Atheism: Social Bias?

[squeaky 0]

Proclaimed atheists have always suffered from discrimination, social stigma, persecution and many other grave biases throughout many centuries. As you can see, atheism is not just a NEW social bias. Although the social stigma displayed by today's society is undoubtedly very minor compared to the past, it is still quite prominent. (Ancient Greek philosopher Socrates was at one point sentenced to death as he had denied the existence of the Gods'.) In the past, succumbing to the practice of atheism is as serious as committing a crime; whereas today, atheists are viewed as a part of a group of social outcasts. Believe it or not, they are thought to be below such social minorities as Muslims, immigrants, and homosexuals in terms of America's vision of society. According to a recent study held by the University of Minnesota, the survey accounted atheists as the least trusted group of people. In fact, most Americans have negative attitudes toward atheists. Such words that spring to mind in the average American include: "narrow-minded", "Leftists", "Progressives", "shallow", and "Communists". When it comes to politics, half of the population will not vote for an atheist and despise him/her as a whole even though they are more than qualified for the position. In a way, the U.S. constitution and bill of rights have contradicted an imprinted statement. The First Amendment states that an individual has a right to free speech, but if this was to be said by the United States of America, they should have a neutral standing. But as seen in the "pledge of allegiance", on our currency, and many other important elements of U.S. culture, the reference to God is quite apparent. (Phrases such as "In God we Trust", or "Under God".) As a whole, being an atheist or a religious individual should not stir up such tension. As modeled in the U.S. Amendments; each to their own.-Inspired source: Morgan Spurlock's "30 Days".(Squeaky & ghaskleAL)

[Tailson 0]

This social bias discusts me. I am an agnostic. I used to be a theist, but certain events and more importantly, science, has led me to doubt the existence of a greater being. I don't deny the existence of God, I just doubt the possibility. Recently I came across this phrase. May have been in someone's signature on this forum:

It is said energy cannot be created nor destroyed. Yet energy exists. This sounds like God to me!

The same goes for the big bang. They say the entire universe came from an explosion of matter compressed into a pinhead sized ball. Where did that matter come from? And what triggered it?

So many questions that may never, ever be answered.

[truefusion 3]

Recently I came across this phrase. May have been in someone's signature on this forum:

That would be from me. I am amazed you memorized it so perfectly.
[hr=noshade]
Anyways, i'm sure many things can be said about theists also.

Believe it or not, they are thought to be below such social minorities as Muslims...

This part caught my attention the most. I've heard so many things about Muslims that it just seems odd that atheists are thought to be lower than them.

...the U.S. constitution and bill of rights have contradicted an imprinted statement. The First Amendment states that an individual has a right to free speech...

The U.S. seems to be always contradicting the First Amendment. My guess is, they didn't think far enough into "free speech" before they brought it into being. Maybe they meant you don't have to pay to talk? Hmm, imagine if we had to pay to talk.[/hr]

[JasperIk 0]

What i hate, is people think that if you are Atheist you have no morals. Its honestly not that hard to do stuff for YOU not god. I am agnostic [well, i prefer no religion, but my beliefs are closests to that of an agnostic person] because i dont worship god, and doubt his existance, but because I haven't seen him, I cant fully say he does, or does not exist. I dislike the stupid teenagers who say they are Atheist [or um Athiest, as they often mispell] but then talk about about the devil, as if they believe in him. Being Atheist is not believing in anything in christianity. Id vote for an Atheist anyday, you know why? Because then the opinions they have, and the actions they make, aren't from a book its from their brain.

[truefusion 3]

Because then the opinions they have, and the actions they make, aren't from a book its from their brain.

However, they can't go out of bounds of their power. They have to "preserve, protect and defend" the U.S. constitution--which is written; which one might say, it's a book. The law may limit their opinions and actions.

[Avalon 1]

Hmmm... something disturbs me with this thread, in particular, this comment.

This part caught my attention the most. I've heard so many things about Muslims that it just seems odd that atheists are thought to be lower than them.

I am not a Muslim, but if I was, I would find this very offensive. It seems Muslims in general are being judged by the actions of some extreme individuals. While I also dislike what is being done by these extremists, I don't believe these people reflect the opinions of the majority of Muslims. I know a few Muslims and have found them to be as decent as any "Christian", or any other person, I have met.

