The rise of atheism in America. (Article)

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http://news.yahoo.com/rise-atheism-amer ... 00315.html

I have not given the article a proper read yet, but I thought I would share it.

I do wonder however why atheists are still considered a distrusted minority.

Thoughts and opinions anyone?

I have always wondered the same thing I may be a theist but I do not distrust atheists at all but I find it strange that so many people do I guess because so many world dictators where atheists and that makes them all look bad by. Association just like how funides make all theists look bab by association as well.

Just as we don't like the middle east, there has also been a negative stigma around secular places like Europe where religion is fully absent in public life and there are so few identifying religious people. Both the middle east and europe have that aura of suspicion surrounding it to a sizable portion of those who are judeo-christian.

Whether it is warranted or legitimate is another question, but a theocracy that doesn't value liberty and religious tolerance, and a secular country are not futures that the religious want for this country.

Religion is viewed by many americans as the basis of our culture. So they distrust people who are completely secular because they seem them as refusing to conform to societies values.

The United States was founded by people who were so religious that they preferred to move to a different continent rather than change their beliefs. I'm not claiming that genetics are involved, but of course there will be a lingering effect from such a beginning.



As the image shows, it's not so much the "rise of atheism" as it is the "fall of the unusually high degree of non-atheism".

No, specifically Judeo-Christian religion. They don't have the same views about Islam, and view Islam as very anti-American because of the unfree practices of its practitioners. So they distrust the Muslim and Muslim states because of that. They distrust the secular because of the kind of society it creates. A good example is Berkeley, San Francisco, Portland, Manhattan, etc. They look at it and they become even more convinced that there is a struggle, and that they must stand up to these god-less places. They view that these places are the way that they are because of their god-less-ness. Just as America has always looked at the world, and what it perceived as "dysfunctionalness" or the crappy way it was, and made the assumption that their lack of Democracy is the root of it all.

I used to believe the generally popular notion that atheists have no morals. I have since come to realize that morals and ethics do not require any gods.

Demonization of atheists originated in the pulpits, I would assume. The same lies repeated by the vast majority to the impressionable young person is part of the problem.

Also, when I grew up, the cold war against Communism made many assume that atheists were evil using the flawed logic that:
1 Communists are evil
2 Communists are atheists
3 Therefore atheists are evil.

Anyone who understands logic easily sees the flaw in logic here, but the cold war did contribute to the mistrust. The few nutball "Satan Worshipers" also get conflated with atheists using this type of flawed logic.

The problem should start to diminish as more atheists (especially public figures) come out of the closet. Once people see a lack of horns, the mistrust of atheists should grow smaller. The internet will also help. If this poll were taken during the Cold War, I would bet the mistrust here in the US would have been almost universal.

In England the reverse is becoming more true. People trust those with religious beliefs less and less. There is an interesting article today in the Telegraph about "discrimination against Christians":

Click here for the Telegraph Article

One part of the article made me cringe:



So a registrar who happens to also be a Christian is complaining to the European court of human rights about not being allowed to discriminate against gay people by refusing to do the public duty he was paid to do!

No wonder Christians are "being vilified" - their bigotry is doing a wonderful ongoing job of making them look bad!

In my experience in the UK, anyone mentioning religious beliefs at their workplace is generally likely to be marginalised and thought of as weird, a bigot or of dodgy character - especially if they are a member of groups such as the Jehovah's witnesses or Mormons. I gather the opposite is true in America.

Anyway, churches are closing every week in the UK with fewer and fewer people attending. The only time most people in the UK visit a church is for weddings and funerals and that is more a matter of tradition than belief. Christianity is dying out - thank God!

In a peaceful world this would probably be for the best. Unfortunately losing touch with religion ill prepares the British folk to deal with ueber religious types, particularly the Muslims who have no scruples about imposing there way of thinking and feeling on other people, even by deadly means or other kinds of force. The British must learn to deal with martyrs and religious crackpots without compromising their own liberty.

In the U.S. we must guard against allowing religion to enter the domain of governance and public policy. One of the first steps is to change the constitution so that the oaths of office are by affirmation only. No invoking deities allowed. Ditto for oaths of truth telling in court and other legal procedures. Affirmation only, which is just as binding as a religious oath.

ruveyn

This is a common Christian meme, but it's just plain wrong. Atheists tend to be extremely wary of Muslims, even more than Christians are. Pat Condell and Richard Dawkins are two of the most anti-Islam figures in the world today, whereas the heads of the Anglican and Catholic churches have both called for understanding and tolerance when it comes to Islam.

You have to remember that Christians have a situation of Mutually Assured Destruction when it comes to criticising Islam. Most fundamental criticisms of Islam can be very easily repurposed as criticisms of Christianity.

Tolerating zits and pimples leads to a bad complexion.

ruveyn

I'm afraid I agree with you somewhat. Islam is on the increase in the UK along with pockets of Islamic law (Sharia) in regions with a high Muslim population, though this is largely confined to civil matters such as divorce arrangements (which may be forced onto wives by their husbands to their detriment). At least many of the kids growing up in Muslim families regard Islam as irrelevant to their lives as do many of the kids growing up in Christian families. The main problem like you say is with the fundamentalists and also those people who are too politically correct and bend over backwards to incorporate Islamic beliefs into daily British life - this manifests in lots of small things, like no food being made available during council meetings during Ramadan so as not to "offend" the 5% of Muslim councillors. Religion should have no place in governance at any level.

Good point! People think of these violations of the separation of church and state as being of no importance,. I disagree with that. Every time people see this happen, the unspoken assertion is made that the existence of "God" goes without saying. No wonder believers think that the burden of proof is on the atheist.

Theyve done many studies.

Its been shown that most americans would prefer an openly lesbian black woman as president to a straight white man as president - if that straight white man were publically atheist.

Why is that?

Probably many assume that an atheist doesnt fear punishment in the afterlife so he cant be trusted.

Though religion is still a big force in eastern europe it has practically vanished from western europe.
Politicians in western europe wait until they leave office to announce that theyve gotten religion ( like Tony Blair) in stark contrast to American politicians who pretend to be pious christians in order to get elected (like ronald reagan).

I guess west europeans have gotten the memorandum that atheists can be moral.

Those of us in western Europe increasingly see believers (Christians and Muslims) as the immoral ones with all their bigotry and hatred.

Is it really all bigotry and hatred in the UK. I went to a ministry training weekend where our teachers were a homosexual chaplain and a US lesbian priest. Yes this was the Church of England. The chaplain brought his male partner along for good measure. In one exercise we had to role play being the Parish Church Council and decide if we were going to allow a homosexual vicar with a live in partner. The organiser of that weekend is now a bishop.