How will countries newly liberated in the ‘Arab spring’ treat minorities? What will be their policies toward human rights? Practitioners of minority religions from Christianity to the Baha’i  faith are apprehensive about their treatment in the new order.

A meeting of countries active in encouraging the recent movement of Libyans to unseat the Qadhafi regime (the Libya Contact Group) is exploring ways to “win the peace” and prevent bloodshed from competing factions in that country. The United States stated its position that the new Libyan government should respect all Libyans, from whatever tribe, region, or minority.

Unfortunately, Christians have not always been as tolerant in the past as they now call for nations with Christian minorities to be. They sometimes used secular authority as a force for their own religion.  When Christianity became popular in the latter days of the Roman Empire, for example, it began to dominate. This led eventually to the medieval, all-encompassing church that sanctioned charges of heresy against all who disagreed and eventually to such atrocities as the Inquisition and wars in the name of religion.

If we are confident of our religious experience, we allow Christianity to compete in the global market place, as the apostle Paul did. Any religion that seeks to dominate by force results in nonbelievers suggesting that the world is better off without religion—Christianity or otherwise.