Have you ever been discriminated against because of your religion?

Question

I'm not talking about someone making a mean comment towards you online. I mean, the real deal ... someone causing you personal grief in your real life due to your beliefs?

Answer 1

When I first moved in with my husband. A Pagan in a Conservative Christian area makes for tense neighbors. =) I wasn't beat up, threatened (besides the normal "You're going to hell")... but they definitely made it hard to go to the store. lol And I still get Jesus videos put on my front porch, along with Christian tracts. It was surprising really... this town isn't that small, but it seems damn near everyone in my immediate neighborhood knows I'm Pagan. lol

And, we had one incident with the public school system over my son wearing a Pagan symbol, claiming that gangs use those symbols. Yet, census shows that it's the Christian Cross which is used the most, as far as religious symbols. So, of course, I made sure the local schools knew this. Nothing else was said about my son wearing a Pagan symbol.

It sucks when it's happening. But looking back, I'm glad it did happen. At least I didn't get friendly with these people and then have them slam me. They were up front about being assholes.

Answer 2

Yes, when I was a missionary for the Mormon church, we had firecrackers thrown at us, more than once while walking down the street, people would act like they were trying to run us down with their car. And I'm a girl! People would lean out the window and yell things out, but we just kept on going and didn't care. Doors slammed in our faces constantly, sometimes so loud and hard and unexpected that it would make us fall back a step. We even had a lady that said she was a witch say she was going to cast a spell or curse on us, i can't remember which, it's been 7 years ago but we weren't even knocking on her door, just walking by. She had to of spotted us out her window walking by. But none of that stuff bothered me or made me sad. It actually made me feel like what I was doing was even more the right thing.

Answer 3

Yes. As a matter of fact, I'm on a police watch list for "possible occult criminal activity" because I wrote a book about Daemonolatry and am a vocal pagan in my community. I know I'm on this list because my sister attended a citizen's academy and they had a seminar on "occult crime" and the woman running the seminar pulled my sister aside afterward and asked her if she was related to me (citing my book). And, everytime the "occult practices" and crime map comes out in the local paper, they have an occult practices symbol in the location where I'm residing. I'm not kidding.

Answer 4

Sure. I made the mistake of telling everyone in High School that I was an atheist. I was an outcast for the last two years.

I don't make it a point to tell people anymore.

Answer 5

confident BQ: it variety of feels to me like multiple people, mutually as they might say they belong to a definite faith, do no longer truly have self assurance in it and think of that is stupid for people to truly do what the Bible says. BQ2: i'm a Messianic Gentile (no longer Jewish) BQ3: multiple the discriminating is completed by utilising atheists who in simple terms ought to make exciting of everyone who believes in God, and think of they're plenty smarter than anybody else by way of fact they reject Him. Even some Christians by way of fact i've got desperate to bypass the Messianic way.

Answer 6

atheists are not allowed in the boy scouts. not joking.

"Boy Scouts of America believes that no member can grow into the best kind of citizen without recognizing an obligation to God"

-copy pasted from the boy scout membership policy.
they will kick you out if they find out, gays as well are not allowed.

Answer 7

Yes. I almost got fired from a job because of it. When a manager saw me read a Wiccan book at break, I got all kinds of grief.

Answer 8

Yes! As a child my mother raised me Mormon, and the kids at school would literally make my life a living hell. They didnt understand that I was just a normal kid, (who didnt like the Mormon church) and so they thought me weird and strange. I was the butt of jokes, but I was also physically assulted behind it. Kids can be soooo mean!

Answer 9

Caused personal grief? Yes, at work, at home (by family members), and even in my previous marriage (part of the reason it ended).

Answer 10

...or lack of religion? The answer would be yes, but I'm smart enough to keep my mouth shut when I know it'll cause me trouble. Things shouldn't be that way. Not in 2007, not in a "free" country.