Did you know that ATHEISTS.....?

Question

are more persecuted than almost any other group!!??

A poll taken in 1999 asked people whether they would vote for an otherwise perfectly qualified person as president if they were....

a woman (95% would)
Roman Catholic (94%)
Jewish (92%)
Mormon (79%)
homosexual (79%)
or atheist (49%) !!!!!!!!!

Why are so many people offended and put off by the fact that not only do we not share THEIR beliefs, but we have NO beliefs? Atheists are much more persecuted than you think, and I can imagine that if it were physically obvious that someone were an atheist, there would be a lot of hate crimes against us.

Sam, it was not a popularity poll. People weren't asked to pick one out of the group of people they'd vote for as president. They were asked whether they would vote for those types of people, assuming they were completely qualified for the job.
By someone saying no to voting for an atheist, that means they would rather vote an unqualified religious person into office than a qualified atheist, simply because of their beliefs. I consider that to be persecution.

Not to mention the fact that any religion can claim 'religious intolerance' and win a lawsuit except atheists, or claim that the illegal drug they do (i.e. peyote) is done for religious reasons, therefore the government allows it. Also, hate speech is not seen by the law as being free speech, unless the speaker claims to be speaking from a religious stand point. In that case the government allows them to spew hateful anti-gay or whatever messages and consider it free speech.

I meant in America, Mahal. Sorry for the confusion.
But I do acknowledge the fact that many other groups are persecuted for their beliefs. I just think that for most people, atheism isn't even on their radar when it comes to groups of people who are not tolerated by most of society.

Answer 1

I wouldn't call the results of that poll, "persecution".

To me, the Holocaust is persecution.

Being mistrusted and unelectable is better termed "discrimination" in my opinion. But, of course, persecution is always preceded by discrimination.

I tend to agree that if atheism were something you could look at a person and know about them, hate crimes against atheists would be far more prevalent.

Answer 2

I agree with that and to those like Sam, who suggest to look to the Middle East about christians being persecuted, well why dont u look at what happens to atheists in the US? They are regarded as immoral, lost, deluded, etc. It is VERY unlikely that an atheist will ever see office. If any atheist is outspoken and makes their beliefs,opinions, etc in the matter of books, movies, etc. they are VERY quickly attacked by religious folks who have no respect for other peoples opinions...and hence are labeled as evil, immoral, etc. and I wouldnt doubt some people get attacked for being atheist...you just dont hear about it as much as when people of faith are attacked and also, you dont have to be attacked just physically for it to count. Attacks are attacks, regardless. You can be made an outcast either way. If there is any religious group that is persecuted, I would say it would the Jews. There is no question about that, just look into the past and present and sadly, look to the future...

Answer 3

So how exactly does unpopularity in a poll mean that atheists are persecuted...? I'm just kinda curious how you came up with that conclusion. If you want to know what real persecution is, go to the Middle East; see how many Christians are tortured, harrassed, split from their families, slaughtered like animals, etc. etc. just because they say they believe that Jesus died on the cross to pay for their sins, and then tell me that Atheists are more persecuted than Christians.

Answer 4

Are you serious?

What is your definition of persecution? Assuming you are here in the USA you are living in a majority Christian nation-state and therefore will disagree with most people on theological issues. This is not persecution it is disagreement.

YOUR QUESTION IS AN INSULT to people around the world who actually ARE persecuted bcause of their faith or lack of faith.

All you have shown is that your point of view is UNPOPLULAR. So what? Mine is too. I am a Shia muslim. Shia are the minority among muslims and muslims are the minority religion here in the USA and I get a lot of static because I am a muslim.

I don't complain about it though because in a place where there is freedom of speech and expression people are going to disagree with each other. So unless you can show me that atheists are denied home loans, beaten by p[olice, are the victims of hate crimes, or are the victims of some law created to opress them you are full of s***.

Nobody is oppressing you.

Answer 5

Not true.

There are currently hundreds of millions of Muslims who actively persecute Jewish people, and millions who materially persecute them.

Polls won't show this because Muslim countries are usually not in the polls.

Also, you might want to check out what's happening to Christian neighborhoods throughout the Middle East. For example, beginning in 1978, the Christian areas in southern Lebanon were regularly shelled by Black September, the group founded by Nobel Laureate Yasser Arafat. There were also regular murders of Christians by snipers. The people of southern Lebanon were forced to live in bomb shelters for about 8 years.

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Atheists are not persecuted in America, and an opinion poll can't show anything more than opinion.

For real persecution, visit one of the countries I mentioned above, or try living in a Muslim neighborhood in Saudi Arabia without a Muslim ID.

As a matter of fact, there are only two cities on the planet that openly discriminate as a matter of policy: Mecca and Medina, only card-carrying Muslims are allowed.

Answer 6

I think you make some excellent points, though perhaps the others are right about your use of the word "persecuted."

Also, do you have a link to that poll? I find it very, very hard to believe that 79 percent of the population would vote for a homosexual.

Answer 7

Well an opinion poll isnt a crime. they are opinions. a crime takes action, harm, oppression,..etc...as a hate crime. the reason why is because America was founded on religious views and beliefs, any election people talk about their religion..mostly because the mass need a leader that believes in something higher.. the statistics show that Atheists haven't secured their platform persuading others in something beyond one's personal belief.

Answer 8

I think it's because religious people often associate
Religion with God
God with Morals
Morals with Conscience

So the Converse would be:
No Religion with No God
No God with No Morals
No Morals with No Conscience

therefore, all atheists are terrible people and would probably endorse terrible things and we would live in a terrible country
Transitive Property, a great thing, aint it?

Answer 9

Interesting statistic... the only thing I could guess is that
Atheists have no belief in God and therefore to support in God's laws; might leave people feeling vulnerable when wanting a leader.

Answer 10

Well, I guess being a bisexual atheist female, my chances of being elected president are pretty slim.

Oh well...I guess I'll just have to stick with Plan B: Overthrow the government and appoint myself Supreme Dictator of the Universe...