In Christine Flowers’s June 21 column, she states that “persecution of Christians goes unabated.” She is absolutely correct! Christians have been persecuting Muslims, Jews and other non-Christians unabated for centuries. There is no continent on Earth, except perhaps Antarctica, that has been untouched by often deadly religious influence.

Don’t get me wrong, I agree that the massacre of the Catholics in Nigeria is a terrible thing. But then all genocides are horrible and history is full of these events. She speaks of the martyrdom of the Christians in the Colosseum as something that people dismiss as “news too old to care about.” At the same time, Catholics are often very offended to be reminded of the Crusades and the Spanish Inquisition, saying that is old news and shouldn’t be held against us today. According to historic references about 7,000 Christians were slaughtered in the days of Roman rule. On the other hand, during the centuries of the Crusades and the Spanish Inquisition, millions were put to death for refusing to give up their religious beliefs and become Catholic.

When Europeans, under the doctrines of Manifest Destiny and Divine Right of Kings, set out to conquer the “new” world, they slaughtered an estimated 55 million people in the Americas. How was this different from Pope Urban II’s calling for the first Crusade in 1095, stating “Deus Vult” (God wills it)? He used exaggerated stories of anti-Christian acts to stir up the masses and also promised absolution of sins (past and future) for those who would fight. This is similar to the propaganda and outright lies that are being spread on social media today, riling up people against anyone who does not see the world as they see it.

I was raised Catholic. When I was a child I, too, was enthralled by “Quo Vadis.” Later I learned how the Catholics and other religious zealots had put women in a no-win situation with their sanctimonious ideas. My friend, a devout Catholic, was on the verge of a nervous breakdown. She had four children and had been told by her doctor if she got pregnant again, she would probably die. The church teachings of the time were: you can’t refuse your husband, you can’t use contraception and you certainly can not have an abortion. So, lose your faith or lose your life? That has often been the position of both Catholic and Protestant church missionaries as they strove to convert people all over the world.

There are many people, both secular and religious, who follow the tenets of their beliefs with godly actions. They love their neighbors, feed the hungry, shelter the homeless, and do not kill fetuses or humans. They teach by example, do not feel the need to convert others or hate those different than themselves. If there is a Great Spirit who created us all, these people come much closer to representing that Being. Unfortunately, there are far too many others who use religion to punish and control people while garnering wealth and power for themselves.

Yes, the murder of missionaries is terrible, as was the Holocaust, the slaughter of indigenous people, the continuing abuses of women over the centuries, and the horrific killings of people in Ukraine and every war in the 21st century.

If Ms. Flowers feels that Catholics have been unfairly singled out for persecution, perhaps she should take a harder look at why people may not be happy with what religion has brought to them. Is it inclusiveness, respect and love, or cultural destruction and pious judgment?

Susan Chichetto lives in Bath.

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