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In God We Must

Started by Baron von Schtinkenbutt, February 05, 2012, 12:51:57 PM

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Baron von Schtinkenbutt

Quote
In God We Must
Why won't the U.S. accept its atheists?

Point, Texas (pop. 792) is not the easiest place for a single lesbian to raise her child. But neither her sexuality nor her unwed parenthood are enough to make Renee Johnson an American conservative's worst nightmare. As she explained to me when I met her at Rains County Library, "I'd rather have a big 'L' or 'lesbian' written across my shirt than a big 'A' or 'atheist', because people are going to handle it better."

We had met in a private room because Johnson worried that anywhere else in the town, people might overhear us and be offended by her godlessness. No wonder she often feels alone in her non-belief. But Johnson is far from unique. As I found out when I travelled across the US last year, atheists live in isolation and secrecy all over the country. In a nation that celebrates freedom of religion like no other, freedom not to be religious at all can be as hard to exercise as the right to swim the Atlantic.

America is the well-known exception to the rule that the wealthier and better-educated a country is, the less religious its population. As a Pew Research Center report put it, when it comes to religiosity, "the US is closer to considerably less developed nations, such as India, Brazil and Lebanon than to other western nations." But what is less discussed is what this means for the minority who are not just apathetic about their faith, but have actively rejected it.

The Brain

Women want me. Men want to be with me.

garbon

"I've never been quite sure what the point of a eunuch is, if truth be told. It seems to me they're only men with the useful bits cut off."
I drank because I wanted to drown my sorrows, but now the damned things have learned to swim.

Zanza

The right to swim the Atlantic? :huh:

garbon

To give myself a more nuanced response to that article:

QuoteStill, I found that even some New Yorkers, Bostonians and Washingtonians didn't think there was much problem with being an atheist in their country.

And then the article goes on to cite incidents in states known to be backwards. Shock!
"I've never been quite sure what the point of a eunuch is, if truth be told. It seems to me they're only men with the useful bits cut off."
I drank because I wanted to drown my sorrows, but now the damned things have learned to swim.

Fireblade

lol. I'm a relatively out atheist in the South and I've never had a problem.

But then again, I live in a real city, not Pig's Cooter, Texas.

Baron von Schtinkenbutt

Quote from: garbon on February 05, 2012, 01:09:20 PM
To give myself a more nuanced response to that article:

QuoteStill, I found that even some New Yorkers, Bostonians and Washingtonians didn't think there was much problem with being an atheist in their country.

And then the article goes on to cite incidents in states known to be backwards. Shock!

Yeah, the article bounced around a bit (and needed a better editor, I think), but I felt it was making two points relative to the quote you posted:
- People in the progressive metro areas, while acknowledging these places are backwards, don't realize how much more open atheists are shunned than other "undesirable" groups
- Based on national statistics, even the progressive metro areas above are not as accepting of atheists as they think

garbon

Quote from: Baron von Schtinkenbutt on February 05, 2012, 01:21:58 PM
- People in the progressive metro areas, while acknowledging these places are backwards, don't realize how much more open atheists are shunned than other "undesirable" groups

And why should people in progressive metro areas care? It isn't like it really has a big effect on them.

Quote from: Baron von Schtinkenbutt on February 05, 2012, 01:21:58 PM
- Based on national statistics, even the progressive metro areas above are not as accepting of atheists as they think

Not really sure this is an issue either. I don't know that many individuals that run around proclaiming they are atheists.
"I've never been quite sure what the point of a eunuch is, if truth be told. It seems to me they're only men with the useful bits cut off."
I drank because I wanted to drown my sorrows, but now the damned things have learned to swim.

Baron von Schtinkenbutt

Quote from: Fireblade on February 05, 2012, 01:17:30 PM
lol. I'm a relatively out atheist in the South and I've never had a problem.

But then again, I live in a real city, not Pig's Cooter, Texas.

I personally haven't had much of a problem, either, but I probably would if I was open about it at work.  DFW as a whole isn't that bad, but the northern suburbs and exurbs of Dallas are strange creatures, and I definitely understand the situation of the woman from Plano.

Caliga

We have an office in Plano.  One of the 'accountants' there (I say it in quotes because he's a very clueless accountant) is also a preacher. :huh:
0 Ed Anger Disapproval Points

Razgovory

The little cartoon at the beginning of the article is an excellent example of why so many people don't care for Athiests in this country.
I've given it serious thought. I must scorn the ways of my family, and seek a Japanese woman to yield me my progeny. He shall live in the lands of the east, and be well tutored in his sacred trust to weave the best traditions of Japan and the Sacred South together, until such time as he (or, indeed his house, which will periodically require infusion of both Southern and Japanese bloodlines of note) can deliver to the South it's independence, either in this world or in space.  -Lettow April of 2011

Raz is right. -MadImmortalMan March of 2017

The Brain

Women want me. Men want to be with me.

Ed Anger

I don't believe in atheists.
Stay Alive...Let the Man Drive

Eddie Teach

ZOMG people who think differently than me sometimes have trouble accepting my belief system!  :rolleyes:
To sleep, perchance to dream. But in that sleep of death, what dreams may come?

Viking

Quote from: The Brain on February 05, 2012, 02:09:34 PM
Define atheist.

First you define Theism and then whoever isn't a Theist is an Atheist.
First Maxim - "There are only two amounts, too few and enough."
First Corollary - "You cannot have too many soldiers, only too few supplies."
Second Maxim - "Be willing to exchange a bad idea for a good one."
Second Corollary - "You can only be wrong or agree with me."

A terrorist which starts a slaughter quoting Locke, Burke and Mill has completely missed the point.
The fact remains that the only person or group to applaud the Norway massacre are random Islamists.