I had an atheist friend of mine argue that atheists are faced with discrimination daily because of God being in the money, public places, etc., and the only way to make things right would be to take God out of everything.
I'd like to think the Civil Rights movement was a whole different beast altogether...
2007-12-06 02:51:52 · 43 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
jmattie: and your Thetan level is...
2007-12-06 02:58:57 · update #1
That is an excellent question. I do believe there are a great many similarities.
Is having "One Nation Under God" in the pledge and "In God We Trust" on our money really that much different than signs that say "Whites Only" or "No Coloreds Allowed"? Is the president saying he "doesn't know that atheists should be considered citizens. This is one nation under God" really much different than Governor Wallace blocking the door of an Alabama school?
We are in the minority. Our heroes are villified (Michael Newdow, Madeline Murray-O'Hare, Richard Dawkins). Our rights are routinely violated without a second thought. Hate speech against us is readily accepted in the mainstream. Workplace descrimination and harassment is commonplace.
Yeah, I think our struggles are equal.
2007-12-06 04:03:11 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 1⤋
Absolutely not! I believe that black people encountered far more persecution than we are experiencing. I just believe that it's a difficult challenge but one that will easily be overcome since so many people and now admitting publicly that they do not believe in God.
I would, however, point out that Atheists can not buy some products on the Sabbath, which is absurd, some states don't allow Atheists to testify in court and some states don't allow Atheists to serve public office. Also, president Bush Sr. said that he didn't even consider Atheists U.S. Citizen.
That's pretty much where the similarities end though. :-)
2007-12-06 03:40:32 · answer #2 · answered by clint 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Its very different, buy this man a book on the civil rights movement. Although it might be a good idea for christians to use money we have now a days and Atheists can use godless money, but its totally opposite of the civil rights movement where people wanted to be treated equally.
2007-12-06 02:59:29 · answer #3 · answered by Gizmo3 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I would think this question would be very insulting to the brave people who stood up to society in the civil rights movement, fighting for rights denied them because of their skin color. We do not have to tell anyone we're atheists for one thing, and I could care less if "God" is on our money; that's the history of our country. But put simply, I have never feared for my life because I didn't want to sit at the back of the bus. Tell your friend he's worried about a non-issue!
2007-12-06 03:01:42 · answer #4 · answered by rpayne1_2000 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
No. Not even close. The discrimination atheists face is rather minor, especially when compared to things like lynching.
The worst form of discrimination against atheists (at least that I can think of) is that several states have laws that prevent atheists from holding office. While this is certainly discriminatory, the institutionalized discrimination of atheists in today's society is not as severe as that of non-whites prior to the 1960s.
2007-12-06 04:47:20 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
Uh... I don't feel the struggle that your friend is experiencing maybe because when I realized that I was an atheist I know what being an atheist would bring. This was my choice and I accept that people who believe in a God will always try to impose their beliefs on me and I don't blame them. I just smile back at them and say, "Yeah, right..."
2007-12-06 03:03:50 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Get serious. No one has any way of knowing your beliefs or the lack thereof unless you rub their nose in it. We all have things in the general culture we don't agree with, but we play along to some degree. Live and let live.
Even if you don't believe yourself, you have to admit the historical contributions of your ancestors who did. Its entirely legitimate to honor those contributions, because they made us what we are today. Stripping every mention of a deity out of everything is creating a state religion just as surely as putting the Pope or an Imam in charge. Anyone remember Marx? Lenin? Mao?
2007-12-06 03:06:29 · answer #7 · answered by silverbullet 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No, I don't wear my atheism as a layer of skin. So, people don't know I'm an atheist until they talk to me about religious crap. Atheists still have the same rights as everyone else last time I checked, so there is no comparison to the civil rights movement.
2007-12-06 02:57:04 · answer #8 · answered by ibushido 4 · 4⤊ 0⤋
Not at all. The civil rights issue was much more severe in nature. There may be some similarities, but its a different scale altogether.
2007-12-06 02:59:03 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
I'm not really struggling. Would I like for in god we trust to not be on our money? Sure. Can I live with it on there? Yes. Some people whine and cry about the little things way too much. It takes the focus off the bigger picture.
2007-12-06 02:56:52 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