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Earlier this month, Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council took his anti-gay animus to the extreme and said “I’m beginning to think, are re-education camps next? When are they going to start rolling out the boxcars to start hauling off Christians?” As contemptible as it was, it presents the delusional mindset of the extreme religious right that their adherence to Christianity in today's America is resulting not only in their victimization, but in their imminent martyrdom.
Every day, new claims are made that the "expanding erosion of religious liberty" in this country threatens the very lives of the religious right. Leading not just to the loss of their freedom to worship, their loss of employment, the alleged crumbling of the institution of marriage, but to their actual death, preferably by wood and nail. Never mind that the United States of America remains one of the most religious of all the Western nations, exercising exemplary religious tolerance and paying particular deference to Christianity. This truth is fiercely shielded by the manipulators of minds and in its place planted a virulent and dangerous lie, one that is gaining traction within the rank and file.
Professional religious extremists abound, pointing their accusatory fingers at Hollywood, the music industry, advances in LGBT equality, and even at their fellow Christians who have recognized the cultural shift taking place and are adapting accordingly and in good faith. It is decreed without a shred of decency that everyone and everything not jumping on board their soul train has colluded with Satan in an effort to destroy all that is good and worthy of this nation, namely themselves.
Never much of a navel-gazing bunch, the religious right has studiously avoided pointing the finger back at themselves to ponder whether their own intransigent certainties may be to blame for the unpopular position they find themselves in today. That is unlikely to happen anytime soon. It is much easier for a religious authoritarian to claim the position of martyr than to accept the reality that despite all their best efforts, they are not "martyrs" nor even victims, but that they have simply failed. They have failed at messaging, failed at persuasion, and most notably failed the Golden Rule.
What very small amount of pity I can muster for these people springs from the fact that I do not like to see people in pain. Failure is an unpleasant experience and very hard for the human ego to accept. For the ego that so childishly rejects even the smallest amount of uncertainty, that is a sound thrashing indeed. As warped a notion as it is, even imagined martyrdom must provide an oddly satisfying feeling to those who need something to shield themselves from emotional injury. It provides them the added benefit of imagining an empathy with their Christ rather than mere sympathy for his sufferings. No, it is much more palatable to believe you own the truth and that those around you simply cannot see it, than to own up to the reality that you have failed to persuade people on the merits of your "truth."
Unsurprisingly, this imagined victimization and martyrdom is becoming self-realizing. As they lash out with ever more outlandishness they continue to harm only themselves. Their demands for intolerance and inequality have grown increasingly shrill and the public has been looking on with disgust and impatience, making clear they want in no way to be associated with their poorly disguised bigotry. Their sadly attended marches featuring speakers from noted hate-group organizations have become less a tool of a convincing movement and more a somber and bitter place to commiserate with fellow failures.
When their own voices have finally made them entirely irrelevant they will be able to truthfully claim the status of victim — by their own hand. One has to wonder if this will be the point when they finally accept the title of failure and if they will grieve that they were never afforded the title of martyr.
TOP COMMENTS
June 22, 2014
Thanks to tonight's Top Comments contributors! Let us hear from YOU
when you find that proficient comment.
From Ed Tracey:
In the front-page story by Denise Oliver Velez about the Wall Street Journal's African-American board member Jason Riley and his ability to
explain-away almost anything about institutional racism - Sam Sara takes one
of Riley's claims and places it in context.
From Steveningen:
I love how this comment by Matt Z so deftly gets to the heart of matter using so few words. Found in gnosticator's diary Bobby Jindal talks sedition and treason".
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TOP PHOTOS
June 21, 2014
Enjoy jotter's wonderful PictureQuilt™ below. Just click on the picture and it will magically take you to the comment that features that photo. Have fun, Kossacks!
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