One reason for building networks that provide emotional and legal support to Christians in the public is for situations where people who have some level of control over you aren't treating you right because you are a Christian and then not responding to your concerns about it in a way that seems rationale.
People don't always respond the way you would think to appeals to reason and compassion.
Christians, one reason to have support networks in place for each other is because people won't always yield to compassion or listen to your sense of logic if you try to reason with them in a situation where they feel they can get away with treating you unfairly for expressing your religious beliefs. Imagine your employer doesn't like you mentioning your plans for Easter with a colleague during a five minute break and tells you not to bring it up at work again. You might feel that what you said wasn't wrong in any way and respectfully give three or four solid reasons for it. Your boss could reply that he doesn't like you arguing with him and that you might just not be the right fit for the values and ideas of the company. Christians, if a person genuinely doesn't like religion and they feel they have the power and know-how to intimidate or penalize you for talking about it, then it isn't unlikely that they will.
Some of your colleagues might then agree with the boss while others will become afraid on some level to help you, preferring to stay out of it. They might just shake their head at you later on with a blank stare, trying not to think about your reasons or empathize with you. They'll say you just shouldn't talk about it. People don't always respond the way you would think to appeals to reason and compassion.
However, when people see you are connected to a large, intelligent, and responsive network that includes civil rights teams and people who want to listen to your story and support you emotionally, you are no longer alone and feeling powerless before the absence of reason and compassion. Otherwise, you might try calling a few lawyers who don't know what they would do. Many people aren't sure what to do or who to call in these situations. As you wait for these large-scale Christian networks to be built, trying to contact the news can also help because the news can send out the word to a large number of people, including legal groups you may not have known about who can intervene in such situations.
Comments