WND: "The New Crusaders"

[NathanATX]

a VERY interesting story... http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=55073

A public school did a disaster drill using the possible scenario of fundamentalist christians attacking the school because of the "no prayer in schools" issue.

[Diane Vera]

a VERY interesting story... http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=55073

A public school did a disaster drill using the possible scenario of fundamentalist christians attacking the school because of the "no prayer in schools" issue.

That is, fundamentalist Christian terrorists. Surely everyone ought to know that these hypothetical terrorists aren't typical Christians or even typical American fundies.

The Christian right wingers are claiming that the exercise was anti-Christian. However, because Christians are the majority, and because everyone knows that the hypothetical terrorists aren't typical Christians, it seems to me unlikely that the drill stirred up any anti-Christian sentiment.

On the other hand, had the hypothetical terrorists been, say, Muslim, then the drill could have stirred up some scapegoating of Muslims, because the majority of Americans are not very familiar with the varieties of Islam.

[Diane Vera]

Perhaps, to avoid offending anyone, future disaster drills might need to feature invaders from Mars, or something. Hopefully everyone knows that there aren't any humanoid Martians to be offended by this.

[revtj]

Don't you think that some isolated christian fundamentalist(s) would seriously consider an act of terrorism as a godly deed in the same way that some Islamic fundamentalists do?

Is that not what Terry Nichols and Eric Rudolph were?

I hate to pee on liberal utopia, but I think this one's already outta the bag, and I am concerned that it will happen again...

[Diane Vera]

Don't you think that some isolated christian fundamentalist(s) would seriously consider an act of terrorism as a godly deed in the same way that some Islamic fundamentalists do?

Some, indeed, yes.

My point is that I don't think anyone is likely to start discriminating against Christians in general (or even fundameantalist/evangelical Christians in general) as a result of that particular school's disaster exercise. On the other hand, had it featured Muslim terrorists, it could easily have buttressed prejudice against Muslims in general, due to greater popular ignorance about the varieties of Islam.