Are Atheists Less Likely to be Racist and Discriminatory Towards Others?

Question

I personally think so, but am interested in hearing other people's opionions

I mean almost ever organized religon condems homosexuality, so isn't it a given that there will be some people of that faith that discriminate/hate homosexuals just because their religon tells them too

Fundamentalism in any religon is dangerous, but in some religons people refrain from even associating themselves with anyone who is not of their religon.

I personally am an atheist, and just feel that other atheists are just more accepting of other people and don't judge people as harsely as religous types....

But I could be wrong.....

Any thoughts?

Thanks in advance for any responses.

Answer 1

Oddly, every atheist and non Christian I have ever met has been more open minded.

It is sad that the religion that was called to embrace the most kinds of people (and really does) is filled with hateful people..myself included at times, when dealing with racists.

Well, I am still a Christian because when you have the privelege of meeting a REAL one, living in total victory, it is something to behold indeed.

Answer 2

First of all, Less discrimanatory in contrast to whom?
A spiritual person?? One who believes in Jesus Christ? Whom?
I believe they are more likey to be racist and discriminatory than a true follower of Christ, who taught to treat others as you would want to be treated because we are all created equally.
If I were an atheist, than I would believe that we are here by chance and therefore survival of the fittest is the most important concept in my life.
So if you are of a different race than what I consider the strongest/smartest I wouldn't want to be associated with you. Also I was an atheist than why would I care what I do, only consequences are from society.

I will admit...I have met some extremely nice atheists. I don't truly believe anyone is an atheist either. I think people just claim that because they don't have to think about God, or they are mad at God.

However I am not an atheist and I think we are all equal.

Answer 3

Not all atheists are less racist and discriminatory, some are even more as they felt they are the superior colour. I had seen some atheists who think so.

However, religions does not make one less racist and discriminatory either. Especially one that accepts slavery and discrimination towards women. Some members of some religions I know accepted they are slaves to some god/gods, but at the same time, they felt since they are slaves to some god/gods, they are more superior then those who are not slaves to THEIR god/gods, and all others, including animals should be of lower class then them.

So, all in all racism and discriminatory are in build to a person, god/godlike religion such as Christianity, Islam, Certain perversion of Communism (ok, communism is atheist in nature, but some perversion view themselves as "gods" and therefore will more likely be classified under godlike then true atheist. True atheist do not have a doctrine to follow) and others just makes the inherited traits more obvious.

I do hope my view is impartial.

Answer 4

atheists are just as likely as anyone else to be or not be racist or discriminatory towards others. atheism is just the lack of belief in God or a supernatural being that created things. that doesn't change the way people feel about other things such as race, sexuality, or even religion. in fact atheists are more likely to be discriminatory towards people of religion than anything else (of course). i think it really depends on the person. as an atheist, it seems only religious beliefs are affected and not the societal issues. so it really all depends on the person. yes religious people can be harsh...but then again so can non-religious people. it's all based on your environment and experiences. i mean, that's how people became atheist in the first place right?

Answer 5

I think a lot of overly zealous people try to skew the doctrine of their religion to try and rationalize their behavior towards others...a lot of the time the way they act is not actually in accordance with the religion they claim to follow. On the other hand, I think atheists tend to overlook the good faith in a higher power does, whether they agree with that faith or not. There would be a lot of very misguided people in the world without some kind of moral compass to guide them.
You really only need to be ignorant and afraid of something that is different to be racist...religion doesn't necessarily have a hand in that.

Answer 6

No you are right. As an atheist we know what its like to be ostracized from main stream America and we can have empathy for those others. We are more tolerant of other cultures and life styles. After all it's their life and does not effect us. Religions teach that anybody who is different then you is evil and are being controlled by Satan. I see it with the stupid questions that so called christians post here everyday.

Answer 7

In the particular case you talk about this seems to be true, but in general I'm not so sure. Looking at another example in the news, most of France is pretty secular, but that doesn't stop it from treating the North African immigrants pretty badly. I guess anytime you feel fervent loyalty to something, whether it be to religion (as in the case you mentioned), a national ideal (as with France), or something else, you allow for the possibility of discriminating against people who disagree with you.

Answer 8

There is no doubt in my mind that in GENERAL, Atheists are less judgemental than, say, Christians. Therefore, they are less inclined to be racist or discriminatory against other groups of people, such as gays. This is all generally speaking of course. I'm sure there are some racist, homophobic Atheists out there.

Answer 9

In general atheists are less judgmental, but I know plenty of atheists who hate and discriminate against homosexuals but thats just one example. Atheists are less likely to judge a drug addict

Answer 10

Atheists may be but many aren't. The true Christian should be accepting of all. We like the person, but hate sin. We aren't perfect, and are obligated to relate the truth as we know it so one can decide for themselves. I may not agree, but I can respect.