Why do Americans still dislike atheists?

by behemot 91 Replies latest jw friends

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  james_woods

  Sorry, but most people I come across couldn't care less. I certainly never hear atheists spoken of in the same derogatory way that blacks or Jews have been. This article is bunk.

  I have to agree. One thing that should be remembered is that the old-style atheism like Madelyn Murray O'Hare is not very visible these days. That woman was indeed disgusting and brought a lot of hate on herself and other athiests because she was a nut case who tried to make athiesm into her own brand of cult religion. There are still a few like that, but usually they are not very visible. For sure, the mainstream media and entertainment industry are very secular and non-religious, and are tolerant to non-agressive atheism. Another issue is that there is a small, quiet, but growing number of conservatives (like myself) who are completely non-religious. The notion that all conservatives are bible-bangers is as primatively wrong as the idea that all gay people march naked in parades in San Francisco.
• 

  NomadSoul

  Although I think atheist should become more politically active, I don't think the change should be so drastic. We need to ease in.
• 

  OnTheWayOut

  NewChapter, I am not picking fights. I agreed on the Boy Scouts. I just don't feel that too many 8 years olds have decided on their own to be Catholics or Atheists or of any other belief system. I might have to start helping a self-declared 8-yr-old atheist to learn how others don't think for themselves and to keep some views to himself in certain circles if he wants to go camping and tracking with the scouts, or if he still wants to share in Halloween, Valentine's or St. Patty Day stuff at school although such things are very Believer/Christian in origin. I do it myself when I exchange Christmas gifts with family. None of them are really active Christians, but they get in the spirit and choose that holiday to exchange gifts. If my 8-yr-old could not keep his beliefs to himself to join the Scouts, I would be proud of him and try to take him and his friends on weekend outings myself.

  Berengaria, while atheism has been around for a long time, it has been fairly in-the-closet in America up until recent decades. I will agree with that, so I would expect that acceptance is lagging. Again, I am not picking fights, I tend to agree.

  All I am doing is generally agreeing with Keysor Sores that most Americans don't care. Most Americans, while declaring themselves believers, really are unreligious and live as if the God of their beliefs doesn't exist.

  An atheist political candidate has his atheism put out there by the media, then he has to defend it. That makes the average American who listens to the news snippets think that his atheism is part of his platform and will affect the way his office is run. None of that really is true, but the media will lead the public to believe it is true.
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  talesin

  An atheist political candidate has his atheism put out there by the media, then he has to defend it. That makes the average American who listens to the news snippets think that his atheism is part of his platform and will affect the way his office is run. None of that really is true, but the media will lead the public to believe it is true.

  Yes, they (the media) are following the commands of their (corporate) masters.

  t
• 

  Berengaria

  The notion that all conservatives are bible-bangers is as primatively wrong as the idea that all gay people march naked in parades in San Francisco.

  Who presented that notion?? I don't think all conservatives are bible bangers. I do however think most bible bangers are political conservatives. There's a simple reason for that, the Republicans actively court bible bangers.

  And this is off topic!
• 

  keyser soze

  Most Americans, while declaring themselves believers, really are unreligious and live as if the God of their beliefs doesn't exist.

  That's really all that I was saying. OTWO put it better than I did. I don't dispute that in certain areas there is a backlash against atheism. I was simply diputing the use of the word 'oppressed', and the generalization of Americans as being anti-atheist, as being rather hyperbolic.
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  james_woods

  Who presented that notion?? I don't think all conservatives are bible bangers. I do however think most bible bangers are political conservatives. There's a simple reason for that, the Republicans actively court bible bangers.

  I did not specifically mean you, Berengeria. But again, not all Republicans dislike athiests - nor do they all actively court bible bangers. I suspect that many members of the Christian Clergy are liberals - certainly many Catholic priests are.

  My point was to debunk the theory that all Republicans hate atheists - the side remark on gays was an illustration that the truth is more complex than that kind of simplistic idea.

  It was not off-topic, just as a side illustration about a Lamborghini is not off topic on a Ferrari thread.
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  NewChapter

  Of course some conservatives are atheists. Absolutely. They are also gay. There are social conservatives and economic conservatives and everyone in between. Some liberals are very religious. I never meant to suggest otherwise. I'm just saying that on the conservative front, they have a large enough conservative christian base to dictate policy. Not all Americans hate atheists, and many don't care. But even if a minority has these prejudices, and that minority is in the strong position of dictating policy, then that is the effect that will be felt. Personally I think it would be grand if Republicans could put some distance between themselves and that religious base. I believe much more would get done and many more reasonable compromises could be worked out. Because right now, compromising politically is close to compromising religiously. It's a disturbing trend but it's there. I really wish the reasonable people in both parties would prevail. As the climate stands, such cooperation is far in the future.

  NC
• 

  VM44

  Here is something that I found interesting and is related to the thread topic.

  From Yahoo Answers:

  Question:

  Why did theodore Roosevelt call thomas paine filty little atheist?

  Answer:
  One reason might be that Paine had published a work in 1794 called "Age of Reason" in which he criticized the Bible and Christianity, dismissing both as false and calling Christianity fundamentally immoral.

  In reality, Paine was neither little (he stood 5' 10"), nor was he an atheist. He was a deist, believing that God created nature and that was the end of God's contribution.
• 

  WontLeave

  While religious people act "holier than thou", atheists act "smarter than thou". Even when speaking with an atheist who is obviously not very bright, he makes it clear his mere association with atheism makes him more logical and intelligent. Sound familiar? While their arrogance may be of a different sort, it's equally annoying. Of course, atheists don't see it thusly, as democrats don't see Jon Stewart as an obnoxious ideologue and republicans don't see Rush Limbaugh as a pompous windbag.