 

a‧the‧ism  Pronunciation[ey-thee-iz-uhm]

–noun

1. the doctrine or belief that there is no God.

2. disbelief in the existence of a supreme being or beings.

Let's keep this debate on track, and not bring other social biases into it.

 

The fact is, most western civilization is based on a "Christian" upbringing. Therefore, the laws, teachings and philosophy of the civilization is based on the existence of a God. To think otherwise means you are not thinking like the civilization and will naturally be shunned by it. In general, most people can only identify with and accept like minded people. From what I can tell, religion, what ever one that may be, was used to keep the civilization in order. Without this, the civilization cannot be controlled and chaos will reign.

 

While I personally do not believe in a God, I do see the purpose of having such a belief.

[truefusion 3]

I am not a Muslim, but if I was, I would find this very offensive.

I apologize in advance if anyone found what i said offensive. It was not intended to be. I do realise there are many peaceful Muslims out there.

[chopsticky 0]

[hr=noshade]The U.S. seems to be always contradicting the First Amendment. My guess is, they didn't think far enough into "free speech" before they brought it into being. Maybe they meant you don't have to pay to talk? Hmm, imagine if we had to pay to talk.
[/hr]

They probably didn't forsee the U.S. becoming "politically correct" and the majority departing from the belief that there is a God. As a Christian I hold to the belief that God created us equally but I would never consider persecuting someone with a different belief. I would try my hardest to love people to Christ.

[budsu 0]

i think whereever you move the best for you is if you belive in the same religion as most people . Allthu if you belived in something whole life i don't see the point of changing that. atheims is very old and i agree with over 70% with it

[encryptedwrath 0]

Proclaimed atheists have always suffered from discrimination, social stigma, persecution and many other grave biases throughout many centuries. As you can see, atheism is not just a NEW social bias. Although the social stigma displayed by today's society is undoubtedly very minor compared to the past, it is still quite prominent. (Ancient Greek philosopher Socrates was at one point sentenced to death as he had denied the existence of the Gods'.) In the past, succumbing to the practice of atheism is as serious as committing a crime; whereas today, atheists are viewed as a part of a group of social outcasts. Believe it or not, they are thought to be below such social minorities as Muslims, immigrants, and homosexuals in terms of America's vision of society. According to a recent study held by the University of Minnesota, the survey accounted atheists as the least trusted group of people. In fact, most Americans have negative attitudes toward atheists. Such words that spring to mind in the average American include: "narrow-minded", "Leftists", "Progressives", "shallow", and "Communists". When it comes to politics, half of the population will not vote for an atheist and despise him/her as a whole even though they are more than qualified for the position.
In a way, the U.S. constitution and bill of rights have contradicted an imprinted statement. The First Amendment states that an individual has a right to free speech, but if this was to be said by the United States of America, they should have a neutral standing. But as seen in the "pledge of allegiance", on our currency, and many other important elements of U.S. culture, the reference to God is quite apparent. (Phrases such as "In God we Trust", or "Under God".) As a whole, being an atheist or a religious individual should not stir up such tension. As modeled in the U.S. Amendments; each to their own.

-Inspired source: Morgan Spurlock's "30 Days".

(Squeaky & ghaskleAL)

the majority of people in america are slightly religous in some way , even if they don't show it. So atheists in america are at a slight disadvantage , with chruches being at mosts towns and cities . Social bias is because in conversation with soemone even moderately religous , you say something like '' My cousin died , then a bit after I turned atheist'' , then it'll trun hostile and they won't really think as highly of you. Because of it's religous roots , america subtly promotes christianity. They provide nationwide televison services for church annoncements and special events. I was christened a catholic , and I do moderately beleive in god , but not anough to attend service every week or attend every event. A good minority of people are open-minded , so they'll listen and ask questions , not just switch off when atheism is mentioned. I aim to be like one of those people , although sometimes when features about people that I have particular distaste for become quite blatant , I try and end the conversation and leave , If it was really bad I'd talk to somebody about it.

