Hey there forum dwellers! Suppose I should introduce myself...I'm RealityPixie, and I'm an atheist. Don't stress, I'm not here to troll or annoy anyone, I just have a couple questions to ask and then I'll be on my way.
Anyway...
I live in a pretty secular society (Australia) where a huge portion of the population doesn't consider themselves to be religious, so my atheism has never gotten me into trouble. However I currently have the opportunity to study as an exchange student in the USA. I'm a fairly, erm, 'alternative' person so was thinking San Fransisco. I know the US is a pretty religious place, and I've heard from sources that admitting atheism can get you into all sorts of trouble. Is this true? Keep in mind I'm a pretty outspoken atheist, but I'm hardly the kind to walk around handing out copies of 'Evolution of the species' spouting Dawkins quotes.
So I suppose what I'm asking is, for those of you in the US (and especially in California/San Fran), how do you feel about atheists? And what is the religious climate in that general area?
Hey there forum dwellers! Suppose I should introduce myself...I'm RealityPixie, and I'm an atheist. Don't stress, I'm not here to troll or annoy anyone, I just have a couple questions to ask and then I'll be on my way.
Anyway...
I live in a pretty secular society (Australia) where a huge portion of the population doesn't consider themselves to be religious, so my atheism has never gotten me into trouble. However I currently have the opportunity to study as an exchange student in the USA. I'm a fairly, erm, 'alternative' person so was thinking San Fransisco. I know the US is a pretty religious place, and I've heard from sources that admitting atheism can get you into all sorts of trouble. Is this true? Keep in mind I'm a pretty outspoken atheist, but I'm hardly the kind to walk around handing out copies of 'Evolution of the species' spouting Dawkins quotes.
So I suppose what I'm asking is, for those of you in the US (and especially in California/San Fran), how do you feel about atheists? And what is the religious climate in that general area?
Cheers;
RP
Hi RealityPixie. I hope you aren't "on your way" too soon.
Different parts of the U.S. are different. I was born and raised in New England where one really can't assume anything about anyone -- religiously speaking. My wife grew up along the west coast and had a similar experience in that respect. However, she was a pastor in the American South (south-east, geographically) for a few years and she thinks of that as a significant cross-cultural experience in part because eyebrows would be raised if one weren't a Baptist (a certain set of Protestant Christian denominations). So it's different in different places. There isn't a single American culture.
I think in California nobody will give you a hard time about anything. One side of my family is predominantly atheist and a number of them live out there (in the Los Angeles and San Diego vicinity).
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Originally Posted by RealityPixie
Hey there forum dwellers! Suppose I should introduce myself...I'm RealityPixie, and I'm an atheist. Don't stress, I'm not here to troll or annoy anyone, I just have a couple questions to ask and then I'll be on my way.
Anyway...
I live in a pretty secular society (Australia) where a huge portion of the population doesn't consider themselves to be religious, so my atheism has never gotten me into trouble. However I currently have the opportunity to study as an exchange student in the USA. I'm a fairly, erm, 'alternative' person so was thinking San Fransisco. I know the US is a pretty religious place, and I've heard from sources that admitting atheism can get you into all sorts of trouble. Is this true? Keep in mind I'm a pretty outspoken atheist, but I'm hardly the kind to walk around handing out copies of 'Evolution of the species' spouting Dawkins quotes.
So I suppose what I'm asking is, for those of you in the US (and especially in California/San Fran), how do you feel about atheists? And what is the religious climate in that general area?
Cheers;
RP
Unless you're planning on visiting the Bible Belt, you should be fine. I've visited America loads of times, don't stress, there's loads of atheists there, especially in the urban areas.
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Before Alamein we never had a victory. After Alamein we never had a defeat.
Winston Churchill on British victory over Nazi Germany at the Battle of El Alamein, 1942
Crime and ghettos define much of urban sprawl America (from small towns to big cities) a land of burned out town centers, overextended sprawl of highways, redundant shopping complexes, farmland & forests being devoured by real estate scam artists, an economy in freefall since it is based on consumption & devoid of production (thanks to phoney "green" ideologues). Religious "fundie Christian meanies" are about as real as Super Mario (there is more to fear from road rage than anything).
Last edited by Lukaris; 4th November 2009 at 03:26 PM.
Crime and ghettos define much of urban sprawl America (from small towns to big cities) a land of burned out town centers, overextended sprawl of highways, redundant shopping complexes, farmland & forests being devoured by real estate scam artists, an economy in freefall since it is based on consumption & devoid of production (thanks to phoney "green" ideologues). Religious "fundie Christian meanies" are about as real as Super Mario (there is more to fear from road rage than anything).
Sounds like Australia only instead of a freefall economy, a slowing one. I only ask because I've heard that atheists are the least trusted minority group in the US, and have heard a few horror stories about people losing their jobs, being looked down upon, etc. Actually, last year my folks took a road trip along the East coat, apparently at a truck stop while mum was in the loo dad started reading his 'God Delusion' book, was spotted by some guy and was verbally abused. They also warned me about the angry drivers so I'm prepared for that haha.
