Dark Brightness

This is one of the best posts the last 30 days. The author forgets that the liberal wing of the Church tries to do exactly the same thing… anything to dent the power of the gospel.

For reasons that require no elucidation, anti-Christian animus rises to its peak at two times of year: Christmas and Holy Week. The world’s evangelical atheists, most of whom are insincere about their real target — they rarely say a word against Islam — begin to froth at the mouth around December 18 and Palm Sunday, and don’t subside until a couple of weeks later. From their tirades, you’d think that millions of Christians had taken to the streets with whips, flogging everyone who wouldn’t fall to his knees at the sight of a Nativity scene or a crucifix. To be maximally gentle about it, that isn’t so.

Nah, the demonstrators that threaten death to their opponents tend to be Muslim.

The anti-Christian animus at Christmastime is distressing and puzzling. Christians are celebrating the Incarnation and Nativity of the Son of God, Who entered the world to free the Jews of Judea from the Levitical Covenant and Mankind at large from the burden of sin. What’s objectionable about that? If you don’t share our beliefs, celebrate whatever you prefer; no one will stop you. Why do you need to proclaim our faith “irrational” and your equally unverifiable and unfalsifiable faith superior?

But Christmas season anti-Christianity pales in intensity before Holy Week’s anti-Christian animus. Here we are, preparing to commemorate the most terrible and most glorious events that have ever occurred, and the militant anti-Christians come swarming out of the woodwork to berate us for our faith and our observances once again. Why? What’s the point? Do you expect to make any converts to your faith by calling us “stupid” and “irrational?” I can tell you with certainty that you won't sway me that way.

I don’t really care about these posts by the atheist tent preachers. The ones who have the courage to say exactly the same things to the other monotheistic faiths are being both courageous and consistent. But most beat up Christians and leave the rest alone. This is either because they are cowards, or they see Islam (and to a lesser extent, Judaism) as their allies.

Perhaps the greatest irony of all is that Christianity has flourished most dramatically at times of oppression, especially religious oppression. How else, pray tell, do you think it became the most widely adopted belief system in human history? Do you consider yourselves clever for providing us with the very fuel by which our faith has been propelled?

via Eternity Road.