No Liberal Tolerance Toward Christians

This is a partial transcript from Hannity & Colmes, September 22, 2003 that has been edited for clarity.

SEAN HANNITY, CO-HOST: New book out today claims that Christianity is under attack from liberals in the media, the educational system, and government.

Joining us now, author of the book Persecution: How Liberals are Waging War Against Christianity. David Limbaugh is with us. And by the way, in the interest of full disclosure, I should mention, you're my attorney.

DAVID LIMBAUGH, AUTHOR: Yes, but you didn't…you didn't come...

HANNITY: That's not why you're here.

LIMBAUGH: You didn't cut in on the Kelsey interview and have me on more segments.

HANNITY: It goes, this book chronicles discriminations against Christians in American society, you say. In no way does it mean that other groups aren't discriminated against.

The difference is it seems that when other groups experience discrimination, you write, or mistreatment, the popular culture properly decries it. But when it comes to anti-Christian discrimination, the culture's attitude is shut up you Bible-thumping idiots. You're right. I agree with you.

LIMBAUGH: Yes, well, tolerance and diversity are the highest virtues touted by liberals, and yet they accord no tolerance toward Christians.

And we talk about Christians not being able to mention Christian words, use Christian symbols because they might offend other people. No thought is ever given to the fact that it might not only offend Christians to be suppressed but to deny their religious freedoms.

HANNITY: It's the one group left that you can discriminate against in this society.

LIMBAUGH: That's correct.

HANNITY: What other things…by the way, I've got to tell our audience, folks, this is a great book because you went and did all the homework and put together all the cases where this discrimination has existed. And when you put it all together, it's overwhelming, the amount of this bias that exists.

LIMBAUGH: It's pretty…in fact, my book was originally 50 percent longer than it ended up being because we just couldn't have it be that long. We had to edit it.

HANNITY: Right.

LIMBAUGH: That's the great thing about editors. Let me give you a few examples.

HANNITY: Yes.

LIMBAUGH: For example, Easter can drive at a certain school to raise money for a women's shelter had to be changed to the spring can drive because they feared that Easter might offend some other students.

A gospel choir in Florida couldn't sing at a church because it would…to celebrate for a 9/11 memorial, because it might be an establishment of religion.

HANNITY: God bless American…

LIMBAUGH: A kindergartner couldn't join hands with two of her other little classmates and pray to Jesus because she…that was the state, not the little girl endorsing religion. Don't you disagree with me?

ALAN COLMES, CO-HOST: First of all, let me say that you're not my attorney, but thank you very much.

LIMBAUGH: I have the card. I represent liberals, too.

COLMES: No ambulances here. Let's talk about…first of all, there are instances, of course as you aptly point out, where people get overzealous about this, and there's abuses of political correctness. Let me talk to you about the title. Liberals Waging War Against Christianity. Aren't a lot of Christians liberals?

LIMBAUGH: Well, that's an interesting question. Yes, a lot of liberals say they are Christians, but I don't think they subscribe to the same worldview that I do as a Christian.

COLMES: Now wait a minute. It's unfair for you to say, you're making a divide between Christianity on one side and liberals on the other.

LIMBAUGH: No, no, I'm really not. You're asking me whether liberals are Christians. Yes, I think there are, I have some good friends who are liberals and are Christians. I think there's an anomaly, because their politics don't mix with their theological worldview. They are confused. They don't understand it. I could explain...

COLMES: Wait a minute; you're saying the only way to have the proper theological worldview is not to be a liberal?

LIMBAUGH: No, I'm saying…no, absolutely not. I'm saying their views are inconsistent. But let's not talk about whether liberals are authentic Christians. I think they are, they can be.

But what we need to look at is the evidence of liberals attacking Christianity, persecuting Christians, discriminating against Christians, not affording them tolerance like other people. Look at the evidence in the book.

COLMES: Let's look at that. I have looked at this. For example, you talk about Democratic opposition to pro-life judges in the book, requiring Catholics to cover health insurance that includes contraception.

But those are political controversies. That's not being anti-Christian, because there is a dichotomy between what one wants to do politically versus what one may think theologically. We live in a secular country. That's not anti-Christian to have those points of view.

LIMBAUGH: Well, what about the media and various liberal media people calling, likening Christians, the Christian right to the American Taliban? What about Ted Turner (search) talking about Jesus freaks...

HANNITY: No, they are not just examples, there are thousands of examples.

COLMES: Of course, there are many examples as you point out, where I think people make the wrong judgment because they are cowed by this idea that if they cross the line they will get in trouble, like the teacher that canceled a field trip to see a Christmas carol. But it seems to me that you make Christianity synonymous with the religious right.

LIMBAUGH: Oh no.

COLMES: That's the impression I get.

LIMBAUGH: No that's not my intent. Because again, as I said, I'm just talking about…and by the way, I didn't name liberals waging war, that wasn't my idea, but if you look at the evidence it is the liberals doing it.

COLMES: That's quite an accusation you make against liberals, that they are the ones waging war…and you're painting liberals being anti- Christian.

LIMBAUGH: But they are. No, I'm not. I'm not saying they are anti- Christian. But the liberal, the secular humanist worldview, if the shoe fits, wear it. Wants to suppress Christianity because they view it as incompatible with the secular...

COLMES: You think liberals in general want to suppress Christianity?

LIMBAUGH: No, I didn't say they wanted to suppress it. I'm saying they are. I'm attributing motives to anyone. I'm looking at the evidence saying it's objectively true.

HANNITY: David, you point out in the book…you started to say before we go to the last break, comments by Ted Turner, comments by Jesse Ventura (search).

LIMBAUGH: Yes.

HANNITY: Comments by a whole variety of people. Take out the word Christian, and put in any other group, and those statements are made, what would the reaction be?

LIMBAUGH: It would be outrage, because it's open season on Christians and not on any other group.

HANNITY: Why…in all of your study and research, why do you think it is that this is the one group you can take all the shots at you want and you're not going to have any repercussions?

LIMBAUGH: I think there's is a culture war. Christians subscribe to absolute truth. Most Christians do. The secular humanist or the humanist or the secularists…they do not. And they believe that Christians will not bend, and therefore, their values are not...

HANNITY: We only have a few seconds left. One of the other things I loved about your book is you gave example after example after example. In the final 15 seconds, what are some of the examples people are going to see to back up the claim?

LIMBAUGH: Well, for example, Christianity can't be encouraged in schools or can't be referred to.

HANNITY: You have a whole section on schools.

LIMBAUGH: Section on schools. Islam is promoted in certain areas. Islam simulation materials, students are encouraged to pray in Islam.

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