Worsening persecution in U.S.: Religious leaders see organised group to demonise Christians

A rainbow-colored U.S. flag flies in front of San Francisco's iconic Castro Theater in San Francisco, California on June 26, 2015 during a street celebration following the Supreme Court's landmark decision that legalised same-sex marriage throughout the country.Reuters

Christian persecution is worsening, and no one can prove this fact better than those who experienced the culture wars up close and personal.

Brian Camenker, from the anti-gay Jewish group Mass Resistance told CBN News that the persecution of the 1930s has returned. "I saw what happened to Jews in the 1930s and 40s and much of that same thing is happening to Christians now," he said. "There's an organised movement to demonise Christians."

Maggie Gallagher from the think tank American Principles Project agreed with Camenker. "What we're seeing very clearly is an effort to target them [Christians] legally when possible and then to humiliate or deprive them of social respect," she said.

These Christians say that much of the hate and opposition comes from abortion and gay rights groups. "They see Christianity as refusing to affirm the things they wish to indulge in," said Peter Sprigg, senior fellow for policy studies at the Family Research Council.

Sprigg says these groups try to avoid any sort of guilt about their sins, so they refuse to "accept any moral code" and eliminate any kind of communication from those who might help them see the light.

Rev. Bill Owens from the Coalition of African-American Pastors said this is their agenda to silence Christians. "You see it every day. You can't walk out of your house and not see something anti-Christian," he said. "They have copied that movement, studied it, dissected it, and they knew exactly what to do. And one of the things they had to do was silence the Christian community."

Christians are the modern-day opponents of the gay rights movements, and it's very easy to peg them as "a bigot and a hater and a racist."

"But if you really drill down, the religious liberty of Muslims, Jews and Hindus is not being attacked. It's [only] the religious liberty of Christians," said Sprigg.

Camenker warned that the attacks are not over, and it's bound to get worse over time. "I mean now that they have gay marriage, they're doing their push for these severe anti-discrimination laws to punish Christians who don't go along with the agenda," he said.

Sprigg said these groups perceive Christianity as a source of oppression, but this is because they do not understand Christianity. "They don't understand that Christ came to set us free, not imprison us," Sprigg said.