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Religion
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Title: Why do Americans still dislike atheists?
Source: www.washingtonpost.com
URL Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/opini ... 2011/02/18/AFqgnwGF_story.html
Published: Apr 30, 2011
Author: Gregory Pauland Phil Zuckerman
Post Date: 2011-04-30 05:54:57 by Ferret Mike
Keywords: None
Views: 4818
Comments: 11

Long after blacks and Jews have made great strides, and even as homosexuals gain respect, acceptance and new rights, there is still a group that lots of Americans just don’t like much: atheists. Those who don’t believe in God are widely considered to be immoral, wicked and angry. They can’t join the Boy Scouts. Atheist soldiers are rated potentially deficient when they do not score as sufficiently “spiritual” in military psychological evaluations. Surveys find that most Americans refuse or are reluctant to marry or vote for nontheists; in other words, nonbelievers are one minority still commonly denied in practical terms the right to assume office despite the constitutional ban on religious tests.

Rarely denounced by the mainstream, this stunning anti-atheist discrimination is egged on by Christian conservatives who stridently — and uncivilly — declare that the lack of godly faith is detrimental to society, rendering nonbelievers intrinsically suspect and second-class citizens.

Is this knee-jerk dislike of atheists warranted? Not even close.

A growing body of social science research reveals that atheists, and non-religious people in general, are far from the unsavory beings many assume them to be. On basic questions of morality and human decency — issues such as governmental use of torture, the death penalty, punitive hitting of children, racism, sexism, homophobia, anti-Semitism, environmental degradation or human rights — the irreligious tend to be more ethical than their religious peers, particularly compared with those who describe themselves as very religious.

Consider that at the societal level, murder rates are far lower in secularized nations such as Japan or Sweden than they are in the much more religious United States, which also has a much greater portion of its population in prison. Even within this country, those states with the highest levels of church attendance, such as Louisiana and Mississippi, have significantly higher murder rates than far less religious states such as Vermont and Oregon.

As individuals, atheists tend to score high on measures of intelligence, especially verbal ability and scientific literacy. They tend to raise their children to solve problems rationally, to make up their own minds when it comes to existential questions and to obey the golden rule. They are more likely to practice safe sex than the strongly religious are, and are less likely to be nationalistic or ethnocentric. They value freedom of thought.

While many studies show that secular Americans don’t fare as well as the religious when it comes to certain indicators of mental health or subjective well-being, new scholarship is showing that the relationships among atheism, theism, and mental health and well-being are complex. After all, Denmark, which is among the least religious countries in the history of the world, consistently rates as the happiest of nations. And studies of apostates — people who were religious but later rejected their religion — report feeling happier, better and liberated in their post-religious lives.

Nontheism isn’t all balloons and ice cream. Some studies suggest that suicide rates are higher among the non-religious. But surveys indicating that religious Americans are better off can be misleading because they include among the non-religious fence-sitters who are as likely to believe in God, whereas atheists who are more convinced are doing about as well as devout believers. On numerous respected measures of societal success — rates of poverty, teenage pregnancy, abortion, sexually transmitted diseases, obesity, drug use and crime, as well as economics — high levels of secularity are consistently correlated with positive outcomes in first-world nations. None of the secular advanced democracies suffers from the combined social ills seen here in Christian America.

More than 2,000 years ago, whoever wrote Psalm 14 claimed that atheists were foolish and corrupt, incapable of doing any good. These put-downs have had sticking power. Negative stereotypes of atheists are alive and well. Yet like all stereotypes, they aren’t true — and perhaps they tell us more about those who harbor them than those who are maligned by them. So when the likes of Glenn Beck, Sarah Palin, Bill O’Reilly and Newt Gingrich engage in the politics of division and destruction by maligning atheists, they do so in disregard of reality.

As with other national minority groups, atheism is enjoying rapid growth. Despite the bigotry, the number of American nontheists has tripled as a proportion of the general population since the 1960s. Younger generations’ tolerance for the endless disputes of religion is waning fast. Surveys designed to overcome the understandable reluctance to admit atheism have found that as many as 60 million Americans — a fifth of the population — are not believers. Our nonreligious compatriots should be accorded the same respect as other minorities.

Gregory Paul is an independent researcher in sociology and evolution. Phil Zuckerman, a professor of sociology at Pitzer College, is the author of “Society Without God.”

