Seeing Threats from the Wrong Direction

A while back I saw an article about something called the Benedictine option and learned it was a topic of fairly wide discussion. As I understand it, the option is the notion that  Christians are or will be at risk in an increasingly secular world and should form or retreat into tight local communities patterned at least somewhat after the monasticism of the Middle Ages to protect themselves and survive.  That strikes me as at least odd if not  paranoid and perhaps  a result of the  thread of  sadomasochistic fascination with or even yen for persecution and abuse that runs through the history and legends of Christianity in general and the Catholic church in particular. 

There is evidence people overall in  America are becoming more secular in their viewpoints. However that does not put  Christianity or Christians  in danger.  Secular people can  disagree with or disapprove of Christian doctrine and dogmas without being threatening or hostile  to Christians.  (Some American  leftists are vigorously hostile to American  Christians, but this is less an attack on the religion as such than an instance of a general hostility to things seen as typically American – whether free speech, cool cars and trucks,  hamburgers and cokes, pioneers and cowboys,  George Washington, suburban homes,  the Declaration and the Constitution, self-reliance,  SUVs, Thomas Edison, displaying the flag, can-do and go-getter attitudes, guns for self defense, ornery and defiant skepticism about officials and politicians, or something else too American for them. The crush on Islam many on the left have developed  is evidence for this.  It seems likely that if a majority of the citizens of the country they despise practiced Buddhism, they would  be attacking  Buddhists while ignoring Christians.)

In this country people with different opinions on religion have been and are able to  get along tolerantly with each other. Many secular people see benefits in religion. Some agree with Benjamin Franklin that while the idea of an individual providence is false, it serves a useful purpose in leading people without the interest or ability for serious thinking on matters of ethics to behave better than they would otherwise.  Many appreciate the teachings of the churches on things such as respecting the lives and property of others and taking care of one’s family.  Most, as far as I can tell, are content to mind their own business and  have no interest in forcing their opinions on others or harming Christians.  An increasingly secular society  is no reason for Christians to be frightened and certainly no reason for them to head for the hills.

There is a threat  facing Americans, but it is political rather than religious in nature. The hard leftists are a threat to the lives and liberty of all of us - Christians, Jews, Buddhists, atheists, or whatever. They have made that clear explicitly, and they should be taken seriously.  In response,  to return to Franklin,  we  should all hang together –whatever our ideas on religion - to avoid being hanged separately.