities illegal or treating someone, or some group as criminals.
One of the most shameful acts of criminalizing Christian behavior is the ongoing attack on Jack Phillips, the owner of Masterpiece Cake shop in Colorado. In 2012, Philipps declined to make a cake for a same-sex wedding, citing his Christian belief that marriage is, according to the Bible, between a man and a woman. The Colorado Civil Rights Commission fined (i.e., criminalized) him for this alleged violation of the couples’ civil rights. Phillips appealed all the way to the Supreme Court, where a 7-2 decision upheld his right to religious freedom.
But there is more to the story. In June 2021, a Denver District Court found Phillips violated anti-discrimination laws when he refused to make a cake to celebrate a woman’s gender transition. The Court ordered Phillips to pay a $500 fine. This ruling is now under appeal.
This is only one example of many cases in the U.S. where Christian beliefs and behavior are being criminalized. I will provide more examples in future posts.
Before moving on, it is important to note that Canada is further down the road to criminalizing Christianity. They have arrested several Christian preachers in Canada for stating that the gay lifestyle is sinful. Here is one example: Christian Preacher Arrested for Saying That Homosexual Behavior Is A Sin. Another resource sums up what is happening in our northern neighbor.
Be warned, what is already happening in Canada can happen in the United States.
For more on this painful subject, check out this excellent book by Jane Folger.
Stage 5: Outright Persecution of Christians
Religious persecution is harassing, oppressing, harming, or killing people because their beliefs differ from those of the contemporary society or dominating culture of the day. Those who persecute Christians do so because their belief in Jesus Christ does not conform to the sinful world.
Religious persecution is on the increase around the world.
Fortunately, we Americans remain free from outright persecution. However, considering the previous points, we are far down the path to persecution for our faith in Christ and His teachings as presented in the Bible, the historic creeds, and the orthodox teaching of the Christian church.
Next Up: How Will Churches Respond to the Threat to Religious Freedom?
