USA's view on athiesm is rather startling

[Hades]

From a telephone sampling of more than 2,000 households, university researchers found that Americans rate atheists below Muslims, recent immigrants, gays and lesbians and other minority groups in “sharing their vision of American society.” Atheists are also the minority group most Americans are least willing to allow their children to marry.

 

http://www.ur.umn.edu/FMPro?-db=releases&-lay=web&-format=umnnewsreleases/releasesdetail.html&ID=2816&-Find

[hotcommodity]

I find that quite surprising. Many of our founding fathers were atheists, deists, and the like, and now it's un-American? The America of today certainly isn't the America we read about in our history books. Additionally, I wouldn't compare atheists with recent immigrants, or gays, as that has nothing to do with religion.

[blackhole123]

Well, I dont like it but it makes sense. I mean if only 3% of the population is atheist and the rest think that that 3% is going to hell or w/e of course they think we are wrong.

[Hades]

yes were wrong to them, but the degree to which were wrong is the most concerning one. listed lower than a muslim? i didnt rally the troops with my atheist buddies and level financial buildings. to them i did. and then some. and its this sentiment they have that troubles me.

how this situation evolved into its current state is upsetting as well. it can be pinned on politics and a politicians requisite to appear honest, moral and worthy of admiration. People think the 'human' is removed from someone who is a non believer. Thus that person couldnt handle a country. Although at this point the sandwich i had for lunch could handle this country.

[CurvKyle]

these people should watch this video before they judge atheists,

[Rebiu]

From a telephone sampling of more than 2,000 households, university researchers found that Americans rate atheists below Muslims, recent immigrants, gays and lesbians and other minority groups in “sharing their vision of American society.” Atheists are also the minority group most Americans are least willing to allow their children to marry.

 

http://www.ur.umn.edu/FMPro?-db=releases&-lay=web&-format=umnnewsreleases/releasesdetail.html&ID=2816&-Find

Your link seems to be broken.

 

I suspect that Atheists are hated because they represent the greatest threat to the theist’s beliefs. It is easy to disagree with other religions as they all share the greatest error, the belief in god, at the core of their system. Atheist hold a position that cannot be challenged by logical reason and therefore represents the greatest schism between the intellect and emotional conditioning that is inescapable to acceptance of theology. Therefore the Atheist must be marginalized, ridiculed, isolated, ect.

 

I have faced considerable hostility from my in-laws on this matter. Their hostility and machinations against me increased over the years to the point of having a surprise intervention at DVAC for my wife. She has broken all contact with them finally, though they still send letters and emails in spite of her requests to be left alone.

[john5746]

From a telephone sampling of more than 2,000 households, university researchers found that Americans rate atheists below Muslims, recent immigrants, gays and lesbians and other minority groups in “sharing their vision of American society.” Atheists are also the minority group most Americans are least willing to allow their children to marry.

 

 

1. What other minority group on the list would you prefer they pick?

 

2. The article sums it up nicely - people cannot imagine a value system without religion, so they see society without religion as dangerous.

 

I am an atheist by the way.

[Rebiu]

Well, I dont like it but it makes sense. I mean if only 3% of the population is atheist and the rest think that that 3% is going to hell or w/e of course they think we are wrong.

Three percent sounds a bit low. Atheist is and absolute and the slightest doubt excludes one from the classification. Many are functionally atheist in their thinking and call themselves agnostic. Furthermore there is considerable pressure to marginalize atheists and this is reflected in most studies. I believe a more accurate number would be between 10% and 15%.

[ecoli]

Three percent sounds a bit low. Atheist is and absolute and the slightest doubt excludes one from the classification. Many are functionally atheist in their thinking and call themselves agnostic. Furthermore there is considerable pressure to marginalize atheists and this is reflected in most studies. I believe a more accurate number would be between 10% and 15%.

 

I was about to voice a similiar opinion. I bet many people consider themselves christian because there parent's were. Even though they don't attend church or really believe in God. A lot of my public school friends fell into this catagory.

[Hades]

i dont care who they chose to place atop atheists. sephardic jews for all it matters to me.

[john5746]

Maybe communist? Oh, they are all atheist, almost forgot.

[doG]

From a telephone sampling of more than 2,000 households, university researchers found that Americans rate atheists below Muslims, recent immigrants, gays and lesbians and other minority groups in “sharing their vision of American society.”

 

I can believe that. As an atheist in southern baptist country, I am often treated like satan himself. Southern baptists seem to equate atheists with satanists for some reason. When I ask many of them why they think there is a god they simply reply that is how they were raised. They don't seem to understand what they believe in or why, they are just blind followers; sheep. It makes me feel sorry for them.

[Sisyphus]

I was about to voice a similiar opinion. I bet many people consider themselves christian because there parent's were. Even though they don't attend church or really believe in God. A lot of my public school friends fell into this catagory.

 

Indeed. I would bet a large percentage of Americans are nearly non-practicing, basically secular Christians. But that does make the anti-atheist prejudice all the stranger. I don't understand it, but I'll give it some thought.

[1veedo]

At least we dont break their commandment:

 

Though shalt have no other gods besides me.

 

Other religions do, is that commandment not important or something?

[Rebiu]

I can believe that. As an atheist in southern baptist country, I am often treated like satan himself. Southern baptists seem to equate atheists with satanists for some reason. When I ask many of them why they think there is a god they simply reply that is how they were raised. They don't seem to understand what they believe in or why, they are just blind followers; sheep. It makes me feel sorry for them.

I usually just get astonishment and disbelief from strangers where I live. My political Science teacher was from the South and he once suggested that atheists were considered the same as mentally retarded down South.

[Severian]

Hades: Since your link in the OP doesn't work, do you have any evidence for this assertion?

 

And should you really be surprised that you are mistaken for a satanist if you use the username 'Hades'?

