See something, snitch something: The State Department’s "anti-Christian bias" witch hunt begins
Under Republican leadership, Christians are the only ones worth protecting
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Have you or anyone else who works for the U.S. State Department witnessed “anti-Christian bias”? If so, Secretary Marco Rubio and the Trump Administration want you to tattle on those who commit that fictional crime, according to Politico.
The department, according to a copy of an internal cable obtained by POLITICO, will work with an administration-wide task force to collect information “involving anti-religious bias during the last presidential administration” and will collect examples of anti-Christian bias through anonymous employee report forms.
That task force is allegedly scheduled to meet on April 22 to discuss all the complaints.
The idea that anti-Christian bias needs to be rooted out of the government is ridiculous for multiple reasons.
For one thing, what counts as anti-Christian bias? Someone putting up a rainbow flag on a building? Someone wishing you “Happy holidays”? Who knows.
The executive order presumes that Christians are victims of discrimination when, in reality, they’re usually the perpetrators. (The attacks against trans people are almost entirely coming from Christian zealots.) It also treats Christians as a picked-on minority when they’re firmly in the majority. After all, Christians make up the most popular religion in the country, 87% of Congress, and 98% of elected Republicans. As I’ve said before, complaining that Christians have it rough is like saying the problem with racism in America is that it really hurts white people.
If Christians are the victims, I’m sure non-Christian groups would be thrilled to swap places with them, at least with regard to how much persecution they receive and how much political power they have.
Furthermore, the directive sends a clear message that while Christians cannot be discriminated against, everyone else is apparently fair game. That’s why the focus, while mentioning anti-religious bias, is on anti-Christian bias. Christians are still singled out for special treatment. I suppose that means if you want to go after Muslims and atheists, now’s the time since those complaints won’t be taken as seriously. Christians take top billing in this Republican-led government.
Another concern, Politico reports, is that the executive order encourages employees to snitch on each other.
“It’s very ‘Handmaid’s Tale'-esque,” said one State Department official, who was granted anonymity because the individual was not allowed to speak openly about internal department affairs.
If any of this sounds familiar, it may be because Trump himself, back in February, announced the formation of a Justice Department task force that would eliminate "anti-Christian bias" in the federal government. That executive order listen a number of examples of what he was talking about… but when you dug through those stories, it became clear none of them stood up under scrutiny. When Christians were punished, it was because they were violating the law or being assholes in some other way, not because people opposed their faith.
Still, the State Department’s executive order is just following what Trump demanded they do: Root out anti-Christian bias at the expense of all the other problems in the agencies.
This isn’t ultimately about eradicating anti-Christian bias. It’s a symbolic move to reinforce Christian supremacy.
If you want a real example of a Christian getting harassed for their beliefs, though, you don’t have to look that far back. In January, just after Trump was inaugurated, a religious leader politely asked Trump to follow Jesus and have mercy on the marginalized. Republicans responded by saying she should be “added to the deportation list” (she was born in New Jersey), implied that she was an idiot, and insisted that she’s bad at her job.
More recently, Trump has threatened to deport millions of Christian immigrants.
Those are far more direct examples of anti-Christian bias than anything you’ll find as a result of this executive order. If you want to protect Christianity, you’d be better off ridding the administration of all the people who make Christianity look bad… which is damn near everyone.
And none of this is to say that anti-Christian bias should be ignored. If it happens in a government agency, it should be punished. The problem here is the underlying theory that Christians suffer more discrimination than other religious groups, and that’s why it must be eradicated, even if the method by which administration officials are learning about it destroys morale inside the agency.
(Portions of this article were published earlier)
Christians are very quick to claim they're being persecuted, usually after having been prevented from forcing their religion on others. They would also be the first people to persecute others if given the opportunity. This is what happens when people convince themselves they're operating under divine sanction. No one in their right mind would ever trust their freedoms to the religious right. More than anything, it is NEVER to job of our secular government to backstop anybody's religion.
I hate this country a little more each day.