Christians should unite with atheists to defend secularism [View all]
The Christian community in Britain is in danger of being hijacked by a bigoted, paranoid and out-of-touch elite who don't represent its views. It's time for Christians to embrace secularism
Posted by
Martin Robbins
Friday 17 February 2012 10.19 EST
guardian.co.uk
If atheists are bemused by the latest attacks on secularism, spare a thought for Britain's Christians. Most agree with equality for homosexuals, support the separation of church and state, and share the basic principles of humanism. Many of the comments supposedly made on their behalf must be as alien to them as they are to the rest of us.
The 'war on secularism' is a battle over privilege. On one side, secularists whether Christian, Muslim, Buddhist, atheist or other believe in freedom of (and from) religion; that faith is a personal choice and the state should be neutral in such matters. Opposing them, an elitist minority of Christians believe that one group themselves should enjoy privileges that others do not share.
Privilege is like swimming in a pool of marshmallows and beer; it sounds enjoyable, but to quote Bill Hicks on beer, "it makes you stupid, slow, and docile, and that's the way we like you to be." Privilege is patronizing and infantilizing, and leads to underachievement and stagnation; but most of all it reinforces the status quo something that tends to benefit those at the top more than anyone else.
Just as feminism ultimately benefits men, secularism is the best option for Christians in the long term. Sadly, a self-interested, parasitic elite within the Christian community are prepared to do anything to cling to their own positions of power, even it means misleading and undermining their own flocks.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/the-lay-scientist/2012/feb/17/1