The latest cover story in The New Statesman, the British weekly that The New Republic shares content with, is a controversial article by Cristina Odone, a former editor at the magazine. Titled 'The New Intolerance,' Odone's piece argues that Western liberalism has become intolerant of other points of views, specifically religious points of view, on issues like homosexuality. The article is incoherently argued, and ultimately confusing, but it also manages to highlight an annoying trend that Americans used to the so-called 'War on Christmas' have become accustomed to: the self-pity of religious majorities. Be proud, Americans: the phenomenon has gone global.

The self-pity can be seen in the way Odone frames her piece, which includes this astonishing line: "Once a dominant force in western culture, religion has been demoted to, at best, an irrelevance." Yes, we live in a more secular world, but this is the type of gigantic overstatement that does Odone's argument no good.If religion is "at best" an irrelevance in the west, what about when it's less than best? Are we about to outlaw the concept of God?

Well, not quite. But, Odone writes:

Not only Christians, but also Muslims and Jews, increasingly feel they are no longer free to express any belief, no matter how deeply felt, that runs counter to the prevailing fashions for superficial 'tolerance' and 'equality.'

Any belief!

Odone thinks that people should be allowed to practice their religious beliefs, even if those beliefs include discrimination. (She notes the case of a couple in the United Kingdom who had to close their bed and breakfast because they wouldn't allow a gay couple to spend the night.) I keep waiting for someone like Odone to answer the question of whether one should be allowed to discriminate against, say, a black couple if one claims it is a matter of faith. But no luck.