Atheists more hated than gays in America?

[Foosinho]

http://www.ur.umn.edu/FMPro?-db=releases&-lay=web&-format=umnnewsreleases/releasesdetail.html&ID=2816&-Find

From a telephone sampling of more than 2,000 households, university researchers found that Americans rate atheists below Muslims, recent immigrants, gays and lesbians and other minority groups in “sharing their vision of American society.” Atheists are also the minority group most Americans are least willing to allow their children to marry.

Even though atheists are few in number, not formally organized and relatively hard to publicly identify, they are seen as a threat to the American way of life by a large portion of the American public. “Atheists, who account for about 3 percent of the U.S. population, offer a glaring exception to the rule of increasing social tolerance over the last 30 years,” says Penny Edgell, associate sociology professor and the study’s lead researcher.

Edgell also argues that today’s atheists play the role that Catholics, Jews and communists have played in the past—they offer a symbolic moral boundary to membership in American society. “It seems most Americans believe that diversity is fine, as long as every one shares a common ‘core’ of values that make them trustworthy—and in America, that ‘core’ has historically been religious,” says Edgell. Many of the study’s respondents associated atheism with an array of moral indiscretions ranging from criminal behavior to rampant materialism and cultural elitism.

However, look at the percentages of regious and secular people who support torture:

http://ncronline.org/NCR_Online/archives2/2006a/032406/032406h.htm

That's 41% of secular people who think torture is NEVER justified, but only 26% of Catholics agree with that.

This is stunning to me.

[bojendyk]

It's pretty amazing that, even though we represent only 3% of the entire, population, we can consume all of that pornography, gangster rap, and violent video games and still find time to be materialists and cultural elitists.

While everyone else is in church, we're jerking off to Hustler using $30 organic hand cream, with Blue Velvet playing in the background.

[Pathogen]

A study like this almost makes me want to be an avowed athiest just to be a dick. I know I freaked my wife's shit out when I told her that I questioned and continue to question the existense of God. She thinks I'm going to hell, but she still loves me. Ah religion. Innit great.

[Ombak]

Damn... being white, fair skinned, light-haired, middle-class, I thought I'd never be a member of a "hated" minority...

... woo-hoo!

:rolleyes:

At least my prospects for marriage are still ok since 2 of my last 3 girlfriends were not American.

[Chicago1871]

Religion and fear make such a lovely couple, don't you think?

[Chicago1871]

It's funny, as I read the following comment I can't help but think of my own moral structure.
“It seems most Americans believe that diversity is fine, as long as every one shares a common ‘core’ of values that make them trustworthy—and in America, that ‘core’ has historically been religious,” says Edgell.
I was raised a Catholic, and currently am an agnostic. That however, hasn't stopped me from finding Commandments 5-10 quite reasonable and worth following. Frankly, as I think back, I never obeyed 5-10 (never was that big on 1-4) because God told me I should, I obeyed 5-10 because society told me they were right. That will raise the inevitable debate of social mores vs. religious mores and their overlap, but I'm not diving into that just yet. What it comes down to is that you don't need religion to be moral.
Many of the study’s respondents associated atheism with an array of moral indiscretions ranging from criminal behavior to rampant materialism and cultural elitism.
This is straight ignorance.

[StrikerCW]

I am not an athiest, more of a questioner in the mould of agnostism. But this is ridiculous to me. Organized religion is, at best, just a way to get your morals straight. People should be able to know right from wrong on their own. And, for the most part, I would say this is true even for those without religion. Those with religion are much less so IMO.

[eneste]

Many of the study’s respondents associated atheism with an array of moral indiscretions ranging from criminal behavior to rampant materialism and cultural elitism.

http://www.abarnett.demon.co.uk/atheism/crimechart.html

Well, they might be wrong about criminal behavior considering that this study says that only around 0.1% of prisoners are atheists (although I'd probably just say whatever religion would cause the least trouble). As for cultural elitism though, atheists probably give as good as they get.

[Val1]

I have to wonder if the poll got the questions right. I certainly travel in similar circles as the AIDS-is-God's-Punishment-to-Gays crowd, but there is no way that Atheists are feared or hated or scorned. Mostly ignored. What's the makeup of the people who "hate" atheists?

