A study published in the American Sociological Review has determined "that out of a long list of ethnic and cultural minorities, Americans are less willing to accept intermarriage with atheists than with any other group, and less likely to imagine that atheists share their vision of American society." Read a little more at the Chronicle of Higher Ed here.
I know why the American public thinks this. It's because the atheists they see or envision are kind of scary. As a highly likeable, cute, sweet looking person (if I do say so myself), people are very surprised when I say I'm an atheist. I think they expect an anarchist with a leather jacket, piercings, and a moral compass that's a little askew. When I told a Catholic boyfriend of mine, who had known me for over 5 years at that point, that I was an atheist he told me point blank I had no morals. Um, ok. My confession pretty much knocked all logic out of his head and our history together meant nothing. Despite all evidence to the contrary, I instantly had no morals in his view.
In some places, coming out of the atheist closet is just as scary, or even more difficult, than coming out as gay. We atheists don’t have Will & Grace to make us look fun, spunky and benign, not to mention riddled with good taste.
I know times are changing. My thesis, an oral history of the town I grew up in, is even playing this out. You should have heard the intolerance the Catholic priests had toward Protestants in the 50s. If you were Catholic and went to a friend's funeral at a non-Catholic church you were told you were going to hell. And that's with everyone still believing in God and having religious ceremonies. There was even a rumor among the Catholic kids that if you walked around a Protestant church 3 times you'd see the devil on the front stoop. Yes, times have changed. (Maybe not in the Bible Belt but in some places.)
You know what I think? I think atheists are even more moral than most religious people. I believe this is true because we have nothing to fear in the way of repercussions for our actions and yet we're still good. We don't need to have the threat of hell to keep us on the straight and narrow, we do it anyway. Stick that in your confessional and smoke it.
Go out and hug an atheist today. They may wonder what the hell you're doing, but you'll feel better having reached out to a maligned population.
I know why the American public thinks this. It's because the atheists they see or envision are kind of scary. As a highly likeable, cute, sweet looking person (if I do say so myself), people are very surprised when I say I'm an atheist. I think they expect an anarchist with a leather jacket, piercings, and a moral compass that's a little askew. When I told a Catholic boyfriend of mine, who had known me for over 5 years at that point, that I was an atheist he told me point blank I had no morals. Um, ok. My confession pretty much knocked all logic out of his head and our history together meant nothing. Despite all evidence to the contrary, I instantly had no morals in his view.
In some places, coming out of the atheist closet is just as scary, or even more difficult, than coming out as gay. We atheists don’t have Will & Grace to make us look fun, spunky and benign, not to mention riddled with good taste.
I know times are changing. My thesis, an oral history of the town I grew up in, is even playing this out. You should have heard the intolerance the Catholic priests had toward Protestants in the 50s. If you were Catholic and went to a friend's funeral at a non-Catholic church you were told you were going to hell. And that's with everyone still believing in God and having religious ceremonies. There was even a rumor among the Catholic kids that if you walked around a Protestant church 3 times you'd see the devil on the front stoop. Yes, times have changed. (Maybe not in the Bible Belt but in some places.)
You know what I think? I think atheists are even more moral than most religious people. I believe this is true because we have nothing to fear in the way of repercussions for our actions and yet we're still good. We don't need to have the threat of hell to keep us on the straight and narrow, we do it anyway. Stick that in your confessional and smoke it.
Go out and hug an atheist today. They may wonder what the hell you're doing, but you'll feel better having reached out to a maligned population.
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