
How the persecuted become the persecutors, and how its legacy is seen in modern America
Abstract
During the reign of the Roman Empire, the Romans harshly persecuted the Christians. They persecuted them by executions, imprisonment, or intense discrimination. Once the Christians became the rulers of the Holy Roman Empire, they put laws into place to discourage pagan meetings, incite death if someone practices idolatry or paganism, and even the punishment of exile. If someone were to criticize the church, they would be convicted to the highest degree of Christian law. In the present-day United States, Pagans are still discriminated against and looked down upon. One example of these pagan groups is the Wiccans, whom Christians and society alike have targeted. This discrimination continues to occur in private institutions as well as in the federal government. This project will focus on highlighting how the power balance dictates who is the persecuted and who is the persecutor, by examining Pagan discrimination by the US government.
© 2024 Samuel Harwood, published by University of North Georgia
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.