[Foosinho]

I have to wonder if the poll got the questions right. I certainly travel in similar circles as the AIDS-is-God's-Punishment-to-Gays crowd, but there is no way that Atheists are feared or hated or scorned. Mostly ignored. What's the makeup of the people who "hate" atheists?
I think you should specifically ask people. George H.W. Bush had this to say:
I don't know that atheists should be considered as citizens, nor should they be considered patriots. This is one nation under God.
That's pretty consistent with the study findings.

[Chicago1871]

That's pretty consistent with the study findings.
And futher proof that he's a ******** head. Yes, I said "******** head."

[dj43]

It's pretty amazing that, even though we represent only 3% of the entire, population, we can consume all of that pornography, gangster rap, and violent video games and still find time to be materialists and cultural elitists.

While everyone else is in church, we're jerking off to Hustler using $30 organic hand cream, with Blue Velvet playing in the background.

Atheists are VERY industrious people. Lots more energy than deists. ;)

Just kidding, of COURSE.

[dj43]

Many of the study’s respondents associated atheism with an array of moral indiscretions ranging from criminal behavior to rampant materialism and cultural elitism

[QUOTE]This is straight ignorance.

Agreed.

This attitude shows the extreme superficiality of many people. It is the intellectual equivalent of blaming "the church" for all of the deaths in the Middle Ages.

[Riz]

Actually, I believe that if you combined atheists and progressive religious and spiritual people, you'd find that they outnumber conservative religious people by a wide margin.

It's not about about who is better than who or who hates who, it's about reclaiming that part of the media that wants the only voices to be spoonfed to the population to be the voices of extremist conservative religious people and their leaders.

In not so elegant terms... ******** that noise.

</rant>

[Pathogen]

[QUOTE=Chicago1871]
Many of the study’s respondents associated atheism with an array of moral indiscretions ranging from criminal behavior to rampant materialism and cultural elitism



Agreed.

This attitude shows the extreme superficiality of many people. It is the intellectual equivalent of blaming "the church" for all of the deaths in the Middle Ages.
Right. They also had plagues in the middle ages.

[dj43]

I am not an athiest, more of a questioner in the mould of agnostism. But this is ridiculous to me. Organized religion is, at best, just a way to get your morals straight. People should be able to know right from wrong on their own. And, for the most part, I would say this is true even for those without religion. Those with religion are much less so IMO.

Organized religion is just dogma. The real question is one of an absolute value for right and wrong, good and bad.

A religion per se, cannot set an absolute standard of behavior since different religions have differing opinions on some certain particular behavior. One religion approves but another does not. This dichotomy cannot help one establish a moral code. If the behavior is wrong on an absolute basis, it is not wrong because a group of people decided it was wrong. This type of thinking would only lead to moral anarchy and unending disputes. Therefore, the sense of morality must not come from religious dogma.

But I would agree with you that people should know right from wrong, on their own, and I think most do. And, since there are many people who we might agree are quite moral, who do behave in a moral way, without regular attendance at church, I believe it is clear that we all share an understanding of a moral code, a law of right and wrong behavior, that supersedes dogma.

[dj43]

Actually, I believe that if you combined atheists and progressive religious and spiritual people, you'd find that they outnumber conservative religious people by a wide margin.

It's not about about who is better than who or who hates who, it's about reclaiming that part of the media that wants the only voices to be spoonfed to the population to be the voices of extremist conservative religious people and their leaders.

In not so elegant terms... ******** that noise.

</rant>
Extremism on either side is not useful.

I have a question. What in your definition, is a "progressive" religious person?

[Riz]

Extremism on either side is not useful.

I have a question. What in your definition, is a "progressive" religious person?

Yet it is the extremists on the conservative side of religion which get the entire spectrum of media outlets as their own personal pulpits. Please point to an extremist from the liberal side of the religious which has a consistent media presence of, say, a Reverend James Dobson.

And please don't make me search back through the threads in here, man... we've already had this conversation on what defines a progressive religious person, iirc.

[Chicago1871]

Yet it is the extremists on the conservative side of religion which get the entire spectrum of media outlets as their own personal pulpits. Please point to an extremist from the liberal side of the religious which has a consistent media presence of, say, a Reverend James Dobson.
When he wants to be, Michael Newdow is out there pretty prominently.

[Dolemite]

Eneste's sig sums all this up pretty nicely.