The more I read about Marilyn Manson, the more I have to feel for the guy.

It's not that I admire him as a musician -- I generally find each new song he releases to be more unlistenable than the one before, although I begrudgingly admit I like "The Man That You Fear" (if that's even the title; it slips my mind); and I feel that if he weren't such a damned freak he'd probably have never gotten any media attention at all -- but I do respect his convictions, at least as regards to religion.

(Why do I say this? Well, I personally feel that real Satanists, as in Anton Levay's group -- as opposed to dumbass kids who think gutting sheep is kewl -- get an unnecessarily bad rap. If they'd just call themselves human-worshippers, they'd get a lot more respect. Satanism's tenets, if followed by more people, would possibly result in a better, more orderly society where people would be more inclined to help, and less inclined to harm, one another. But I digress.)

And the more I read about Marilyn Manson, the madder I get at these right-wing Christian groups who try to block his band from performing in their hometowns. He has the right to his opinions; and people have the right to attend his shows. But more than the sheer oppressiveness of these people, I'm angered by the fact they seem to think lying about someone is okay.

Lying? About what?, you might ask.

Simply put, if Marilyn Manson and his band did even half the things they're accused of having done in concerts, they would all be in prison right now. Or maybe an asylum.

He's wiped his ass with an American flag, simulated oral sex on his guitarist, and ripped pages out of a Bible. So what?, I ask. No one in that audience has had a gun held to his/her head -- they knew what they were in for when they bought the tickets.

If they have to lie about him, they're obviously unable to stand up to his ideas. They're not holding some crucial card, otherwise they would be able to criticize him on fair terms.

Underlying all this is the claim by many a Christian conservative that "If he were out there attacking Islam or gays, he'd be condemned as a bigot, but Christianity is fair game."

To my mind, that is one of the most vapid statements I have ever heard.

First off, a lot of what he says about Christianity -- that much of the church stands in opposition to things that harm no one; that much of the church tells its followers to never ask questions; that the church has a hell of a lot of blood on its hands -- are all completely true. There are a lot of great people who are Christians, but the religion has a record that is far from spotless.

Secondly, although I'd never presume to speak for Marilyn Manson, his criticisms of Christianity could be extended to some, if not all, the world's major religions. Islam, or at least the fundamentalist variety that makes its way onto the evening news here in the states, is not exactly a bastion of freethought.

Third, it's not like Christianity is a minority religion in the United States. The percentage of Americans who profess to be Christian is high enough that the church is not in a position of powerlessness to where criticisms are going to, over the course of a generation, completely undermine its power base.

To be completely honest, I cannot think of a situation in modern America where a Christian's freedom of religion is regularly violated. Our currency says "In God We Trust;" people are asked to swear on the Bible before taking office or testifying in court; churches are completely tax-free; and legislators across the country are slavishly laboring to kiss the Christian Coalition's butt and turn Christianity into a state religion by permitting verbal prayer in schools, giving tax dollars to parochial schools and taking real science out of the classroom in favor of creationism.

(There's a huge file on the Secular Web that talks about this sort of thing -- it's titled "Life In Our Anti-Christian America", and is a must-read for those on either side of this issue.)

On the other hand, non-Christians have to look at all this preferential treatment and ask, "What about my rights?" If your kid leaves his classroom during the prayer, he'll get the shit kicked out of him on the playground. If you're not photographed coming out of some church, you'll never win an election you're in; gay and lesbian parents have a hard time getting to parent their own children simply for not believing in a few verses of the Bible.

Fourth, let's be honest -- this is a religion based on martyrdom. If it's not Jesus dying for the sins of humanity, then it's St. Stephen getting stoned out in the town square. Christians are told, right there in the Bible, that persecution is a good thing -- it supposedly brings them closer to God.

Some Christians look for antagonism that's simply not there. When I told a friend once that I was an Atheist, he took it as a personal insult. He reacted as though I was choosing not to believe, and furthermore, as if I were thinking, "Well, I'll not believe in God, so I can hurt his feelings."

I guess I can see where these people are coming from, a little bit. Some of us do come across as feeling that anyone who has religious beliefs is a fool; but others of us are just apathetic about the whole thing.

Is Christianity singled out for harassment? Perhaps. But the reason is, even when it's not the majority religion of an area, it's probably the most actively proselytizing. As the Pagan bumper sticker reads, "God protect me from your followers." The tradition of persecuting non-Christians in the U.S. goes back to the Puritans, who fled religious oppression back home to come set up their own brand of the same thing.

Why is Christianity such a target? Because it's the biggest, most aggressive bull out there. This sort of criticism is healthy -- it serves to keep the church in check. As long as everyone plays nice, there's no need to slam Christianity -- but actions like the Southern Baptists' Disney boycott deserve all the fire they draw.

So, to Christians who feel so "oppressed," I challenge you this: If you don't like Marilyn Manson, or even Jason Tippitt, criticizing the Christian faith, you can very easily put an end to it. Prove yourselves better than the bad press makes you sound.

Do better than trying to take away people's health insurance. Fight for freedom instead of against it. And then I, at least, will commend you instead of criticizing you. I will probably still disagree with your religion, but at least I will be able to respect it.

God is Dead -- Now What?