their so-called "religious" beliefs are no longer accepted by everyone else. Gays aren't being persecuted. Unmarried women are having babies. Unmarried couples are living together without shame. Evolution is taught in schools. Young people are leaving the church. Moslems and Hindus are moving into the neighborhood. Their kids are practicing meditation and look up to the Dalai Lama.

the validity of religious belief, all believers are being persecuted. That's how I read it, at least here in DU's Religion Group. Atheism must be countered with faith, or all will be lost. That's what some theists appear to believe, anyhow.

Western countries at least. There are places that christians are persecuted, but not in my vicinity at least.

I was trying to say that in the US and other Western nations Christians are not persecuted. There are places where they are, but no around here.
Hope that clears up my errors.

That is basically what is going on here. Their privilege is crumbling, and they don't like it.

They are just changing the tactics of perpetuating it. As society grows more tolerant of other ideas, they are weaponizing that very culture of tolerance to claim they are actually the victims.

Ironically even if the idea is intolerant, the person attacking the idea is still guilty of intolerance.

That way religion is perfectly free to promote itself as a good thing, while any dissent must be shouted down as a bad thing. That's how you know your privilege is working for you.