Anti-Christian beliefs remain the “last acceptable prejudice” to this day, nearly 20 years after Baylor University historian Philip Jenkins wrote a book along the same lines.
Though Jenkins called “anti-Catholicism” the “last acceptable prejudice,” college campuses and the broader culture extended it to all Christians as Lent began on Feb. 14.
For Catholics, Lent is the 40-ish days of fasting, abstinence from meat, and practicing penance to prepare for Easter Sunday. For some Protestants, it is still a time to prepare for Easter.
Some people have sought to use the beginning of Lent, including Ash Wednesday, to mock Christianity, either directly or indirectly.
There are the transgender activists who lied to St. Patrick’s Cathedral about the identity of the deceased, a male atheist prostitute who presented himself as a woman, and held an irreverent funeral in the New York Catholic church last week.
They’re not the only ones. A handful of Georgetown University students decided to make last Wednesday “A** Wednesday” to mock Ash Wednesday, the day Christians receive ashes on their forehead, derived from last year’s Palm Sunday palms.
It is to remind the recipient of inevitable death: “For you are dust, and to dust you shall return,” as Genesis 3:19 says.
Instead, the Catholic university students drew bottoms on their foreheads. These are students at an elite university that charges $60,000 per year.
Others, such as one campus minister at Fort Hays State University, decided to make LGBT ashes, in what might be called “queering” Ash Wednesday.
“Glitter+Ash is an inherently queer sign of Christian belief, blending symbols of mortality and hope, of penance and celebration,” an announcement for the event stated. (One of the ministers dropped out of the event after backlash.)
It is not surprising some find it acceptable to mock Christianity. After all, the Los Angeles Dodgers hosted blasphemous drag performers who mock Catholic nuns just last summer. Meanwhile, churches and pro-life groups have been under attack for nearly two years since the reversal of Roe v. Wade.
The prejudice also comes from the top echelons of government, including deceased Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s attacks during the Trump presidency on Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett’s “dogma.”
Then-Sen. Kamala Harris and Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-HI) heaped their own hatred on a judicial nominee for being affiliated with the Knights of Columbus. The Catholic men’s group raises millions of dollars per year to help veterans, families, and those affected by disasters. There is a lesson here.
Much like how the Knights of Columbus tries to help others live a better life, the detractors of Christianity might consider incorporating the lessons of Lent. Many Christians will give up something, such as social media or sweets, for Lent. Some may try to do more acts of charity or deepen their faith by reading the Bible or other devotional works.
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This is an excellent idea for the people who think “glitter” is an appropriate additive to ashes or that mocking Christianity on campus is funny. Learn about the meaning behind Ash Wednesday, Lent, and Easter.
We should all strive to be better people, and it can start by respecting Christianity.
Matt Lamb is a contributor to the Washington Examiner’s Beltway Confidential blog. He is an associate editor for the College Fix and has previously worked for Students for Life of America and Turning Point USA.