Prejudice against atheists needs to end.

[BeginnerOnAPath]

Atheists are the most distrusted minority in America. (http://www.ur.umn.edu/FMPro?-db=rel...ewsreleases/releasesdetail.html&ID=2816&-Find)

I hope that everyone here agrees that the situation described in the link above is intolerable and unjust. Atheists share the same morals and values as everyone else, because morals and values are not bound to belief in supernatural entities. That's a message that needs to be heard, loudly and repeatedly.

 

[very_irreverand_Bill]

Atheists are the most distrusted minority in America. (http://www.ur.umn.edu/FMPro?-db=rel...ewsreleases/releasesdetail.html&ID=2816&-Find)

I hope that everyone here agrees that the situation described in the link above is intolerable and unjust. Atheists share the same morals and values as everyone else, because morals and values are not bound to belief in supernatural entities. That's a message that needs to be heard, loudly and repeatedly.

A-fricken- Men.

In Reason:
Irrev.Bill

 

[iano]

I love Canada!

 

[français]

wow.. i never knew that atheists were America's most untrusted minority. that's very interesting, considering how many of our youth are atheist.

there was a poll that i saw recently that showed that 42% of American teens are atheist. so i'm sure that predjudice against atheists will one day die out

 

[Ramona]

Seriously. People go on and on about how we are evil and morally bankrupt, but I just don't see it that way. I don't do good deeds for society out of fear of Hell, or desire to go to Heaven. I don't judge a person's morality based on what he or she does or does not worship. I've seen theists ask nontheists what incentives they have to be good to others if we don't worship any particular deity. I once heard this guy at a political conference I went to ask, and I quote, "If there's no G-d, what's stopping you from throwing babies into the street?" To him I say: If the only thing stopping you from throwing babies into the street is fear of divine retribution, please seek counseling.

 

[français]

"If there's no G-d, what's stopping you from throwing babies into the street?" To him I say: If the only thing stopping you from throwing babies into the street is fear of divine retribution, please seek counseling.

lol great comeback!

 

[InTheCloud]

I always thougth that the problem is in the end one of politics. Atheists in the past have been looked as political extremists. There are conservative atheists, centrists atheists, liberal atheists, but the ones often getting the most publicity often are libertarian objetivists (who often are perceived as superselfish, as someone who leans libertarian, I beg to differ), communists and socialists (who often are perceived as worshiping the state instead of a supernatural God, just read Nieztche) or just selfish amorals like many people from the sex industry or the entertaimient industry. The fact that the most outspoken ateists often come from those areas and the media seems to seek them, often have hurt the image of atheists. Another fact that also hurt is that atheists often seems to be antireligion unlike agnostics (who in most cases are defacto atheists) who are also non religious but are more willing to acomodate someone else religious beliefs. Morality is implicit in human nature, but religion often plays a socially stabilizing factor on morality, creating a common standard, which can be good and bad depending of the situation.
By being so strongly antireligion some atheists (lets call this type of atheist antitheists) they are perceived as moral subversives, not reformers.

 

[Secundulus]

Atheists are the most distrusted minority in America. (http://www.ur.umn.edu/FMPro?-db=rel...ewsreleases/releasesdetail.html&ID=2816&-Find)

I hope that everyone here agrees that the situation described in the link above is intolerable and unjust. Atheists share the same morals and values as everyone else, because morals and values are not bound to belief in supernatural entities. That's a message that needs to be heard, loudly and repeatedly.

Maybe its because some of you spend so much effort telling everyone else how stupid and backwards they are.

 

[BeginnerOnAPath]

Maybe its because some of you spend so much effort telling everyone else how stupid and backwards they are.

Why are you defending prejudice?

 

[Secundulus]

Why are you defending prejudice?

I'm not defending it. I am simply telling you why it is there. Nobody likes to be told they are stupid. When someone makes it a point to deliberately tell the majority that they are stupid and backwards it should come as no surprise that other people don't like them

 

[BeginnerOnAPath]

I'm not defending it. I am simply telling you why it is there. Nobody likes to be told they are stupid. When someone makes it a point to deliberately tell the majority that they are stupid and backwards it should come as no surprise that other people don't like them

To me, it looks like you are justifying it. It looks as though you are saying "you bring this on yourselves, maybe you all ought to sit down and shut up." Otherwise known as "blaming the victim."

 

[Secundulus]

To me, it looks like you are justifying it. It looks as though you are saying "you bring this on yourselves, maybe you all ought to sit down and shut up." Otherwise known as "blaming the victim."

Well, what it looks like to you is wrong. Unless someone is discriminating against you, then you have nothing to complain about. If you want people to like and trust you, then spend a little less time insulting them.

 

[BeginnerOnAPath]

Well, what it looks like to you is wrong. Unless someone is discriminating against you, then you have nothing to complain about. If you want people to like and trust you, then spend a little less time insulting them.

I nearly lost the woman I love when I deconverted from Christianity, and if I try to run for office, I will have to conceal the fact that I am a Humanist, or else I will have no chance of getting elected. Among other things, those are the fruits of prejudice.

You don't know anything about how I spend my time, but because I'm a Humanist, I must spend my time insulting believers? There's a word for that kind of stereotyping, and it's prejudice. This is exactly what I am talking about.

 

[Secundulus]

You don't know anything about how I spend my time, but because I'm a Humanist, I must spend my time insulting believers? There's a word for that kind of stereotyping, and it's prejudice. This is exactly what I am talking about.

Go back to what I first wrote - "some of you spend". I wasn't speaking of you personally.

