Most of the people I know who endorse this view would assent to it because it is consistent with how they feel about the world around them, not because it is a proposition they have seriously considered.
It just feels like everyone hates Christians, so if someone told them they were being persecuted, they would agree. In the same way, it just feels like nefarious forces are trying to “ban Christmas”, so when idiots on TV claim that is whats happening, they nod their heads along. When challenged they just retreat into ignorance, saying things like “well that’s what I’ve heard” or “I have no idea about that”, because ideas like “the war on Christmas” are not factual claims about the world, they are expressions of sentiments about what the world is like.
Most of the people I know who endorse this view would assent to it because it is consistent with how they feel about the world around them, not because it is a proposition they have seriously considered.
It just feels like everyone hates Christians, so if someone told them they were being persecuted, they would agree. In the same way, it just feels like nefarious forces are trying to “ban Christmas”, so when idiots on TV claim that is whats happening, they nod their heads along. When challenged they just retreat into ignorance, saying things like “well that’s what I’ve heard” or “I have no idea about that”, because ideas like “the war on Christmas” are not factual claims about the world, they are expressions of sentiments about what the world is like.