JY> This is a problem which I've been posting about for years.
 JY> The worst problem of all is 'Catholic-bashing', which is
 JY> reaching epidermic proportions.

 Among the religious right some of whom don't even accept
 Catholics as Christians. Other than that it's a trivial problem.
 At least in this country.

 Ok, also among former Catholics.

 JY> http://www.christiantoday.com/article/christians.feel.discri
 JY> minated.against.pol l.finds/9988.htm

 JY> A survey for a BBC programme has found that a growing
 JY> number of Christians feel persecuted against because of
 JY> their faith.

 It's paranoia.

 JY> The poll for the Heaven and Earth show questioned 604
 JY> people describing themselves as Christian. Of those
 JY> surveyed, 25 per cent , or one in four, said they felt
 JY> discriminated against by colleagues and in their local
 JY> communities.

 In England, maybe. In this country it's more like the Christians
 are doing the discriminating.

 JY> One in three said they felt Christianity was misportrayed
 JY> in the media, reflecting widespread dissatisfaction with

 Misportrayed? Yes. OTOH, it may be because all too many
 Christians don't represent Christianity well.

 JY> what is widely perceived to be a culture of preferential
 JY> treatment to Islam and Hinduism.

 HA!. With every Muslim considered a terrorist untill proven
 otherwise? Hinduism? Since when is Hinduism even much portrayed
 at all in the media?

 JY> Christians in the UK have long been alarmed at the steady
 JY> erosion of Christian values, particularly in the law-making
 JY> bodies, as well as efforts to deny the UK's Christian
 JY> heritage.

 Well, the first part is right. Christian values are not much
 valued today. That's not a matter of atheistic influences,
 though, but business influences and greed. Ever since the
 religious right decided Jesus didn't really mean it when he said
 "sell all you have, give the money to the poor, and come follow
 me."

 JY> The Catholic Church recently went head to head with the
 JY> Labour Government for an exemption in the gay rights laws
 JY> for its adoption agencies, which regard a heterosexually
 JY> headed family as the best environment for raising children.

 A married couple is the best enviornment for raising children,
 IMO. However, a lot of single women have adopted, a few single
 men, and very much of the time the children they adopted were
 harder to place children.

 JY> Meanwhile, the local council in Haringey, London,
 JY> threatened to cut the fundings of a Christian-run Polish
 JY> family centre when it applied to change its name to include
 JY> the word 'Christian' and Haringey Council discovered that
 JY> it sings Christian songs with the children.

 Well, that's England. In the US they should not get govt money.
 It corrupts both the church and the government. I don't think
 they should anywhere, but I'm in the US.

 The Christian members should support their own facilities.

 BTW, if it's Polish, is it also Catholic? If so, why was it
 called Christian instead of more specifically identifying it as
 Catholic. Oh, and in England Catholics still do not enjoy the
 same status as Protestants.

 JY> Rev Malcolm Duncan, of campaign group Faithworks, said:
 JY> "The Christian church is suffering more than all other
 JY> faiths in the UK.

 Well, I doubt it, but I'm in the US. Ok, maybe the British
 Christians have done something to deserve it.

 JY> "There is an aggressive secularist agenda that says it's OK
 JY> to support any group ending in "ism" but not OK to support
 JY> anything connected to Christianity."

 Catholocism?

 JY> Tory MP and committed Catholic Ann Widdecombe, said
 JY> Christians must decide whether to "fight back or take it".

 Real Christians give more than take. Share it, don't take it.

 JY> "My own belief is that we should stand together and fight
 JY> this discrimination."

 Yes, and join with the Muslims in the process.

BOB KLAHN bob.klahn{at}sev.org   http://home.toltbbs.com/bobklahn

... If at first you don't succeed, redefine success.
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