Stereotyping is a fact of human existence. If you can't realize that then you will have a hard life.

Discrimination, on the other hand is against the law. But that's not what we a were talking about, is it?

If it is, then post some evidence.

 

[BeginnerOnAPath]

Go back to what I first wrote - "some of you spend". I wasn't speaking of you personally.

Stereotyping is a fact of human existence. If you can't realize that then you will have a hard life.

Discrimination, on the other hand is against the law. But that's not what we a were talking about, is it?

If it is, then post some evidence.

The story of Charles Smalkowski: http://atheism.about.com/b/a/257793.htm

 

[arunma]

Atheists are the most distrusted minority in America. (http://www.ur.umn.edu/FMPro?-db=rel...ewsreleases/releasesdetail.html&ID=2816&-Find)

I hope that everyone here agrees that the situation described in the link above is intolerable and unjust. Atheists share the same morals and values as everyone else, because morals and values are not bound to belief in supernatural entities. That's a message that needs to be heard, loudly and repeatedly.

I disagree. Prejudice against atheists isn't high enough.

Let's step back for a minute here: since when has it been wrong to discriminate against someone based on the opinions that he expresses? In modern society we have rules against certain forms of discrimination, such as discrimination based on race, gender, and nationality. But all of these things are attributes that are beyond the control of an individual. People do, however, have complete control over what opinions they hold, and (more importantly) how they express them. Indeed we do it all the time. In the workplace, people who make sexual jokes are looked down upon. Arrogant individuals are typically viewed disfavorably. And every time you cast a vote at the polls, you discriminate for or against candidates based on their personal opinions.

Now, there are many atheists against whom I take no issue. But then there's those of you who are loud, obnoxious, offensive, and irreverent. In short: these atheists are annoying There's no moral or legal principle to prohibit discriminating against annoying people. The rest of us aren't asking you to change the color of your skin, your ethnicity, or even your economic class. But if you don't want to be discriminated against, then change your behavior.

 

[Secundulus]

The story of Charles Smalkowski: http://atheism.about.com/b/a/257793.htm

A story from American Atheists is hardly unbiased. But for the sake of argument we can assume the story is completely factual. In this case, I agree with you. This type of discrimination is wrong.

 

[MrLogic]

Atheists are the most distrusted minority in America. (http://www.ur.umn.edu/FMPro?-db=rel...ewsreleases/releasesdetail.html&ID=2816&-Find)

I hope that everyone here agrees that the situation described in the link above is intolerable and unjust. Atheists share the same morals and values as everyone else, because morals and values are not bound to belief in supernatural entities. That's a message that needs to be heard, loudly and repeatedly.

And you know what's the ironic thing? Most of the most intellectual people in the planet are atheists. Were you to take the National Academy of Science and the Royal Society and combine them , and then do a poll on how many are atheist, you'll get about 76% atheist and only about 8% theists. what's left is divided into agnostics and deists.

[quote='Wikipedia.org]According to a study by Paul Bell, published in the Mensa Magazine in 2002, there is an inverse correlation between religiosity and intelligence. Analyzing 43 studies carried out since 1927, Bell found that all but four reported such a connection, and he concluded that "the higher one's intelligence or education level, the less one is likely to be religious or hold 'beliefs' of any kind."[1] A survey referred to in a letter published in Nature in 1998 confirms that belief in a personal God or afterlife is at an all time low among the members of the National Academy of Science, only 7.0% of which believed in a personal God as compared to more than 85% of the US general population.[/quote]

These does not surprise me at all taking in consideration that most atheist are atheist because, well, we actually think. (sorry for saying it but I must be honest)

 

[BeginnerOnAPath]

I disagree. Prejudice against atheists isn't high enough.

Let's step back for a minute here: since when has it been wrong to discriminate against someone based on the opinions that he expresses? In modern society we have rules against certain forms of discrimination, such as discrimination based on race, gender, and nationality. But all of these things are attributes that are beyond the control of an individual. People do, however, have complete control over what opinions they hold, and (more importantly) how they express them. Indeed we do it all the time. In the workplace, people who make sexual jokes are looked down upon. Arrogant individuals are typically viewed disfavorably. And every time you cast a vote at the polls, you discriminate for or against candidates based on their personal opinions.

Now, there are many atheists against whom I take no issue. But then there's those of you who are loud, obnoxious, offensive, and irreverent. In short: these atheists are annoying There's no moral or legal principle to prohibit discriminating against annoying people. The rest of us aren't asking you to change the color of your skin, your ethnicity, or even your economic class. But if you don't want to be discriminated against, then change your behavior.

Religion is a protected category, too. http://www.dol.gov/dol/topic/discrimination/ethnicdisc.htm

As you'll note, the survey I posted a link to said nothing about distrust of "only annoying atheists." It was atheists, period.

I find your call for more prejudice against atheists bizarre, and indicative of your personal character, which appears in a highly unfavorable light. Note that I do not make this judgment on the basis of your Christianity, nor do I make it against all Christians. Just you.

 

[Secundulus]

And you know what's the ironic thing? Most of the most intellectual people in the planet are atheists. Were you to take the National Academy of Science and the Royal Society and combine them , and then do a poll on how many are atheist, you'll get about 76% atheist and only about 8% theists. what's left is divided into agnostics and deists.



These does not surprise me at all taking in consideration that most atheist are atheist because, well, we actually think. (sorry for saying it but I must be honest)

Your post just goes to prove the point I was making. And FWIW I am a Christian with and IQ of around 140 with a degree in Electrical Engineering and an MBA.

So much for your lame theory!