Are atheists in the US really 'oppressed'? (arsenal, weapon, radical)
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No more so than vegetarians. Its just when they preach that you shouldn't eat meat or be religious that they run into " oppression", as they put it.
Its the ones that have an axe to grind or a chip on their shoulder that run into disfavor with Christians or other religious people. If they're happy with what they believe and okay with what others believe, and accept that, they'll be fine.
Atheists are not oppressed in the U.S. due to being atheists, but I would say they are discriminated against in many parts of the country.
Flamenco, you seem perfectly okay with explicit public expressions and demonstrations of one's Christianity such as group prayer and using Bible verses to sign e-mails, so why do you have a problem with atheists coming out and saying they're atheists and/or professing their reasons for their lack of belief? Also, atheists as a group do not bully and ridicule Christians; that is yet another negative stereotype. The vast majority of atheists I've met do not bully people for their religious beliefs or even really care what other people believe. This is a double standard that demonstrates my point.
If you're an atheist and don't participate in church and don't pray with them or partake in any of the group religiosity that is very common in the South, you won't be considered part of the community and you'll be a bit of an outcast. People may also rush to judge your personality or your political beliefs. In the South, typically if people know you're an atheist you won't fit in and they won't accept you. This varies widely by the community, of course.
I don't think atheists are oppressed, given that "oppress" is a very active verb which tends to be severely overused (especially by evangelical Christians in The US). However, atheists and other non-believers in The United States are routinely faced with cultural and social discrimination.
Atheists are not oppressed in the U.S. due to being atheists, but I would say they are discriminated against in many parts of the country.
Flamenco, you seem perfectly okay with explicit public expressions and demonstrations of one's Christianity such as group prayer and using Bible verses to sign e-mails, so why do you have a problem with atheists coming out and saying they're atheists and/or professing their reasons for their lack of belief? Also, atheists as a group do not bully and ridicule Christians; that is yet another negative stereotype. The vast majority of atheists I've met do not bully people for their religious beliefs or even really care what other people believe. This is a double standard that demonstrates my point.
If you're an atheist and don't participate in church and don't pray with them or partake in any of the group religiosity that is very common in the South, you won't be considered part of the community and you'll be a bit of an outcast. People may also rush to judge your personality or your political beliefs. In the South, typically if people know you're an atheist you won't fit in and they won't accept you. This varies widely by the community, of course.
There are two completely different kinds of atheists.
The anti-theists are vehemently opposed to religion of all kinds, and will often go out of their way to offend those that have religious belief; and
The remaining atheists understand that some people believe and others do not, and they respect peoples right to believe, or not believe, as they see fit. They simply want to be treated with the same courtesy.
You mean, they pray and give thanks before a meal? Why should that make you uncomfortable? Can't you simply remain quietly respectful until they are finished? Are atheists incapable of respect for others?
I don't believe that story for a second.
Of course you don't. I have no reason to fabricate any story.
No, I don't mean they simply prayed and gave thanks for a meal - that is very common here. No - they made a spectacle out of it and not a casual "let's say thanks." They also made it incredibly uncomfortable and unnecessarily so.
Did I say anywhere that I was not respectfully quiet? No, I did not. Thanks for being incredibly judgmental - just like some of those neighbors of mine.
Alas, I am not the one who refused to have any contact with those neighbors. They did. Because I don' share their religious belief. Talk about being incapable of respect for others.
You are, obviously, EXACTLY the kind of dick head "Christian" that I encountered at that BBQ.
Oppression seems to be a particular word that individuals improperly use. No where, in the South or the United States for that matter, are atheists being oppressed. To oppress is to exert one's authority or use force to manipulate behavior. If someone is being oppressed in this great nation, they are allowing it by submitting.
Oppression seems to be a particular word that individuals improperly use. No where, in the South or the United States for that matter, are atheists being oppressed. To oppress is to exert one's authority or use force to manipulate behavior. If someone is being oppressed in this great nation, they are allowing it by submitting.
A better term would be discriminatory or bigoted or intolerant behavior. Which is why you will never see an "out-of-the-closet" atheist run for public office.
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