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#1. To: Ferret Mike (#0)

Probably because of the fact that they are evil in gods eye. So if God thinks they are evil then it must be ok.

A K A Stone  posted on  2011-04-30   6:52:58 ET  Reply   Trace   Private Reply  


#2. To: A K A Stone (#1)

That is your opinion, not that of an alleged diety.

The First Amendment allows for freedom of religion, and this also protects people to be free from any religion.

"It's okay to be Takei."

Ferret Mike  posted on  2011-04-30   6:59:45 ET  Reply   Trace   Private Reply  


#3. To: A K A Stone (#1)

Thomas Jefferson would also play a large role in the development of American religious liberty, and its extension to atheists. When Jefferson campaigned for President in 1800, his political opponents focused a great deal of attention on his religious beliefs. Jefferson was not an atheist, but he had very liberal views for the time. He was a deist; he believed in a naturalistic God who did not intervene directly in human affairs. Jefferson even composed a version of the Bible that excluded all references to miracles, the virgin birth, the divinity of Jesus, and the resurrection. Jefferson's political opponents routinely alleged that Jefferson was an atheist, and Jefferson's religious views were a focal point of political attacks on him. One set of slogans used by Jefferson's opponents in the presidential election of 1800 urged voters to choose "God -and a Religious President... [or] Jefferson, and no God."14 Another opponent, who was also a Dutch Reformed minister, issued a pamphlet in which he argued, "On account of his disbelief in the Holy Scriptures, and his attempts to discredit them, [Jefferson] ought to be rejected from the Presidency."15

Jefferson won the presidency despite these attacks, and while serving as President he made several efforts to enshrine his views of religious liberty in the law. Unlike other Presidents, Jefferson steadfastly refused to issue religious proclamations or proclaim official days of prayer or thanksgiving. His most famous pronouncement on the subject of religion and government was contained in a letter sent to the Danbury, Connecticut, Baptists, in which Jefferson argued that the Constitution had built "a wall of separation between Church and State."16 Almost a century later, the Supreme Court would write that this statement "may be accepted almost as an authoritative declaration of the scope and effect of the [First] amendment."17

It seems clear that the two major figures in the development of the American constitutional guarantees of religious freedom intended to create a secular government, which neither advanced religion nor discriminated against it. Under such a regime, atheists would be granted full political rights and allowed to participate in public life on equal terms with religious believers. But in contrast to Jefferson's and Madison's detailed theoretical approach to the issue of religious liberty, the country continued to be divided along religious lines. It is telling that Jefferson's political opponents believed that it would be an effective political tactic to assert that Jefferson was an atheist. These attacks indicate that a substantial part of the American political constituency viewed atheism as a disqualification for political office. These attacks also indicate the depth of feeling among members of the religious majority in the United States during the early years of the country's existence, and reveal how reluctant the religious majority was to concede political power to those outside the religious fold. These debates have not yet abated.

http://www.skeptic.ca/Athesists_&_Freedom_From_Religion.htm

When the Constitution was ratified in 1788, six of the original thirteen states had some form of religious establishment.

These state establishments usually were in the form of mandatory tithes. Citizens were required to pay a mandatory religious tax, which the state would collect and then forward to religious organizations.

Do you think people should be taxed that way which would unfairly force the non- religious to support organizations they have no stake in?

"It's okay to be Takei."

Ferret Mike  posted on  2011-04-30   7:14:32 ET  Reply   Trace   Private Reply  


#4. To: Ferret Mike (#3)

Do you think people should be taxed that way which would unfairly force the non- religious to support organizations they have no stake in?

Only if the state holds their elections in a Church.

A K A Stone  posted on  2011-04-30   7:18:20 ET  Reply   Trace   Private Reply  


#5. To: A K A Stone (#1)

People have a right when being administered an oath to exclude the "so help me God" or mention of their Deity in it.

For example, whenever I raised my right hand to be sworn in to bind me to a military enlistment contract, I felt it inappropriate to bring the Goddess into it, so I exercised my right to just say, "So help me" at the finish of the oath.

The Constitution protects minorities against the whims and caprice of majority entities. That is the point of having a bill of rights and the rest of the Constitution.

I have atheist friends, and by and large many of them are charming, honest and very intelligent people. Some of them can quote the Bible better than many Christian can and were once of that particular faith.

To say they are evil just because they don't believe in a Deity is a thumbing of your nose at the right to one's free will to either belong to a faith or not to.

"It's okay to be Takei."

