If Pastor Rob Bell represents an interesting new trend in religion (see the previous post), what about those who have managed to get past religion and accept the fact that there is no god(s) and that religion tends to destructively encourage people to believe in the unbelievable? What about atheists?
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.
Actually, I've never had anyone flee in horror when I've told them I'm an atheist, except two dear old Jehovah's Witnesses who appeared at my door to convert me. That was a blessing.
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.
And we all know why, too. Deep, deep down inside they suspect we're right, and that scares the b'Jebus outa' them!
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.
In other words were kinda' liberal, that other group that is hated and loudly denounced by the sanctimonious. The bottom line is that we don't give in to our darker natures, probably because we don't attend Sunday services led by jerks who know that telling people it's okay to give in to their feelings of hate and greed makes them want to give very generously to the messenger.
And hey, get this:
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.
Now for the real good news:
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.
So if you are one of the 60 million who have rejected the craziness of religion, might I suggest a visit to the Freedom From Religion Foundation website here. Consider joining - they have a great newsletter. It even comes in the mail with no visible identification on the outside if you are worried about what the neighbors think.
--Trakker
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