This social bias discusts me. I am an agnostic. I used to be a theist, but certain events and more importantly, science, has led me to doubt the existence of a greater being. I don't deny the existence of God, I just doubt the possibility. Recently I came across this phrase. May have been in someone's signature on this forum:The same goes for the big bang. They say the entire universe came from an explosion of matter compressed into a pinhead sized ball. Where did that matter come from? And what triggered it?

So many questions that may never, ever be answered.

I agree with you. Science can't explain how the matter collected and how the collected matter formed in the first place. Many experiments are taking place to try and simulate it on a similar scale ; maybe that'll provide some answers. I am confused with agnosticism ( sp?) as many answers are left unexplained , while religion has a perfectly justifiable answer for them all , without anyone being able to prove or disprove anything

[Liam_CF 0]

I am atheist, but also agnostic. I lack the knowledge to make a proper judgement on my religion and therefore fall back on atheism. I am sceptical that there is a higher power, but I don't have a clue how anything was created and would like to know. In the future I intend to reasearch this and find something to believe in. I agree with a lot of aspects of many religions. PM me if anyone would like to discuss this further.

[Dagoth Nereviar 0]

I'm atheist for a start. Like a strict one, I believe in logic and science. *Taking that into point I do not believe only in science, we have yet to discover many things we do not know about the universe et cetera. I believe that there is an infinite number of universes (is that the correct plural?) and that space stretches on forever and there are planets/comets/stars right the way up to the edge which doesnt actually exist.* The big questions in science are usually, depending on your own opinion, "if you can't create energy or destroy it then where did it come from". "How did the universe start and how is the singularity possible" and other such things. I believe that thinking that a God or any team of Gods created it all would be taking the easy way out that we humans can comprehend. Someone must have made up religion initially anyway, if they didn't why are there different religions? Why do some passages of the bible contradict each other? There is just nowhere near enough evidence to start assuming there is a God. Debate on the concepts of atheism aside, I think it's wrong for any religion to be discriminated against. Granted it can on occasion if the person is devout enough alter the perceptions of the person but they shouldn't be "below" anyone else. Also I find it pretty retarded that half of americans wouldn't vote for a president because he wasn't a christian. What if it's the wrong religion and everyone ins the USA goes to hell for voting for a blasphemic man D: That would be terrible.

[gaspe86 0]

People one does not become atheist, one is born atheist. That truth is that neither science nor religion can give a solution to the whole dilemma. Where does all come from? Sure the big bang theory is a bit vague... but hey the important one is evolution theory... you can't expect to have miraculously several thousand years ago. What is the church's explanation to the links of human evolution? Guess god is not perfect and those are his prototypes XD

[rayzoredge 2]

There is always going to be some sort of bias towards any other religion other than the majority, since the majority look down upon those that don't conform... especially when those deviants deny and proclaim the non-existence of a deity that is the sole foundation of the majority's beliefs.

 

It's sad to say that the U.S. Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and those principles that we hold near and dear to our hearts in the good 'ol U.S. of A. are pretty much ignored, side-stepped, worked around, and yet be preached again and again as if our own nation is full of hypocrites. For reference purposes:

 

First Amendment: addresses the rights of freedom of religion (prohibiting Congressional establishment of a religion over another religion through Law and protecting the right to free exercise of religion), freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of assembly, and freedom of petition.

The first amendment is a joke now. Look at how we are discussing bias against atheism. Atheism is a religion in its own right. So is science. If you actually define religion, it is a set of beliefs. It doesn't have to deal with a higher power. A religion doesn't have any rules to BE a religion. It's a set of beliefs.

 

All of you that believe in a God, great. Good for you. All of you that don't believe in a God, that's fine too. Awesome. All of you who denounce each other because of their beliefs... and especially if you live in the United States as an American citizen... well, there's really not much to say on your behalf. You have a right to have an opinion as per the first amendment, but to tread on feet and take away the right of having the basic freedoms of speech and religion is wrong, as per the Bill of Rights.

 

Funny now that I think of it that the U.S. is a Christian-dominated nation and that it makes prominent the belief of God's existence, when in all reality, our currency should be neutral, our Pledge of Allegiance should be neutral...

[dre 0]

What is the church's explanation to the links of human evolution? Guess god is not perfect and those are his prototypes XD

Oh I don't know, maybe it's because it's called the Theory of Evolution?