Ferret Mike  posted on  2011-04-30   7:24:44 ET  Reply   Trace   Private Reply  


#6. To: A K A Stone (#4)

"Only if the state holds their elections in a Church."

The church would be providing a venue for the state to conduct an election. They would not be running or controlling this function of government.

Years ago, when my group was new, we were told we could not use the public room at the branch of a bank like anyone else who signed up to use it as some Christians had complained about Wicca practitioners exercising their freedom of religion and right to freely assemble and form association with others.

We sued and won based on our constitutional rights to use a public access room. It was ruled we were being unfairly discriminated against.

Many places serve as precinct polling venues. If a bank with room did so, would you also believe that bank would have a right to collect a tax for being an entity that provided access to space to conduct a small portion of a local, state or federal election day vote?

"It's okay to be Takei."

Ferret Mike  posted on  2011-04-30   7:32:59 ET  Reply   Trace   Private Reply  


#7. To: Ferret Mike (#0)

Younger generations’ tolerance for the endless disputes of religion is waning fast.

Oooops, wrong thread....

"I love the 45 caliber M1911, I respect the 9MM M9 Beretta but I only carry a CZ for my own personal protection". Quote courtesy of Lt Col John Dean Cooper, recognized as the Father of Modern Handgunning (_*_)

CZ82  posted on  2011-04-30   8:00:43 ET  Reply   Trace   Private Reply  


#8. To: Ferret Mike, *Religious History and Issues*, *Hypocrisy and Hypocrites*, *Politics and Politicians* (#0)

Mike,this is one of the most biased hit pieces I have ever seen. It is fully as prejudiced and one-sided as anything I have ever seen written by the thumpers about non-believers.

It's just one more effort by the One Worlder left to make THEIR religion (leftism) the one,true faith while attempting to make non-thinkers believe that conservatives are religious loons.

In other words "MY religion (communism) is the one true religion,and YOUR religion that worships a God instead of the Brotherhood of Man is for backwards rubes!"

The mirror image of what it decries.

"I adore John McCain, support him 100 percent and will do everything I can to support his reelection. As everyone knows, I was honored and proud to run with him. And Todd and I were with him in D.C. just a week ago." (Sarah Palin,Dec 2009) ************************************ DID Palin say or write these things or not? (Me) I don't know or F ing care. (Mad Dog posted on 2009-12-26 16:36:33 ET,post # 105 http://libertysflame.com/cgi-bin/readart.cgi?ArtNum=5510&Disp=114#C114)

sneakypete  posted on  2011-04-30   9:34:49 ET  Reply   Trace   Private Reply  


#9. To: Ferret Mike (#0)

people are just upset that we atheists don't believe in silly, medieval pagan rituals,

star wars has much better characters and storyline then the silly stories in the bible, koran, etc and other religious documents.

calcon  posted on  2011-04-30   10:17:38 ET  Reply   Trace   Private Reply  


#10. To: Ferret Mike, A K A Stone (#2)

That is your opinion, not that of an alleged diety.

Psalm 14 (King James Version)

1The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.

2The LORD looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God.

3They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one.

4Have all the workers of iniquity no knowledge? who eat up my people as they eat bread, and call not upon the LORD.

5There were they in great fear: for God is in the generation of the righteous.

6Ye have shamed the counsel of the poor, because the LORD is his refuge.

7Oh that the salvation of Israel were come out of Zion! when the LORD bringeth back the captivity of his people, Jacob shall rejoice, and Israel shall be glad.


"We (government) need to do a lot less, a lot sooner" ~Ron Paul

I recall a re-run of MASH I saw where this uber right winger named Colonel Flagg...
Godwinson posted on 2011-02-23 11:47:32 ET
http://libertysflame.com/cgi-bin/readart.cgi?ArtNum=18011&Disp=46#C46

Hondo68  posted on  2011-04-30   10:47:34 ET  Reply   Trace   Private Reply  


#11. To: Ferret Mike (#0)

I'm a Christian, albeit not a very good one. However, I would vote for a small government believing atheist candidate before I would vote for an evangelical, taliborn-again fundinut candidate. Any group of people that warps Scripture to the point that they turn Jesus into a God of war and the United States into the righteous hand of God created to protect Israel should not be taken seriously, much less given power of any sort. They should be ridiculed and laughed at.

Fibr Dog  posted on  2011-04-30   11:48:54 ET  Reply   Trace   Private Reply  


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