why are atheist looked down upon?

Question

If I say I am an atheist people get the idea I am some kind of wierdo? why? I am freethinking and stepping outside the box. I must base my ideas on the evidence presented and not something force upon me. Atheist in america are being discriminated against, lost jobs, kicked out of school just for saying hey I am atheist and I have a mind and want to use it.
I never heard of an atheist going door to door trying to spread the word! or an atheist attacking other religions with violence to convert them. We must acknowledge this idea of atheism and give the people the equal right to believe in it or to not.

Answer 1

To some degree we are feared, and therefore vilified.
Wouldn't want our rational thought to wear off on any of their children.

Answer 2

Partly, reason and logic can be 'pushed' aside when you belong to the 'faith' club: preach the gospel one way but act another, no problem, got faith; religion based upon a mish-mash of ideas, some of which don't even fit together, or change at the whim of some 'human', no problem, got faith; ideas so wonky one would hurt their brain trying to make sense of it all, no problem, just a test of faith...

And when you have 'faith' in the idea that you are 'right' (and there isn't a religion out there that doesn't begin from that premise) then the 'fact' of your faith trumps the 'fact' of whatever anyone else believes, because you are 'right' and they, therefore, must be 'wrong'.

Even atheism is a 'belief' system that starts from the premise that 'what we believe is right', and since the main idea of faith and truth and whatnot stems from the premise that 'two, or more, people can't both be right', then someone, or alot of someones, or even everyone, must be wrong.

As for going 'door to door', everyone pushes their faith on everyone else in some way. Whether you state your views door to door, or in public, or even on the internet, you are still pushing your way into the public's eye to make way for what you believe. And it's sad but true but the oppressed can easily become the oppressor, which means that no belief, not even Atheism, cannot behave and/or be taught nobly and or cravingly.

Seeing 'atheism' as being different than other religions is to make the same mistakes that they do, since all of those other religions were the 'other' at one point too. Just because you are persecuted or singled-out against doesn't mean you can't eventually become the thing you fought against.

Answer 3

"evidence presented"??? actually students are not being kicked out of schools for claiming to be atheist in America. it is Christians that are being kicked out.
"We must acknowledge this idea of atheism and give the people the equal right to believe in it or to not"????
yes today a teacher could legally teach a class on atheism but could go to prison for teaching a class on Christianity.
I don't know of any single person that is forced to be a christian, while them may be forced by parents to attend church this does not make a person a christian. just as being forced to attend school does not mean you will learn.
"I never heard of an atheist going door to door trying to spread the word!" No they just go to court to impose their belief or lack of on every one. and with liberal judges the minority is ruling the majority.

maybe you should check your evidence and the presenters.

Answer 4

As tentofield suggests. Only in America.

In the rest of the world there are plenty of atheists and it's no big thing. Somehow in the US religion is taken too seriously. It's either 'no, you can't teach that!' or 'what do you mean, you don't believe'?

Here in Britain we teach children in school about all types of religion. We have a Christian Prime Minister. But atheists are readily accepted. Because we have a secular society.

It seems to me there's an uneasy mix in the US where a supposedly secular society is openly dominated by one school of religion. Odd.
.

Answer 5

You live in the wrong country. Come to Australia, no-one cares if you are atheist. We have had at least two atheist prime ministers in the last 30 years and it didn't bother anyone. It is the religious ones who are of concern as the various religions try to influence them.

If you have religious freedom. you are free to have no religion at all. The USA guarantees religious freedom in the First Amendment but so many people do not practice it. We have no guaranteed religious freedom in Australia but we have far more in practice than you do in the USA.

Answer 6

I dont look down upon atheists. I am a biology major and i know many many atheists.

i tend to beleive in something greater than myself though I never was raised in a church. So i guess that makes me an agnostic but I was an atheist for years.

atheism is a religion to some tho and can have all the dogmatic crap the church has. hence I like to feel that i am unclassified.

Answer 7

Every Atheist I know in real life is a genuine, hard-working person who simply goes about life without the need for religious practices. Online, however, most fundamentalists feel that because of our "lack" of religion, they have the right to slander us for not believing in their god, and how our souls will rot in hell if we don't shape up. The fact that they have a computer monitor to hide behind doesn't make it any better, either.

Answer 8

They do have the right to believe it. And they have the same right to sue for prejudical hiring.

What you seem to be arguing for is the right to state what you want without people answering you against it.

It's been decades since anyone has sided with the person prejudiced against anyone. The public has clearly come out on the side of equality due to my party and the cooperation of the others. You have equal rights. They have an equal right to their religious beliefs.

Are you really unaware of the present push to suppress religion? I'm not religious, but my head's not that hidden somewhere else. I think you have this backwards, but regardless, if you know anyone who has lost their job or position in school over atheism, let me know. I'll make a mint on the law suit.

Phound shared a great clip with me on atheists who are treated poorly. I have to admit that I thought the number of atheists in the country was MUCH higher than 1-3%.

It is difficult to prove bigotry, especially in these situations, and harassment by neighbors is even harder to prove. Thank goodness for digital video!

The video mentioned that militant atheists often give atheism a bad name (sound familiar my religious friends?) and it would behoove us not to join the bigoted because someone on the other side of an issue, someone bigoted, can't see beyond their bigotry to the person they are arguing with. Let's NOT join them, and even respond to them,...

"...you are not the only Atheist. I have met others who are credits to their beliefs. You do not speak for them."

"...you are not the only Christian. I have met others who are credits to their beliefs. You do not speak for them."

"...you are not the only follower of Islam. I have met others who are credits to their beliefs. You do not speak for them."

I see all of you out there, and only hope that you see your self clearly in the midst of your ideologies rather than being unable to tell the difference between the two, in others, or worse...

...in yourselves.

Answer 9

yea, it is real sad. when i was working at some retirement home, my co-workers started talking about religion. And me, my cousin, and my cousin's friend were agnostic/semi-agnostic, meaning, we believe there is a god, but are not sure about an afterlife. Anyways, when she said she wasnt sure there was an afterlife, my other coworkers, mainly one very spiritual girl berated her with questions, as if she was some weird and unusual person. And i could never forget the faces they made. throughout the whole conversation, it seemed like my co-worker (agnostic) was trying to prove herself to the others. Which is completely horrible.

Answer 10

I am not against athiests for their beliefs....but I do come across a lot of athiests who carry on like I am some sort of loser with no intelligence whatsoever due to my strong faith in God.

And that gives me the shits....which is why I don't tend to like most of the athiests I know (as most I have met come across as intellectually arrogant).

But the discrimination you speak of is terrible! I am glad Australia is not like that! I would never judge you for your beliefs!!

Answer 11

im a christian, but id say that if atheists are losing jobs and being discriminated against and kicked out of school, their rights are being violated. im not too sure that's true, but if it is, there's a problem.