Is Neo-Atheism The Way to Go? [Poll]

[gumpzilla]

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I know you'll laugh when I give these particular examples... but my wife and I watch Trading Spouses and Wifeswap semi-regularly. They've had several shows where an atheist or person with 'alternative beliefs' swaps with a very religious family. When the atheist or New Age wife goes to the religious community, she is almost always treated with scorn.

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Yes, television shows looking to maximize drama and looking for maximum conflict are a good place to look for examples of this phenomenon. It's also not like the religious aren't treated with scorn and derision by the atheists; witness the Internet.

[kurto]

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I know you'll laugh when I give these particular examples... but my wife and I watch Trading Spouses and Wifeswap semi-regularly. They've had several shows where an atheist or person with 'alternative beliefs' swaps with a very religious family. When the atheist or New Age wife goes to the religious community, she is almost always treated with scorn.

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Yes, television shows looking to maximize drama and looking for maximum conflict are a good place to look for examples of this phenomenon. It's also not like the religious aren't treated with scorn and derision by the atheists; witness the Internet.

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Hey, I admitted it wasn't the best example. That being said, I don't think comparing that to an internet forum is the same thing. The internet is one of the few places where people can speak and not worry about repercussions.

Atheists are the minority. It is perfectly okay for a politician to say Atheists are unamerican. Was that politican attacked for that? Hell no. Can you imagine a politician speaking out against the religious?

I have agreed that there are some atheists who treat the religious rudely. But they are so few in numbers. And they mainly can only do so ON the internet. In many parts of the country to admit you're an atheist is an invitation to be rejected by your community. And again... the atheists are a tiny minority.

I think you're comparing Apples and Oranges.

I'm being repetitive but... its very telling about the society when public figures can demean a group (be it a race or a belief system) and know it will be accepted. If politicians can denounce atheists with no backlash, that's a reflection of the standing atheists have in that community.

[madnak]

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I'm being repetitive but... its very telling about the society when public figures can demean a group (be it a race or a belief system) and know it will be accepted. If politicians can denounce atheists with no backlash, that's a reflection of the standing atheists have in that community.

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This is a big issue.

I think you're missing the fact that location matters, gump. Here in New York I can call myself an atheist and nobody much cares. In Cedar City, UT some people freaked or behaved with hostility toward me. And Cedar is hardly the worst place in the US, hell, Evanston is probably worse. The deep Bible belt? I might get my ass beat for it.

But even here in NYC nobody seems to care much that Bush said atheists shouldn't be citizens, or that opinion polls show atheists are reviled in many areas. And most people even here trust religious people more than nonreligious people, and trust atheists least of all.

Is it real persecution? Nah, not here. But gays aren't really persecuted here either, nor are blacks. Yet around here people are hypersensitive to any kind of perceived prejudice toward those minorities, while they don't much care about atheists. Hell, I've been lectured for disrespecting Scientologists here, but atheism? There's a double standard.

And it's not the matter of choice, even if we assume belief is choice. People are much more upset when there's any prejudice related to religious belief systems. The hidden assumption is clear.

Of course, this is all the more reason not to mock religious people.