| Atheism & Discrimination | |
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By J. Eric Harrington, Guest Writer
Often when the words "discrimination" and "prejudice" are mentioned, people tend to think of the problems of race relations, the way homosexual people are treated in many soceties, or even the problems facing people with physical or mental handicaps.
While these are all well-known manifestations of the problem, few people appear to realize that atheists face these problems as well. Many people who demur from religion often live lives of separation from the mainstream, as my experiences illustrate. As you will see, there are ways to react to the problem of religious discrimination, subtle though it is.
Growing up in North Carolina during the 60's and 70's, one would probably expect that I would not have been the target of discrimination. After all, I was a male with pretty much entirely European ancestry. If my racial makeup had been the only issue, it would not have happened. However, I was born into an atheist family, and this changed the situation.
As a small child, I only went to church once. I only dimly remember that day, but my older sister tells me that I didn't like the experience and was not interested in returning. Over those years, I missed out on opportunities to learn many of the social skills that the common church experience gave to my neighbors.
Thus, I entered school as a rather awkward child, socially speaking. I was not much used to the company of other children, and I was unable to relate to a part of the lives of other children where they received much of their social exposure before entering school.
This difference between me and my peers was sometimes marked by conflicts over the subject of religion. I recall some instances where neighborhood kids gathered together for play, and made a point of excluding me on the basis of my atheist status. This didn't happen all the time, but it did happen once in a while. I certainly recall a feeling of loneliness over the fact that I was the only child around that didn't "belong" in that sense.
In addition, there was the prejudice. When I was in junior high school, I would often get into "discussions" with my classmates, hearing all sorts of things they "just knew" I believed. I was called a devil worshipper on a few occasions (by those who apparently thought if you don't worship God, you worship Satan by default). I had no shortage of fellow students who could tell me what I believed, without bothering to talk with me, once word got around that I was an atheist. The thing that bothered me the most about such people was that I couldn't convince them that what they thought they knew about me was wrong. One person even gave me the paranoid line "That's just what I'd expect an atheist to say!"
Next page > The
Other Side of Prejudice
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