Hey there forum dwellers! Suppose I should introduce myself...I'm RealityPixie, and I'm an atheist. Don't stress, I'm not here to troll or annoy anyone, I just have a couple questions to ask and then I'll be on my way.
Anyway...
I live in a pretty secular society (Australia) where a huge portion of the population doesn't consider themselves to be religious, so my atheism has never gotten me into trouble. However I currently have the opportunity to study as an exchange student in the USA. I'm a fairly, erm, 'alternative' person so was thinking San Fransisco. I know the US is a pretty religious place, and I've heard from sources that admitting atheism can get you into all sorts of trouble. Is this true? Keep in mind I'm a pretty outspoken atheist, but I'm hardly the kind to walk around handing out copies of 'Evolution of the species' spouting Dawkins quotes.
So I suppose what I'm asking is, for those of you in the US (and especially in California/San Fran), how do you feel about atheists? And what is the religious climate in that general area?
Cheers;
RP
I live in Texas and here christians just pray for atheists to find that there is a real God, he sent his son Jesus to die for eveyone's sins. God loves you and we should too. If they don't, they are not a true christians. I feel no shame in being from the "bible belt". Can't answer for the rest.
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Hey there forum dwellers! Suppose I should introduce myself...I'm RealityPixie, and I'm an atheist. Don't stress, I'm not here to troll or annoy anyone, I just have a couple questions to ask and then I'll be on my way.
Anyway...
I live in a pretty secular society (Australia) where a huge portion of the population doesn't consider themselves to be religious, so my atheism has never gotten me into trouble. However I currently have the opportunity to study as an exchange student in the USA. I'm a fairly, erm, 'alternative' person so was thinking San Fransisco. I know the US is a pretty religious place, and I've heard from sources that admitting atheism can get you into all sorts of trouble. Is this true? Keep in mind I'm a pretty outspoken atheist, but I'm hardly the kind to walk around handing out copies of 'Evolution of the species' spouting Dawkins quotes.
So I suppose what I'm asking is, for those of you in the US (and especially in California/San Fran), how do you feel about atheists? And what is the religious climate in that general area?
Cheers;
RP
There really is very little demographic difference between the US and Australia in terms of believers.
US is about 75% who call themselves Christian... Australia about 66% (according to wikipedia demographics article, adding up the figures).
Personally, I have zero problem with atheists, or anyone of any other religion, and am a big believer in freedom of religion. I do defend myself when atheists or others try and impose on me stereotypes they have of Christians.
Invariably, I find people are wrong about me in that regards.
You have to realize the propaganda effect of the media, politics, and such. People who like to make divisions and have enemies have a "us vs them" attitude. So, they make every opportunity to find isolated cases and blow them up, to create non-existent trends, or to attribute unusual behavior as absolute.
People do this same thinking with countless things. Paranoia is a good example. People hear of some grisly accident or disease that is very rare and unlikely to happen to them and can come to delusional opinions from that. Or, people can get into the habit of thinking a place they are at temporarily is "always" that way, when it is just temporary and "right now".
The trick, I think, in life is to take things as they come and approach everyone and everything as something potentially new and not known... as opposed to thinking everything is known.
Knowing something simply means the strange is thought to be familiar.
In this very assumption we can sap the strange from our lives by our own perceptions and end up in a very dry, dull existence.
US is about 75% who call themselves Christian... Australia about 66% (according to wikipedia demographics article, adding up the figures).
Yeah I'd agree, but there is a big difference between the different types of xtian, ranging from extremely liberal to hardline conservative. The majority of xtians I know are liberals, and over here if you believe in creation that's considered extreme. Even the xtains will look at you a bit wonky if you are of the view that the bible is complete truth, and that's here in WA, haha (WA is basically considered the 'conservative backwards rural' state). I suppose from what I've seen and heard, in America they tend to lean more towards the conservative lean, and that a huge number believed in creation (again, can cite but can't be pooped looking up reference or exact % right now. Let me know if you want it.)
I do get what you are saying about the media and stereotypes and all that, which was why I chose to jump on here and ask you guys yourselves. I've heard so many mixed things from 'seriously, no body cares if you arn't in the south' to 'seriously, don't tell anyone you're an atheist or you'll get lynched'....kinda felt the need to wade through the stereotype and media hype and get to the bottom of it all..
I just wanted to say that although my post was tinged with much cynicism I spoke in truth. My point was (& I realize you know this already) was to be more concerned about secular crime & not fear Christians since they are most likely to help than hurt. I love my nation but also have much sadness over certain conditions in it. Regarding the landscape, I would also like to mention that despite some degredation there is still much beauty to take in. For ex., within a short drive from where I live in Pennsylvania in the Northeast USA, there is a state park like this: Ricketts Glen State Park - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia So just imagine what you would see like in the Colorado Rockies for example. I hope you are blessed with a wonderful experience here. God bless.
Last edited by Lukaris; 5th November 2009 at 11:31 AM.
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