Christians deserve their freedom, too

They’ve been called mad. They’ve been called hypocrites. They’ve been called fools and lunatics. They’ve been called idiots. They’ve been called bible-beaters. They’ve been called crazy and imposing and many other things that are not appropriate for print.

But few ever call them what they really are: human.

Yes, they’re Christians. The C word. The people that everyone loves to hate and hate to love. All because of their faith.

Radios are afraid to broadcast their opinions. Newspapers are afraid to publish their commentaries. Because wherever a Christian person speaks, it would bring about controversy and uproar.

It’s the right of the people to utilize their freedom of speech. It’s their right if they don’t agree with something to speak out. It’s their right if they support something to do so. In art, in film, in print, in music, in media, it’s a freedom of expression.

Pornography, hate speech, a book of instructions on how precisely to blow up a bridge or demolish a building, words like “hell,” “damn,” “shit” – it’s all protected under the First Amendment.

But you know what else is also protected? Preaching. Talking about Christian perspectives on controversial issues. Opinions that use biblical references. The words, “Jesus,” “God,” “holy” and “Christ” (and I don’t mean just as curse words).

Don’t preach to me. I don’t want to hear what you think, because you’ll just start talking about all the God and Jesus stuff.

You ask that they be open-minded about sexual orientation. You ask that they respect a woman’s privacy. You ask that they keep their Bible-talk to themselves because you don’t want to hear it.

But you’re not willing to hear what they have to say, because it would be imposing their religion on you.

Remember Laramie. Remember the boy who was killed for his sexual orientation.

Do you know how many churches and Christian communities mourned for him and his loved ones?

That’s right, the papers didn’t print much about that. They printed a lot about the injustice. Because it sold more papers.

So much attention was given to that case, because it was unlike any other. How about missionaries who die in the Philippines?

Or the countless others in Africa and China and all around the world, all being persecuted and killed just because they want to share their beliefs with others who are willing to listen?

People have the right to produce and distribute pornography. It’s protected. It’s “art.”

Christian communities speak out against it, and others feel that what they say imposes on their freedom to express art in pornographic materials. Guess what? Those outcries and those movements to try to stop pornography – those are protected, too.

Speaking of which, I’ve decided that there are two things regarding children: things they don’t understand and things inappropriate for children. Quantum physics falls in things not understood. Explicit lyrics on a CD are inappropriate.

If it’s inappropriate for a child, what makes it appropriate for everyone else?

Prayer is not allowed in public schools. Bibles are not allowed in libraries. The Pledge of Allegiance isn’t recited anymore. Not because the pledge is unpatriotic. Because it has a controversial word: God.

There are those who give Christians a bad name. Like that guy not worth naming from Kansas who was on campus last year, attacking SMU’s homosexual community. And the whole Catholic priests molesting boys issue. Those exist. And they are hinderances.

The point of this is that Christians are human. They walk on the same earth and breathe the same air. And they are just as much persecuted as any other group of people.

They have just as much right to say their opinions and voice their concerns as anyone else.

If you don’t believe they are persecuted, buy a plane ticket to any country in East Asia. I’ll tell you, it’s not only monks burning over there.