It shouldn’t be any great surprise that anti-Christian bigotry is on the rise, both in the United States and across the world. The driving force behind domestic anti-Christian sentiment is undoubtedly steered by the political Left, for whom Christians and Christianity rank far below other actual victims on the intersectionality scale. After all, they’re the majority of the United States population, how could they possibly be victimized?
The general derisive attitude towards Christianity — specifically, those who are devout Christians — has been yet again demonstrated with Amy Coney Barrett reappearing on the national scene as Trump’s Supreme Court nominee to replace the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. A few years ago, when Barrett was nominated to the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals, her faith was a target for Democrats. Sen. Durbin asked, “Do you consider yourself an orthodox Catholic?” Sen. Feinstein, the ranking Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, infamously said, “When you read your speeches, the conclusion one draws is that the dogma lives loudly in you. And that’s of concern when you come to big issues that large numbers of people have fought for for years in this country.”
Today, such focus on Barrett’s “orthodoxy” looks likely to continue. Newsweek preempted Barrett’s predicted Supreme Court nomination with an article which stated that the “People of Praise” — a Christian parachurch organization of which Barrett is a member — inspired Margaret Atwood’s “The Handmaid’s Tale.” Newsweek later “corrected” the headline when Atwood disputed this claim. Bill Maher, host of HBO’s “Real Time,” also attacked Barrett’s faith, saying that she’s “really, really, really Catholic,” and that Barrett is a “f***ing nut.”
The theme is clear. It’s not Barrett’s religion, per se, which is the issue. It’s her devotion to it. Sen. Durbin didn’t ask whether she was a Catholic, he asked if she was an “orthodox” Catholic. For Sen. Feinstein, the dogma doesn’t just live in Barrett. It lives loudly. For Maher, she’s not just Catholic. She’s really, really, really Catholic.
The reason for this distinction is not simply based on a shallow form of anti-religious bigotry. To understand why the Left express such a strong aversion to religiosity, it’s important to see the Left for what they truly are. In reality, they are also devoutly religious. The only difference is that the “dogma which lives loudly in them” is one which is devoid of any theistic principles. Instead of worshiping a god or gods, they worship the false prophets of celebrity and the idols of materialism. Instead of following scripture, they adhere to the fluid and subjective interpretation of an ever-changing set of progressive principles defined by an unknown force. Instead of repenting or sacrificing, they absolve themselves of responsibility or guilt with false expressions of “virtue” demonstrated by the appropriate use of hashtags or slogans.
When you understand that the Left are also, by their own definition, “f***ing nuts,” their ideological resilience becomes easier to explain. Moreover, when you understand that “virtue signalling” is the primary method of proving your “faith” in the false religion of progressivism, you can then understand how they can applaud the “religion” of some in their own ranks, while despising the religion of others.
For example, accusations of anti-Christian or anti-Catholic bigotry are often dismissed by Democrats by pointing to token members of their own party. Joe Biden is a Catholic! Nancy Pelosi is a Catholic! We can’t possibly be anti-Catholic. However, viewed through the lens of religious progressivism, the label of “Catholic” can not only be self-assigned, but confirmed by those without any theological understanding. Therefore, it doesn’t matter that Joe Biden has been refused Holy Communion because of his sudden newfound support for abortion. It doesn’t matter that Nancy Pelosi, another open advocate for abortion, also hides behind her Catholic faith when challenged on various issues.
The Left are perfectly happy to embrace those who are “religious,” as long as they are happy to abandon the necessary elements of their religion which denounce the principles of progressivism. Biden and Pelosi’s Catholicism is accepted, even applauded, because their beliefs stand as a secondary ideology. Conversely, the Left fear those for whom religion is their primary ideology, because they know it is a belief system they are incapable of undermining.
The Left hate what they fear, and they fear what they hate. They hate and fear Barrett not because she’s a Catholic, but because she’s a Catholic who means it.
The views expressed in this opinion piece are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.