The cartoonist - who must remain anonymous in order to protect his/her life and livelihood - nods to Ann Widdecombe, who claims that Nazis and Communists had it easy, compared to Christians today:
Ann Widdecombe has claimed it was easier to be a Nazi or a Communist in post-war Britain than being a Christian today because “quite militant secularism” discourages people from expressing their faith. ...
She claimed that respect for other's personal views meant people could have been a fascist in post-1945 Britain or a Communist during the Cold War but Christians now had started "suppressing the expression of conscience".
In an interview with BBC Radio 5 Live's Stephen Nolan, the Conservative former politician said concerns over "political correctness" meant people were reluctant to express their faith to others because "they think strong belief offends them".
Wow, that's really bad. If Christians say something in Britain these days, someone else may disagree with them. Openly! They may actually get criticized! Did Jesus and the Martyrs face anything as bad as that?
That's what Christians identify as persecution, when people feel free to disagree? I think they've lived in a bubble for too long, that bubble where Christianity was automatically respected and where even nonbelievers were careful not to openly criticize the faith.
She goes on to say that, ""Christians now have quite a lot of problems, whether it's that you can't display even very discreet small symbols of your faith at work, that you can't say 'God bless you', you can't offer to pray for somebody, if it's an even bigger stance on conscience that you're taking, some of the equality laws can actually bring you to the attention of the police themselves."
I don't know what it's like in Britain, or what that "even bigger stance on conscience" is, exactly. Does she mean that even Christians have to obey the law? That they can't force their own "conscience" on everyone else? Gee, such a shame, huh?
"Very discreet small symbols of your faith at work" wouldn't be a problem here in America, certainly (though very discreet small symbols of atheism would likely be met with outrage). But if the boss is implying that you'd better be a Christian if you want to get ahead in the company, that's different. (Well, it should be different. Given today's Supreme Court, I'm not so sure.)
Does "God bless you" get a comment from nonbelievers? So what? You can make a religious comment, but they can't? When you offer to pray for someone who's not a Christian, do they take offense? Well, maybe you should learn from that. (I don't take offense, at least if it's a sincere, if clumsy, expression of concern, as it usually is. I might roll my eyes a bit, though.)
But either way, that's not persecution. It's just that other people are also free to express their opinions. Yeah, I know that burns your butt. But if that's what makes it hard to be a Christian, if you find your faith difficult unless no one else is allowed to express their disagreement, well,... it's not exactly throwing you to the lions, is it? Heh, heh.
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They LOVE to play the victim, don't they? It's practically their hobby.
They always whine "we just want a place at the table." BULLSHIT!! They don't want "a place at the table," they want THE table. End of rant. :)
You got squirrel issues, too? I hate those little frick-and-fracks digging in my lawn!! And, if it's not them, it's the damn bunny "wabbits" treating my Mom's flower garden like it's a buffet!! :(
Don't hate on us "dumb" lottery players too much. I drop $30 a week on PowerBall and Mega-Millions. IMO, it's not so much a tax on dumb people as it is a tax on desperate people. This is what happens when they move the factories to China and make everybody work for Wal-Mart wages. Have you noticed all the "dollar" stores popping up while JC Penney and Sears are dying?
Dumb? No. But I feel that you've been conned, Jeff. $30 a week is more than $1500 a year! Heck, when I started investing, it was with an automatic investment of only $50 a month.
At first, you wonder why you even bother. But I increased the amount as I got more comfortable with the plan (although my first mutual fund was one of the worst I've ever owned), and it does add up over time.
My problem with it isn't so much the waste of money as the whole idea of scamming desperate people, instead of just honestly taxing those who can afford it (and who take full advantage of what our society offers).
And if we can't live with rabbits and squirrels, how do we expect farmers to live with deer, coyotes, and cougar? Or third-world farmers to live with tigers and elephants, for that matter?
Trying to grow fruit, despite the birds and the squirrels, the insects and the disease, has given me a new appreciation for the food I get in my grocery store. How in the world can it be so cheap? It cost me more to grow my own - and I'm not talking perfect, bug-free, undamaged fruit, either!
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