The Christian Privilege Checklist.

I haven't posted in a while because I recently got a temporary job. This is a big step for me, because up until recently I was completely incapable of work and had no reason to believe my condition would improve. So, I've been too busy to get to a computer long enough to blog. That's why I'm posting something really quickly while I can.

So! I went looking for a Christian privilege checklist. I like privilege checklists because they provide a good deal to think about in an accessible format. Of course, there is always a lot more to do when addressing one's own privilege than reading a simple checklist, but they're not bad to have around. There's also a Straight Christian privilege check list, which, impressively, was written by a thoughtful heterosexual Christian. I'll provide them both.


Christian Privilege Checklist

1. It is likely that state and federal holidays coincide with my religious practices, thereby having little to no impact on my job and/or education.
2. I can talk openly about my religious practices without concern for how it will be received by others.
3. I can be sure to hear music on the radio and watch specials on television that celebrate the holidays of my religion.
4. When told about the history of civilization, I am can be sure that I am shown people of my religion made it what it is.
5. I can worry about religious privilege without being perceived as “self-interested” or “self-seeking.”
6. I can have a “Jesus is Lord” bumper sticker or Icthus (Christian Fish) on my car and not worry about someone vandalizing my car because of it.
7. I can share my holiday greetings without being fully conscious of how it may impact those who do not celebrate the same holidays.  Also, I can be sure that people are knowledgeable about the holidays of my religion and will greet me with the appropriate holiday greeting (e.g., Merry Christmas, Happy Easter, etc.).
8. I can probably assume that there is a universality of religious experience.
9. I can deny Christian Privilege by asserting that all religions are essentially the same.
10. I probably do not need to learn the religious or spiritual customs of others, and I am likely not penalized for not knowing them.
11. I am probably unencumbered by having to explain why I am or am not doing things related to my religious norms on a daily basis.
12. I am likely not judged by the improper actions of others in my religious group.
13. If I wish, I can usually or exclusively be among those from my religious group most of the time (in work, school, or at home).
14. I can assume that my safety, or the safety of my family, will not be put in jeopardy by disclosing my religion to others at work or at school.
15. It is likely that mass media represents my religion widely AND positively.
16. It is likely that I can find items to buy that represent my religious norms and holidays with relative ease (e.g., food, decorations, greeting cards, etc.).
17. I can speak or write about my religion, and even critique other religions, and have these perspectives listened to and published with relative ease and without much fear of reprisal.
18. I could write an article on Christian Privilege without putting my own religion on trial.
19. I can travel without others assuming that I put them at risk because of my religion; nor will my religion put me at risk from others when I travel.
20. I can be financially successful without the assumption from others that this success is connected to my religion.
21. I can protect myself (and my children) from people who may not like me (or them) based on my religion.
22. Law enforcement officials will likely assume I am a non-threatening person if my religion is disclosed to them.  In fact, disclosure may actually help law enforcement officials perceive me as being “in the right” or “unbiased.”
23.  I can safely assume that any authority figure will generally be someone of my religion.
24. I can talk about my religion, even proselytize, and be characterized as “sharing the word,” instead of imposing my ideas on others.
25. I can be gentle and affirming to people without being characterized as an exception to my religion.
26. I am never asked to speak on behalf of all Christians.
27. My citizenship and immigration status will likely not be questioned, and my background will likely not be investigated, because of my religion.
28. My place of worship is probably not targeted for violence because of sentiment against my religion.
29. I can be sure that my religion will not work against me when seeking medical or legal help.
30. My religion will not cause teachers to pigeonhole me into certain professions based of the assumed “prowess” of my religious group.
31. I will not have my children taken from me from governmental authorities who are aware of my religious affiliation.
32. Disclosure of my religion to an adoption agency will likely not prevent me from being able to adopt children.
33. If I wish to give my children a parochial religious education, I probably have a variety of options nearby.
34. I can be sure that my children will be given curricular materials that testify to the existence and importance of my religion.
35. I can be sure that when someone in the media is referring to G-d, they are referring to my (Christian) G-d.
36. I can easily find academic courses and institutions that give attention only to people of my religion.
37. My religious holidays are so completely “normal” that, in many ways, they may appear to no longer have any religious significance at all.
38. The elected and unelected officials of my government probably are members of my religious group.
39. When swearing an oath, I am probably making this oath by placing my hand on the scripture of my religion.
40. I can openly display my religious symbol(s) on my person or property without fear of disapproval, violence, and/or vandalism.