 

I think the population finds atheists threatening, not because of what they believe, but because they are perceived to be attacking the views of religious people. I imagine the same is true for other groups too, e.g. muslims are unpopular not because if what they believe, but because they are perceived to be attacking the US way of life.

[YT2095]

My political Science teacher....

 

COOL! a thread with the Science word in it

 

I`ll point out that GD is NOT a replacement for the R&P sub forum, Nor is it to be used as such!

 

Have a Nice Day:-)

[Rebiu]

I think the population finds atheists threatening, not because of what they believe, but because they are perceived to be attacking the views of religious people. I imagine the same is true for other groups too, e.g. muslims are unpopular not because if what they believe, but because they are perceived to be attacking the US way of life.

Aaah yes the persecution complex of Christianity. A religion that has 90% adherence feels attacked. I do not think so. How many Atheist knock on you door to discuss religion? How many Atheist affirmations are we led in before school events? What is your evidence of an Atheist mandate to convert others?

[YT2095]

I`m sorry, I could have Swore I said that GD is NOT a P&R replacement!

[Dak]

^lol.

 

ok, veering in what i hope is a more acceptable direction:

 

maybe its because, for many americans (this is at least the impression that i get), america = one country, united under god.

 

muslims, gays, immigrants, and other minorities can, at least in theory, be united 'under god' (ok, muslims worship him differently, but it's still the same god).

 

any non-jahovan religon (hinduism for example) or atheists obviously can't be united under 'god'.

 

so, maybe, if the survey is accurate, that might explain it?

[AzurePhoenix]

so, maybe, if the survey is accurate, that might explain it?

There does seem to be a rather large "them or us" mentality. The conservative view towards atheists that I've noticed always seems to associate them with things like satanism, communism, anarchism and fascism. There's lots of misunderstanding in there. It's a bit like associating Hades with Satan. The two are scarcely comparable in any way (Hades the god wasn't even a bad guy, and Hades the place was a whole range of underworlds with hellish and heavenly bits), but the common perceptions of them in the populace blur the distinctions, so you always see Hades depicted hellishly.

[lucaspa]

Indeed. I would bet a large percentage of Americans are nearly non-practicing, basically secular Christians. But that does make the anti-atheist prejudice all the stranger. I don't understand it, but I'll give it some thought.

 

The general figure given is 10% agnostic + atheist, so 3% atheist fits within the range.

 

As you said, I expect the prejudice to be strong among Fundamentalists, and they are 50% or so of Americans these days. However, in order to have these results, there must be a considerable amount of prejudice among mainline Christians. And that is surprising.

 

I speculate that much of the prejudice arises because atheism has been pushing back traditional expressions of religion -- no organized school prayer, no display of the 10 Commandments, removal of a large picture of Jesus from my former grade school, etc. Therefore atheism is viewed as an agressor to theism. Couple this with the attitude of many atheists that atheism is not a faith and is epistemologically superior to theism and you have the appearance that it is atheism that is intolerant and seeks to destroy theism and theists. For the poster who wondered why atheists would be put lower than Muslims (who were mistakenly equated with terrorists), there is your answer. Atheism is perceived as just as intolerant as radical Islam and bent on the destruction of theists.

 

Most Christians recognize that the claim of epistemological superiority is bogus, but don't know why and can't articulate an argument against it. This inability leads to frustration and might also contribute to the prejudice.

 

Dak also has a point. Even Hinduism is moving toward monotheism. So it is only atheism that is outside the fold of "in God we trust".

 

AzurePhoenix: "The conservative view towards atheists that I've noticed always seems to associate them with things like satanism, communism, anarchism and fascism. There's lots of misunderstanding in there."

 

Remember that Fundamentalism is also an intolerant faith. Therefore they wish total hegemony for their faith (which isn't theism, BTW). Atheists for Fundies serve the same purpose as Jews for Nazism: a convenient bogeyman to rally against.

[iglak]

i had a romantic experience in college with a heavy christian. i am heavily a (weak) athiest.

 

there was a LOT of drama surrounding the relationship.

specifically: her ex, who she broke up with because of proximity issues, is a priest's son, and turned out to be extremely obsessive. there was also a "rival" of sorts, who lived in the same dorm, who is heavily christian as well.

 

summary of the whole thing:

they told me they were raised to believe that athiests are evil, compared to christians.

she was more attracted to me at the time, but her religion didn't allow it (there was a specific quote she used, which i later found out to be inconsequential to today's culture, but she believed it anyway).

due to my romantic interrest, i became (genuinely) interrested in christianity for a while.

she wanted to lure me to christianity by showing me how well she could handle the situation (with the drama with her ex). but she was instead extremely surprised at how well i handled it. before things got serious, i chose to let go, to give up, so that i wouldn't cause her even more discomfort, and so that i wouldn't accidentally control her in some way.

 

 

 

i dunno.

i actually think it's a good thing that athiests are getting the religious hate.

athiests aren't exactly likely to start a war over it. if a war happens to start, most will try to stay out of it anyway.

just think of it as.... taking everyone else's sins. forgive them, they're only human

 

 

 

 

 

YT, what counts as "religious discussion" in the GD forum when the topic is fairly religious? is it anything that questions or debates the validity of one religion/belief over another?

[Cap'n Refsmmat]

YT, what counts as "religious discussion" in the GD forum when the topic is fairly religious? is it anything that questions or debates the validity of one religion/belief over another?

It's a tough call, but threads like this will most likely survive if they don't turn nasty on you. Just keep things civil and orderly and we don't mind at all.

[J77]

Atheists are generally more vocal about their religion than Xtians, Muslims, Druids...

 

Always banging on about not believing in this or that.

 

I'm not surprised by the survey. After all, did not "God Bless America"