Is it difficult to be an atheist in the USA today?

Question

For the record I am not American, I am Irish. I just have the impression that in the current climate it must be an atheist in the USA today.

Any insight would be greatly appreciated.

Answer 1

I think it's difficult to be an atheist no matter where you live. Especially since it is much harder to disprove the existence of God rather than prove His existence.

Answer 2

Snide remarks, segregation, and this insitant little nack of people believing that my soul needs saving.
However I have my education, facts, and arguments in good order. So more often then not a religious condemor ends up running back to their pastor with their tail between their legs.
The only hard part is the fact that though no religious individual can out match me in a fair argument they do tend to travel in groups which once again leads to being ostrisized. But the church didn't really do anything for me when I was with them and they are doing less now that I'm not.
One the other hand, I personally am smarter, more confident, and more aware of my actions and decisions as now the only person I have to blame or praise is myself.

Answer 3

It is always difficult to be anything that the majority is not. Unfortunately in the US today anyone who is not a member of the Christian right is considered an Atheist. There are many, many other religions out there that are not even considered religions but cults or part of the occult. This is unfortunate because they are all people too. It is horrible to be branded.

Answer 4

No, not at all. We're just bombarded by more religious fervor than before.

The thing is, though, that the religious folk still say the exact same things in the exact same ways and still expect everyone to believe as they do.

They just don't get the concept of having and exercising the choice to NOT believe. For the record, though, well over half of the USA does NOT agree with our illustrious "leader" and we are all tired of what he's doing to us.

Answer 5

I am also an Englishman in the US, but living in New York which has a large proportion of those of Jewish background who not only are generally less aggressive in their religious posturing than the Christian right but also generally more secular anyway.

So here in NYC no, in the fly-over states I hate to think...

Answer 6

Is it difficult to be an atheist in the USA today?


No, in fact, it's very easy to go out and get a good education.

Answer 7

As long as you keep your mouth shut you get left alone. But you don;t dare let the truth slip or else within a day you'll be buried in Chick tracts, Awake! magazines, church flyers, and worse...all in an effort to "save" you from an imaginary illness they invented in the first place.

Answer 8

It's not that difficult. I'm an Englishman in the US. I get by but you have to hear about religion a lot and just try to keep your mouth closed about it.

Answer 9

Let's see... I was very nearly fired from one job for it, I have to put up with a Christian preaching to me at my current job and no lawyer will touch the case because my employment contract states they can release me at "ANY" time, for "ANY" reason, including "NO" reason at all (I get my year in here and can put it on my resume, I'm soooooo gone). I have had a gun put to my face by a fanatic and asked, "Belive in god now?!"

Yeah, it is. Especially so in the south-central and south-eastern parts of the country known as the "Bible Belt".

Answer 10

Journalist: Can an atheist be a good american?
G.W. Bush: No.

Imagine that a European president or M.P says something like that. I can not imagine such sectarism in Europe.