(Source: http://darkjez.tumblr.com/post/6660170277/christian-privilege-checklist)


Straight Christian Privilege Checklist

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Here's some food for thought. With acknowledgements to Peggy McIntosh's "Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack"

As a straight Christian, in all these four aspects of life (Marriage and relationships, political and social, growing up and personal development, and life in Christ), the following applies to me:

MARRIAGE AND RELATIONSHIPS

- I can, all other things being equal, expect to be able to marry my significant other in the church of my choice.

- I can be reasonably sure, if I need prayerful counsel and spiritual guidance in my relationship with my spouse or significant other, that I can find a Christian-oriented counsellor or literature that will cater to me.

- All other things being equal, I have a good chance of finding palatable romantic partners through Christian dating services.

- If I decide to pursue a relationship which turns out badly, I can expect that my Christian friends will only admonish me for a lack of discernment at most - they will not use the failed relationship as evidence of my "brokenness", or use the incident as an opportunity to steer me toward a celibate life, or to change my sexual orientation.

- I can be confident that the loving, nurturing relationship I share with my spouse or significant other will not be likened to incest, pedophilia or bestiality by my brothers and sisters in Christ.

- If I ask a Christian friend for sincere and frank advice about my relationship, I can be certain that they will not advise me to change my sexual orientation.

- If I have been cohabiting or having premarital sex with my significant other, and a Christian friend decides to rebuke us, I can expect that they will, at most, advise us to refrain from sexual contact until we are married - not that we cease our relationship entirely (provided there are no other issues which would make our relationship inadvisable). In any case, their rebuke will not involve a call for us to change our sexual orientation.

- I can hold hands with (or even kiss) my spouse or significant other in a public place without worrying that my brothers and sisters in Christ will shy their children away from the "display".

- I don’t have to worry about being separated or uninvited to a Christian event because of the sex of my spouse or significant other.

- I do not have to worry that the legality of my marriage will be put to a vote - a vote in which the majority of those voting to dissolve that marriage are my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ.

POLITICAL AND SOCIAL

- I do not have to fear being fired or being pressured to resign from any Christian-run business or ministry due to the discovery of my sexual orientation.

- I will never feel the need to exclude, isolate, hide, suppress or oppress, a part of who I am within my church, family or my Christian social circles—and be encouraged to do so, simply because of my sexuality.

- I can be pro-gay - even vocally so; and while a good number of Christians will not support my pro-gay stance, I can be certain that they will, at most, admonish me to change my opinion; they will not demand that I cease any and all intimate relationships I may have with any other persons of my sexual orientation.

- I can be reasonably sure that people of my sexual orientation will not call me "a traitor to my kind" for my decision to accept Christ. Furthermore, while I am aware that truly accepting Christ involves sacrifice, some of which could involve estrangement from friends and family (Matthew 10:34-39), I can also be reasonably sure, all other things being equal, that I can find new friends (and possibly a significant other) within the Christian church.

- I can go to a strange church, knowing nothing of their politics or theology, and not dread that the topic of this week's sermon will be the "evil" or the "problem" of my sexual orientation.

- I will never have to worry about a church admonishing or advising my family to disown or repudiate me simply because of my sexuality.

- I do not fear being pressured into treatment or conversion therapy if I am open about my attraction to members of the opposite sex.

- I do not have to fear that doors will be closed on me by fellow Christians in business, investments, connections, employment or references based on my sexual orientation.

