In December 2004 Pope John Paul II argued that Christianophobia was spreading around the world and called on the UN to draft laws on Christianophobia, as it has done on Islamophobia and anti-Semitism. Christianophobia may involve opposing Christian missionaries, persecuting Christians for their beliefs, and putting blame on Christians for events like the Crusades, Inquisition, Colonialism, and the Holocaust.

History

Christianophobia is not new, having been in existence for 2,000 years. The earliest recorded case is the martyrdom of St Stephen by the Jewish religious leaders. Even the Apostle Paul was initially a Christianophobe before his conversion.

In the times of the Roman Empire, Christianophobia was quite rampant, with the persecutions intensifying during the reigns of Emperor Nero, Marcus Aurelius, Diocletian and Galerius. Christians were either thrown to the lions at the Colosseum, crucified, or burnt at stake. The persecutions were finally put to a stop by Emperor Constantine's edict of Christian tolerance in AD 312.

Christian persecution also continued throughout the Middle Ages when the Catholic Church began to condemn what it perceived as heretical beliefs, some of which were practiced by unorthodox Christian sects like the Cathars, Waldensians and Hussites. The adherents of these sects were usually tried by the Inquisition and burnt at the stake. The tide later turned during the Reformation, when radical Protestants began to fight against Catholics due to differences in beliefs -- the Thirty Years' War being an indirect consequence. Other examples of Christian persecutions by fellow Christians was Catherine de Medici's persecution of the Huguenots on St Bartholemew's Day and Bloody Mary's persecution of Protestants in England.

Christianophobia is very intense in Muslim countries, with missionaries being incarcerated or even killed for their beliefs.

Islamic Fundamentalists, using a strict literal interpretation of the Qur'an, are fierce Christianophobes who believe the killing of what they see as "infidels" will gain them entry to paradise. Osama bin Laden and the late Ayatollah Khomeini have both generalised the United States as "Christian" and called it the "Great Satan", often inciting violence against Westerners. Christians have also been tortured and allegedly crucified in Sudan with reports of churches being flattened by bulldozers. There has been of late Christian persecution in Indonesia, and recent arrests of missionaries in Afghanistan. In Saudi Arabia, U.S. soldiers are forbidden to pray or even own Bibles, and visitors carrying Bibles will see their Bibles being shredded before their eyes.

The philosophers of the Enlightenment can also be classified as Christianophobes to a very small degree. Examples include Voltaire who was quoted as saying, "Theology amuses me". His sentiments were shared by other philosophes who criticised doctrines like the Eucharist as being mere superstition. Maximilien Robespierre was also a Christianophobe, having sworn himself a foe to Christianity.

Atheists who are hostile to Christianity may also be labelled as Christianophobes. Examples include Bertrand Russell (who wrote "Why I am not a Christian" which expressed a bit of anti-Christian sentiment), and webmasters who publish anti-Christian material on the Internet.

The publication of material like the Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown has caused a lot of controversy among conservative Christians who criticise the novel as being anti-Christian.

See also

• Persecution of Christians
• Religious intolerance
• Missionary
• Evangelism
• Anti-Catholicism
• Christianization
• Separation of church and state
• Christian views on witchcraft
• Christianity in Malaysia
• Christianity in Korea
• Christian politics in New Zealand