Extermination

I seem to be on "Christians threatened with violence for their intolerant religious views about homosexuality" theme today, so I might as well go with it.  My post from earlier today talked about the irony of asserting that pro-traditional marriage views are "stone-age" ways of thinking while reacting to said views with threats or jokes about violence.  Apparently violence against those with whom we disagree is, in fact, not a stone-age way of dealing with people, but is instead sophisticated and modern.

Moreover, I talked just briefly about the hypocrisy of people who will allow (and even endorse) threats of violence against those with whom they disagree, but will cry foul as soon as any a criticism of their point of view is expressed by the opposing side.  I've also said on this blog that public ridicule and even danger is on the way for Christians who dare to voice their religious convictions in the public square.  We're already being classified as a hate group, and pretty soon it will be allowable for our freedoms to be diminished and for our religious privileges to be revoked.

It's going to happen sooner than we think.

This afternoon, as I was doing a random perusal of the internet, I happened upon the Wretched Radio website, and saw the picture to the left.  It was reportedly snapped by someone at the 2012 Minnesota State Fair.  The guy's hair is in the way a little bit, but you can clearly fill in the blanks and read this message: "Exterminate Christians one bullet at a time" (click to enlarge).  A few thoughts here:

1. How does this guy get away with wearing this shirt?  That's a threat!  Couldn't his shirt be considered "fighting words?"

2. Take out the word "Christians" and insert something like "Muslims" or "Homosexuals."  I can guarantee the guy would be arrested, or at least told to remove the shirt and have it confiscated by the police.

3. I have no way of knowing how seriously the guy wearing the shirt believes the sentiment he's broadcasting on his back.  Maybe he thinks it's a joke.  If he does, it's not funny.  See above, and then tell me how funny a Muslim or homosexual would think it is.  I have no reason to believe that he thinks it's a joke.  For all intents and purposes, he truly believes that Christians should be "exterminated."

4. It would be foolish to think that the shirt and the "VOTE NO" fan stuffed into his pants aren't related.  He's got the fan there as an advertisement, not as a convenient place to hold a fan.  He knows what's on his shirt, and he knows that anyone who reads the fan will also read the shirt.  He's trying to connect the two messages.  Mission accomplished.

5. I've said it before, and I'll say it again: our society has moved away from intellectual discourse and is moving toward threats and violence as means of resolving differences.  This should concern Christians and any other religious group that adheres to some form of dogma.

6. Christians need to be thinking about how to respond to guys like this, and groups of people who believe this but don't necessarily wear their opinions on their sleeve.  More and more people will find religious (primarily Christian) beliefs to be intolerant and worthy of violent retribution.  Christian, how now shall we live?  How do we respond to people who want to hurt us (physically, emotionally, politically, etc.)?  This is something we need to be thinking about, because the time when Christians will be forced to decide between quality of life and defending their religious convictions is fast-approaching more so now than ever before.