Pakistan has banned the movie, The DaVinci Code, because it is an affront and blasphemous to Christians.  Although I would not endorse that kind of censorship in the U.S., the principle is whats important. The fact that the assertions in the movie are so egregious to Christians, and that respect for the religion is worth taking a stand for, is heartening.  Although radical Islam would wipe out Christians everywhere, mainstream Islam shows respect, based on the notion that we all pray to one God, but that the messengers sent to earth were different.

Probably the most startling revelation I have had recently about the assault on Christians in America came by way of a great piece on the BrotherJuddBlog about the Pope's recent trip to Auschwitz and his speech while there. 

The Pope talked about Nazi Germany's attempt to kill the Christian God and remake God in their image. The Pope's comments were directed at events that occurred in the '30's and '40's. (Read the BrotherJuddBlog posting here.) 

This sounds all too familiar and all too frightening.  Could part of Hitler's plan be revitalized in America today by a minority of extremists?  

Well, not always. There is one exception to intolerance of discrimination in America today.  It's ugly, but it somehow gets a pass. 

When I was young, there were people who went to church and those who didn't.  The people who avoided church were generally ambivalent to those who did.  Their attitude towards church goers was benign, and they simply had no interest in the church or anything that was associated with being Christian. 

As I got older, I realized that being Christian was more than going to church.  Church was very important, but inviting Christ into one's heart and living by His example was at the heart of the Christian religion.  Treating all people with dignity, helping those less fortunate, reaching out a hand to those who feel lost, visiting those who are hospitalized or elderly, supporting charitable causes, giving people meaning to their lives and hope for their futures, this is Christianity. It would seem that it would be hard to find something wrong in all this; it would seem that there would be nothing to slight, nothing to criticize and no reason to hate people who are at the core of the country.

From the benign attitude towards Christianity in the '60's, fast forward to America in 2006.  While those who would practice discrimination are the bane of society, not so for those who would desecrate, humiliate and wipe their shoes off on the Christian faith and Christians.  In a recent southpark episode, the animated cable series showed in graphic detail how much those in the popular culture loath Christians.  While the show went to great lengths not to offend Muslims, it took no such pity on Christians.  To the contrary, they were willing to stoop to such moral depravity in insulting the Christian faith, which for Christians went way beyond offensive. 

The show was willing to depict a scene where Christ defecates on the President of the United States.  To even write the previous sentence is difficult and uncomfortable.  Christians believe that Christ was God in the flesh, and to depict our Creator with such disregard for what is treasured and sacred to so many millions of Americans is nothing less than evil. 

Those who live their lives worshipping popular culture and a gutter culture find nothing wrong with practicing the most vile discrimination against Christians.  The indifferent attitude of the past has been transformed into a seething hatred, a willful disrespect and a disgusting disregard for what is at the very core of the lives of the faithful.  Those who practice modern day Christian bashing relish the depths they are allowed to go with out recourse or concern.  They can practice wholesale discrimination against those they loath, verbalize their message of hatred and promote an anti-Christian media and subculture with reckless abandon. 

The southpark episode reminds us that there is no level that is low enough in demeaning Christianity.  While they fear Muslim retaliation, they count on the 'turn the other cheek' belief in Christians and see it as pure weakness.  This gives them a Carte Blanch green light to continue molesting the victim.  Christians need to speak with one voice without delay, and stop the growing anti-Christian movement in its tracks. Discrimination is always wrong, always.