- I know that we are all sinners in need of healing - otherwise, Christ's life and sacrifice would not be necessary to the world's salvation, nor would we need His church to guide us in our relationship with God; and since we are all sinners, I know that it is entirely possible that one of my brothers or sisters in Christ might, in a moment of weakness, succumb to temptation. They may, in following this evil whim, vandalize my property, or cause harm to me or my family and friends - they may even commit murder. While I trust in the Lord and realize that such violence stems from our sinful nature and from the twisted machinations of Satan on vulnerable human beings, I can be quite confident, all other things being equal, that any such violence will not be motivated, even in part, by my sexual orientation.


GROWING UP AND PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT

- I can volunteer for children or youth ministry work without being deemed "unsafe" due to my sexual orientation.

- I can be sure that, while growing up, I can expect to be exposed to positive role models who share my sexual orientation.

- I don’t have to worry about my children being taught that their parent’s relationship is an abomination in Sunday school. If I am still growing up and am in Sunday school or a youth group, I will not learn that my sexual orientation is an abomination.

- All other things being equal, I can be reasonably certain that the quality of my upbringing or the competency of my parents will not be brought into question because of my sexual orientation.

- Growing up, I can expect to receive guidance about healthy sexual expression and relationships.

- All education and advice from Christian sources concerning family planning, upbringing and child-rearing will be specifically (and often deliberately) tailored to my sexual orientation.

- My sexual orientation is not a barrier to my adopting children through a Christian adoption agency, or fostering children, so that they might grow up in a Christian home.

- Should I divorce or be separated from my spouse or significant other, and that person should later decide that they wish to change their sexual orientation, or discover that they should had been living as a person of the wrong sexual orientation all along, my church will likely be more sympathetic to my case, should the custody of our children become an issue, regardless of my abilities as a parent.

LIFE IN CHRIST

- I can be sure that no Christian church of any denomination will immediately reject me for my sexual orientation.

- Any time I sin (sexually or otherwise), my sin will not be automatically attributed to my sexual orientation.

- I can probably find favourable reviews in many Christian book, film or theatre reviews of books, films or shows featuring intimate, loving relationships between two people of my sexual orientation.

- I do not, if I choose not to, have to be familiar with various biblical interpretations of my sexual orientation, nor will I be expected to justify and reconcile my beliefs with my sexual orientation through biblical exegesis.

- I have the luxury of choosing which denomination I will belong to or which church I will attend based on their doctrinal stance, missionary or charity work, fellowship programs and statement of faith; I am not restricted in my choices based on whether or not the church affirms my sexual orientation.

- If part of my faith involves the belief that same-sex relationships are sinful, then I can openly call all gay Christians to live celibate lives in order to avoid sexual sin - indeed, a vow of celibacy is understood as potentially beneficial in almost all Christian traditions, in certain contexts (Matthew 19:10-12, 1 Corinthians 7:25-35); however, I am under no such compulsion to live a celibate life myself. For me, living a chaste life does not necessarily mean living a celibate life.

- I don’t have to worry about being segregated from others of my gender at Christian events or conferences because my sexuality is known.

- The church is sometimes described as a hospital for sinners; its pastors, priests, ministers, etc. are the physicians and nurses who help us in our quest to get well. While no one expects everyone to be fully and completely "healthy" at all times (in a church as in a hospital), a physician with an obvious and untreated flu should not be allowed to practice surgery, for the health of the patient. Similarly, it is understandable that a congregation might disallow some members from being active in various ministries, if they are indeed living with an obvious and unrepented sin. I acknowledge that I might be asked to leave my ministry position if I develop habits that run contradictory to a life in Christ (uninhibited alcohol or drug use, a propensity for anger or violence, untrustworthiness, petty theft, etc.). However, my sexual orientation will never be considered an illness requiring treatment, and a barrier to my participation in ministry work at my church. Furthermore, while I acknowledge that, if I wish to rejoin the ministry, I may have to undergo some therapy program, whether in the church or outside of it (Alcoholics Anonymous, anger management therapy, etc.), the cost of these programs are generally low, if not free - much less than therapy or counselling to change my sexual orientation would be, in any case.


(source: http://www.christianforums.com/t7449228/)

 

 

I was pleasantly surprised to find the above checklist and the forum. The post was supported and applauded by many members of the Christian forum. It's heartwarming to know that there are Christians like this around, on a group level even.