On Friday, Franklin Graham cited the very real persecution of Christians abroad to claim that such anti-Christian persecution is occurring in the US. Graham told Newsmax’s America’s Forum that the persecution comes from the American “entertainment industry, especially in certain segments of the news media.”…. We’re not exactly sure how the media is persecuting evangelicals like Graham, seeing that on Sunday he was a guest on ABC’s This Week, but Religious Right activists have been keen to conflate criticism and even tough questions with persecution.
Among the things I find truly tiresome is the claim of persecution from those on the Radical Christian Right. Somehow, they’ve convinced themselves that good, God-fearing Christians (like themselves, of course) are being persecuted, treated like criminals because they believe in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
These claims of persecution are absurd, of course; to claim mistreatment when you’re part of the 80% majority of Americans who self-identify as Christian is borderline pathetic. It smacks of someone who lacks moral courage and can’t handle being asked a few tough questions. Graham’s never been renowned for having a thick skin or tolerance for anything resembling dissent. Like many prominent Evangelicals, he thinks that he’s part of a privileged class, and that any sort of uncomfortable questions are ipso facto persecution.
For some Conservative Christians, anything that doesn’t completely fall into line with their way of thinking is incontrovertible evidence of persecution. Graham isn’t the only one afflicted with this delusion.
Dan Gainor of the Media Research Center thinks media outlets are covertly attacking Christianity by reporting on sports and non-Christian faiths. Speaking Friday with Religious Right talk show host Janet Mefferd, Gainor complained that newspapers have “an entire section devoted to sports” but are devoid of mentions of religion.
When newspapers do cover religion, Gainor adds, the stories are “filled with lefty propaganda about faith that attacks Christianity.”
“That’s the lefty view of faith, we gotta show Hindu this, we gotta show Buddhism, we gotta talk about Scientology, we gotta talk about Wiccans.” he said. “No, why not try to be at least representative? If there’s 80-85 percent Christians [in the US population], it’s going to be 80-85 percent Christian, and then we will occasionally dabble in these other faiths, we’ll certainly include Judaism,” he said.
What Gainor fails to recognize is that newspapers have “an entire section devoted to sports” because their readers are interested in sports. If there was a similar interest in religion, you can bet that newspapers would have religion sections as well. It’s about selling newspapers, not about persecuting Christians…and not catering to your prejudices isn’t evidence of persecution.
As far as newspapers being “filled with lefty propaganda about faith that attacks Christianity,” Gainor offers no specifics because he has none to offer. For Gainor (and Graham), merely claiming victimhood makes them victims. Facts and evidence are merely quaint concepts beneath those who claim the imprimatur of the Almighty. When God’s on your side, who needs proof, right?
Faith is not about proportionalism. The fact that roughly 80% of Americans self-identify as Christian doesn’t translate to 80% of news about faith necessarily being about Christianity. Neither is providing information about other faiths by definition anti-Christian.
It’s curious that prominent Fundamentalists like Graham and Gainor have assumed the mantle of persecution and victimhood when four of five Americans identify as Christian. Claiming that you’re being persecuted by a 20% minority seems pretty weak and desperate, don’tchathink? Then again, weak and desperate is a pretty accurate way to describe Graham, Gainor, and those who think like they do.
