Forum Discussion: Shoot All Atheists?
Wednesday July 2, 2008
The presence of more hostility towards and distrust of atheists than any other minority in America is fairly well known by now. What might not be so well known is the fact that naked hostility and aggression towards atheists is not limited to just those places where we find large numbers of conservative or fundamentalist believers. Even relatively liberal places can reveal an undercurrent of hostility which would make revealing your atheism a risky proposition.
The other people my age [17] hold a very low opinion of atheism in general. I managed to sneak atheism in as a topic to write on in an essay assignment (thankfully, I remained anonymous) and some of the responses to its revealing surprised me. I always imagined this city was decently liberal, but I heard a LOT of "all atheists should be shot," "atheists have no place in the world," and other such things that I'm fearful to reveal myself to ANYONE now.
This city is NOT a conservative retreat, not run by religious fanatics, and there's STILL a loathing of atheists here.
What are things like for atheists in your city or region — have you ever been afraid to reveal your disbelief in gods or are you able to be relatively open and honest about it? What should young people do when they disbelieve in gods but must live in religious households and/or go to school where no one really respects atheism? Should they keep quiet, try to educate others, or what? Add your thoughts to the comments here or join the discussion in the forum.
Comments
I think it depends on the person and the situation. This is not an easy thing to deal with.
Some people sue the school district when they are discriminated against because of their atheism. Other people don’t have the stomach for that and just want to get through their school years and get out of there. Usually, when one complains to the authorities, the complainer becomes the problem. Many people don’t want to deal with that.
If such a student lives in a fairly large city, I would recommend they turn to any local freethought group for advice and support. In a small town, I would say, keep a low profile unless you’re willing to invite a heap of trouble.
I say what I think because others don’t. Somebody has to stand up against the blockheads - religious or not.
People will talk all kinds of smack when they feel they can do so with impunity. Take one of those people and put them in a room full of atheists, i doubt they’d be so brave. Ask them to start a petition to have a law that makes it OK to shoot atheists and they’d likely say that they didn’t mean it literally. You could put a loaded gun in his hand and say “I’m an atheist…”, and they’d probably recoil at the proposition.
Be afraid though, when many such people gather. It takes only one charismatic nutjob to turn them into a army.
Frankly, while I agree that there is a lot of hostility towards atheists, especially in the USA, I can’t go as far as to say that there is more distrust and hostility towards atheists than any other minority. Hatred towards women is more generalized (if often more benign). Hatred towards blacks and Muslims is more intense (though limited to certain crowds in particular). If you see both the proportion of people who hate and the intensity of the hate as axis, it’s possible that atheists in general cover more total area on that grid, but I’m not convinced.
More people would vote for a woman, Muslim, or African-American for president than for an atheist. More people would object if their child dated or married an atheist than a Muslim or African-American. These are facts, repeatedly demonstrated over and over through surveys over many decades.
Even in 1958, the number of people who would refuse to vote for an atheist for president was higher than the number who would vote for a black person. This was the time of Jim Crow, with massive amounts of official bigotry and discrimination towards blacks. There is no question that blacks were treated worse than atheists at the time — but with more people willing to vote for a black person than for an atheist for president, it’s hard not to conclude that there was still more underlying animus towards and distrust of atheists.
Despite how bigoted people were towards blacks, atheists were still less likely to be thought of as sharing one’s values.
I certainly don’t run down the streets proclaiming that I highly doubt the existence of God. But I do not hide my questioning attitude from the people and conversations around me every day.
I would say that it is important for people to stand up, not belligerently or rudely, but stand up nonetheless for what they believe in. However, I am far from my religious childhood home and I am from a much more liberal country - Canada (and even area of the country - Toronto).
When I was a wee lass, I could not stand up against some of the illogical things I was taught. I was only able to reconcile them by saying that God’s organization was run by men.
But in retrospect I feel like, I could have made an impact, I could have stood up and said something, not given into the fear and then control.
We all stand up in our own way, in whatever way we are able.
I’d been using the Buddhist angle for years until I got advanced enough in years I didn’t give a flying rat’s %$#@ what anyone cared or didn’t care about my naturalistic worldview. I discovered that, for some reason, when you tell a fundamentalist/evangelical Christian you’re a Buddhist it stops them dead in their tracks. They don’t know how to respond, even where to start, but tell them you’re an atheist, well, get ready for the barrage!
I’ve said it before here. In Australia, isolated pockets of the ignorant excepted, Nobody gives a stuff what you are. With our leaders having been professed, Atheist/Agnostic/Jew/Christians without the sky,or economy collapsing.
Maybe it wasn’t always this way. I can remember the consternation I caused when marrying at the “Registrar’s Office in Brisbane, over fifty years ago when I said I would make an “Affirmation.” They had to search for the forms. Nowadays it is very common, and civil ceremonies are at least as common as “Churched” couples.
Fifty years ago Protestants and Catholics would stand outside the oppositions buildings whilst their friends were inside being married. Today it has totally changed and would you believe the sky didn’t fall???
tomedgar@halenet.com.au
The easy way out? Say nothing. Sometimes you have to do that.
Unfortunately, that does nothing to address or solve the problem. Every situation is different, and any atheist with a spine needs to stand up in some situations. Each time someone does so makes the next time easier, and also that little bit less necessary.
All atheists need to understand how homophobia is currently being reduced and overcome in western societies: by unapologetic affirmation.
If atheists want to see any improvement, they have to be open with who and what they are.
I live in British Columbia, statistically the least religious part of North America. I get dirty looks for some of my comments and some of my t-shirts, but my comments are always polite, and always in response to the presumptive or ignorant comments of others. I don’t push my views in person like I do on the internet.
Harm reduction for religious bigotry takes several steps. First, making theists aware of the atheist alternative. Second, giving them statistics on atheism to replace their perceptions, or propaganda they may be receiving. Third, modelling a polite, positive, ethical lifestyle, to counter their misconceptions, or propaganda they may be receiving. Fourth, start asking them indirect questions which may help them question how they arrive at opinions.
In order to reduce bigotry to atheists, you need to be on friendly terms with a theist BEFORE you mention or discuss atheism; otherwise, they will dismiss and/or demonise you. But if they already have a working or social relationship, and like you for other reasons, they are in a personal conflict. They must continue the positive relationship, or accept that they are bigoted towards others.
We can all only change the opionions, a little bit, among our immediate social circle. But every little bit helps!