I'm sure we've all heard about the Religious Freedom Act, which would give business owners the "right" to refuse to provide service to a cause/idea/person they don't believe in. Which in all honesty, is really just asking for the right to discriminate against people legally. Today I'm writing about Christian privilege. All over the news we hear about how Christians are being "discriminated" against, especially now that gay people now legally have the same marriage rights as heterosexual people. I find this kind of interesting since, you know, trying to deny someone the right to marry based on your belief, and forcing someone else to follow your rules under that belief sounds a lot like discrimination to me. But yes, sadly for some reason, once the nation took another significant step toward equality, people tried to shoot it down under the guise of Christian persecution and discrimination. Honestly, I think we've all forgotten what discrimination actually looks like! If Christians think they are being discriminated against because they are not getting every single thing they want in life...then, it's time for a reality check. Don't get me wrong, I don't really have an issue with individual Christians. I grew up with two Christians parents, and up until the 10th grade, I called myself a Christian. I do, however have an issue with Christianity as a religion itself. I think every frustration I've ever had with Christianity can be summed up in this one Facebook status, posted by my soon-to-be brother in law, Anthony Paz (I think he's a genius).

"It's so easy to have a relationship with God (however you interpret that). Being raised a Catholic, I shared this relationship with Jesus, and His message of Truth moves, shapes, and inspires me. But oftentimes, I find it so hard to share this Jesus with others - American Christians in particular. It is so difficult to relate to a Christian community who claim to have the same God as me when it seems to me that these fellow Christians have established their faith not in Jesus, but in cultural and doctrinal beliefs that justify harassment, discrimination and bigotry (and until very recently, murder as well) And then they try to defend it as free speech and "religious expression". They seem to have confused the difference between FAITH and BELIEF. They seem to have confused the difference between OFFENDING someone and institutionally DISCRIMINATING someone. They seem to have confused the difference between FEELING PERSECUTED and HAVING PRIVILEGE. And it is because of these confusions (that the Christian community is seemingly utterly unaware of) that non-Christians are giving them such a hard time. The LGBTQ community (or ANY American for that matter) having equal access to shopping, dining, employment, healthcare, tax, and housing benefits, whether single or in a partnership, that I as an American Catholic heterosexual man freely benefit from does in no way, shape, or form challenege my lifestyle or put my faith in Jesus at risk. Not allowing Bibles or morning Christian prayer in public school classrooms (and you are more than welcome to have a bible/Christian club - my school did) for the purpose of other students who do not identify as Christians not being forced to engage in religious practices that are not their own in no way, shape, or form challenges my lifestyle or put my faith in Jesus at risk. Having the 10 Commandments removed from the Supreme court grounds in order to reinforce separation of church and state and thereby reminding other religions that they are not allowed to do the same on government establishments in no way, shape, or form challenges my lifestyle or put my faith in Jesus at risk. Just the very fact that those 10 Commandments are there is evident of the history of Christian colonialism, Christian exceptionalism, Christian privilege, and Christian political overreach in this country. I am not sure why Christians feel so offended by these things and then claim they are only upholding their beliefs by discriminating someone. It is the same Christian theological rhetoric that was once used to justify slavery, segregation, and anti-woman suffrage ("Christians are being persecuted in the name of equality and justice for all!"). YOU are not the one being denied access to shopping, dining, healthcare, employment, tax and housing benefits, whether single or in a partnership, just because you are Christian. YOU are not the one being forced to read a scripture or engage in a religious prayer that is not your own in a public school forum because you are a Christian. YOU are not the one who lives in a country where another religion has their statues and commandments placed outside of government establishments because you as a Christian people were once colonized and overthrown as a cultural and religious community on these lands. This is not a Christian nation. This is not YOUR nation. This country is for EVERYONE. Until these things happen to you as a Christian community, you are not allowed to say that you are being persecuted and that you do not have privilege. Stop saying that your beliefs only offend people when they actually discriminate people on a constitutional basis and governmental platform. And if non-Christian American people, who want to live their lives freely and have the same privileges freely granted to you offends YOU, then you need to get over it. You are doing just fine."

Bam! All my feelings in a nutshell.

Discrimination is not being hired because your name sounds "too black" on the resume you sent in, or constantly being told you're just "going through a phase" when you express your interest in someone that's the same sex as you are, or being told you have to cover up your body because men just can't control themselves and may rape you, or calling a woman manly or ugly because she's an athlete, or being physically attacked and called "freak" because you don't identify with the body you were born with, or everyone in your faith being called a terrorist for the actions of a few individuals, or being systematically killed by police because of your race, or being told to leave the country and that you don't "belong here" because you weren't born in the U.S., being denied the right to marry, or being denied the right to serve in the army because of your sexual orientation or gender identity.

The list could go on and on about what real discrimination looks like. And as for having privilege, it just means that the system that our country operates on, caters to and is designed for certain people. In this country, people who have most privilege are white, hetero-normative, cisgender, Christian, males. Here are some examples of Christian privilege:

"I can be pretty sure I won’t create a large controversy or moral panic by creating an outreach program or education center for my faith."

"I can easily find and access public events and celebrations pertaining to my faith."

"I can easily find a group to worship with and carry out my religion’s rites and ceremonies, and can find multiple groups to choose from."

"If I choose, I can move to an area where most of my neighbors at least nominally belong to some form of my faith."

"If a member of my faith commits a crime, I can count on society not to view everyone in my faith as a criminal or potential criminal."

"I don’t have to worry that people will shun me because they’re afraid I might “put a hex” on them."

"People will not regularly comment upon how “progressive” or “modern” I am for a member of my faith."

"If someone attempts to demonize my faith by spreading mis- or disinformation, I can feel confident that it won’t be taken seriously enough to affect me on a personal level."

"My faith often appears in fiction (eg, books or television), and it’s usually portrayed fairly accurately and positively."

"If someone on television insults or degrades my faith, I can change the channel and find someone who supports it."

"I can expect the media to try to show my faith’s views on almost any political matter.

"Most people understand that there are vast differences between the various sects of my faith, and do not lump us all together as a single homogenous group."

"My faith is represented in the US Senate."

"My faith is unlikely to be a barrier in getting elected to a public office."

"If I use my religion’s holy text to be sworn in, it won’t be viewed as a subversive act."

"I don’t have to worry that my citizenship will be called into question if I disclose my religion."

"The government recognizes any and all forms of marriage that my faith deems acceptable."

"I can easily find someone of my faith to legally represent me."

"I can assume most authority figures I meet will be a member of my faith."

"Most people attribute the progress my country has made in rights and civil liberties to my deity/deities."

"If I call out a violation of the First Amendment, I won’t be seen as the villain by the majority."

"I can assume I won’t be asked to speak for all members of my faith, or be expected to educate non-members about my faith."

"I can put up decorations pertaining to my faith’s holidays up at my home in public view without worrying that I will be judged negatively or that the decorations will be vandalized."

"I can be reasonably sure that if I put up a sign or billboard promoting my beliefs or offering a service relating to them, it won’t be stolen, vandalized, or complained about."

"I don’t have to worry that the place where I conduct my worship, rites, and ceremonies will be vandalized because of feelings against my faith."

"My religious rights are not held in limbo while people debate over whether my religion is a “real” religion or not."

I found these and many others here. I think as a society we need to just get real. Most Christians are not being persecuted, but are doing a lot of persecuting. For more info on Christian privilege and religious freedom, you can go here.