In the fevered imagination of the Christian right, Christians are constantly under attack by the insidious gay and secular "agendas." As the media outlet for this paranoia, Fox just loves to showcase this bogus persecution which was the theme, last night, of a Hannity discussion which wasn't exactly fair & balanced!

Hannity immediately framed the persecuted Christian propaganda with his comment that presidential candidate and GOP Senator Marco Rubio isn't "backing down from the left's attack on Christians." He played video of Rubio making the patently absurd prognostication that "we are at the water’s edge of the argument that mainstream Christian teaching is hate speech.” Rubio also whined that those who oppose marriage equality are being labeled as bigots. (Ya think?)

After introducing his guests, David Silverman, president of American Atheists and two virulently anti-gay pastors, Robert Jeffress and Samuel Rodriguez, he asked Silverman if he would force good Christian pastors to marry gays. The side banner set the message as Hannity FACT: "Christianity Under Attack." Silverman said that nobody is advocating for this and that the issue is "all about bigotry." Hannity was non-plussed by Silverman's stats which showed a majority of Christians supporting same sex marriage and asked Jeffress about what happens if a Christian pastor or priest doesn't want to marry a gay couple because "they are following their religious belief."

Jeffress (who recently proclaimed that all Muslims are going to hell) claimed that this is "absolutely" true and provided a "fact" about how, during the oral arguments in the SCOTUS case involving same sex marriage, the Solicitor General said that legalized gay marriage "would be a real problem for the churches." He claimed that this is a sign that the Obama administration will be "coming after" godly Christians. Jeffress, of course, if full of holy crap because Donald Verilli's statement about "a problem" related to tax exemptions for religious institutions for higher ed - not forcing priests to marry gay couples.  

Rodriguez, not surprisingly agreed with Rubio and (seriously) compared the imaginary persecution of American Christians with the treatment of Christians at the hands of ISIS. He whined about how Christians need to defend themselves because "today's complacency is tomorrow's captivity."

Hannity asked Silverman if he believed in freedom of religion. Silverman said that he did; but that religion shouldn't be used as a pretext for bigotry. Hannity whined about how nasty people are saying the anti-gay marriage position of the Catholic church is bigotry when it is part of their teachings. He got uncomfortable when Silverman said that other Christian churches accept gay marriage. That's when the pastors started talking at once. When Silverman tried to get a word in, Hannity ordered him to "stop filibustering."

That's when Jeffress started filibustering about how traditional marriage has been around for thousands of years. (Along with polygamy but who's counting?) Jeffress accused Silverman of not believing in the "free exercise of religion." He claimed that he laughed (Fox News didn't think so!) when Silverman's group put up  atheist billboards which mocked Christians. Hannity wouldn't let Silverman respond but gave the floor to Rodriguez who blithered about bigotry against Christians. Hannity quashed Silverman's attempt to respond and ended the segment.

One wonders why, if he didn't allow him to speak, Hannity invited Silverman on the show. Oh, right - Hannity had propaganda to push. Nonetheless, Silverman's commentary was a beacon of cogency in a sea of stupidity - and bigotry.