Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
For me I can pretend to be a theist and lace my speech with a few xian expletives that would convince 99.9% of folk I am saved et al. For the theist however, this is not possible due to the threat of the unforgivable sin.
When you are in the minority, it helps to blend in some times.
As we see the general populace moving toward atheism, the theist fears that their perception of being special/called out is dwindling. The world wide evidence for the lack of god actions is enough for most youth to come to the conclusion that there probably is no god. Most folk do ask why does god not do _______ when ________.
The only answer the theist has is that god works in mysterious ways.
Are we referring to the US or the world in general? If the world in general I'd say both get discriminated against.
I believe that in Myanmar/Burma you have discrimination against Christian, Muslims, and maybe atheists too at the hands of Buddhists. (Although some Buddhists are also persecuted if they don't toe-the-line) In China "unapproved churches" are persecuted by a Communist Party that is still largely, though no longer exclusively, atheist in membership. Going by the Pew Research Center (not a religious organization, Pew was just a surname of the founder) Saudi Arabia is high in both inter-religious tension and government interference. Being an atheist or a Christian I think can/would be tough in Saudi and even being a Shiite Muslim has at times been difficult for Saudis. Pakistan and Iran are also listed as high in both inter-religious conflict and governmental interference. (In case you're curious Albania, Gambia, Mali, Niger, and Senegal are Muslims nations list as low in both social-hostility and government interference of religion)
Among Christian nations they put Greece surprisingly, to me, high. Belarus and Russia are often high as well with the Orthodox Churches at times being intensely harsh to Protestants. Possibly atheists too.
If we're meaning the US I don't think there's any region of the US that is sufficiently low in Christians, in general, for Christians to face serious discrimination. Although I could believe some Ivy League Universities have "speech codes" that are unfairly restrictive to Christians. There might also be some professions in Silicon Valley or Seattle where it would be an issue. Generally though in the US discrimination is against specific denominations rather than "Christians" in a broad generalized sense. I've heard of places in the Deep South where socially-liberal pro-gay churches face attack or discrimination. Regions that are full of certain kinds of Fundamentalists may at times discriminate against Catholics. I assume there are Catholic regions that discriminate against some Protestants as well. And Christians of various denominations discriminate against Mormons.
Judging by stats atheists almost never face violent discrimination in the US, as atheism is not visible in the way even Christianity can be, and they do not appear to be discriminated much on economic or educational terms as they do fine there. However I'd say that, in the US, they're probably more socially ostracized and distrusted than about any Christian denomination. Also they are at a substantial political disadvantage as admitting atheism loses you far more votes than it gains you and atheism does not have a significant enough lobbying/pressure force to make it financially worth it for a campaign. Actually being almost any non-Christian, other than Jewish, is a disadvantage in American politics and even Jewish might be a disadvantage in some districts. Atheism though I think is worse for any candidate.
Before logical discussion can begin, we need to sort out the semantics. What do we mean by 'discrimination?'
We discriminate between a lot of things (men and women, apples and oranges, chalk and cheese) but this is about 'discrimination against'. One group directing a more or less aggressively hostile stance as regards another group perceived as 'not with us -therefore against us'.
Is that wrong? We find it in sport, business and politics all the time. Ok, they are often equally matched. So is it wrong for the stronger group to discriminate against a smaller group? Clearly not wrong where a large state discriminates against a small group of terrorists or a large police force discriminates against a smaller group of criminals. But it is wrong where a state discriminates against a small group of freedom fighters or liberationists. I suppose it depends which side we agree with! It apparently wrong where a small group of white discriminates against a larger group of black as under apartheid.
What I'm getting at is that we too often allow ourselves to be led by the emotive nose by this term 'discrimination'. In my book being able to discriminate is better than being indiscriminate. But that's enough of semantics.
Let's talk concepts. What we are talking about here is the unfair and unjust harassing, suppression and even oppression of one group (smaller or weaker or both) by another larger or more powerful group.
In terms of religion Theists often claim a form of discrimination at being criticized or questioned. Atheists then claim discrimination at being told that it is blasphemy or at least lack of respect to do so.
Atheists may claim that they are being discriminated against by being subjected to a lot of theist - based rules or procedures. That is the way democracy works and if atheists don't like it, they can change it. And they are seeing it change.
The Sunday thing, the Fundy thing the money thing. Democracy does have majority rules but minority rights. The business about displaying the ten commandments in government offices is debatable but any attempt to say there cannot be debate about it and cannot be change coming out of the debate as a result is oppressive and is what we might call unfair discrimination. It is abrogating the rights of the minority to be heard.
So, what about the anti evolution lobby? Don't they have a right to be heard? Of course. I may disapprove of what they say but I will defend to the death (if it isn't too nasty) their right to say it.
What they do not have a right to do is to require that their unscientific beliefs be taught in a science context alongside validated science. They can argue that it is validated and good science but, if it is shown that it clearly isn't (and a few court cases have made that clear, if it wasn't bloody obvious already) then their desires are not valid ones and to accede to them would not be right or just. And that is a matter for science, not for a majority vote.
As for religions and churches when they are not discriminating against one another they are joining forces to discriminate against atheists.
That's fine so long as it isn't unjust discrimination: I welcome the challenging and debate. It's all grist to the mill of grinding out the flour of legislative change which (if I may be permitted to bludgeon the metaphor to agonizing death) may be poured into the flour bag of educational dissemination and thrown into the face of the speeded up Keystone comics of theism.
To shut us up or to try to, either by blasphemy laws or intimidation (how far 'peaceful' protest can be allowed to go is a ticklish point, at times) or by trying to hi-jack PC by playing the 'respect' card is not permissible.
Whether that is unfair discrimination or not depends, I suppose, on how much freedom we have to to counter such ploys.
In the west, at least, we have a lot; so, as far as the west is concerned at least, I'm not complaining.
And, my dear AREQUIPPA, semantics is the most violent thing for justifying violence in jealous men and for envious solutions to their conscience at politically motivating. This is the political motivating of demoralized society to be less violent, at least less visibly less violent.
Feel free to make co-incidental denials at discrimination more visible as well. Of course, God created the 'invisible' too.
Discrimination is unfair treatment of a person, racial group, minority, etc. or an action based on prejudice
Like I said, it was just a small example and not the end of the world. I don't think it's fair to make fun of someone's religion or laugh while they're praying though. Lots of discrimination comes in small shots like that but when it happens over and over again, it adds up and brings people down.
Other ways are through academia where more grants and monies are afforded to non-christian, non-creation, promoting scientists than those who are christian.
I certainly don't support fundies, but it shows a level of ignorance when people think things like this are one sided. I suppose atheists are the only individuals who do not discriminate? Or maybe, they just don't discriminate against Christians; not a one of them.
I wonder if an atheist owned a small business, needed to hire one person who they would work closely with, and the two who were the best qualified happened to be a hard-core fundie, and an atheist or agnostic, and this fact was known by the owner, if it would affect his decision on who to hire?
I don't know of anyone that would want to work in close proximity to a fundy besides another fundy.
I don't know of anyone that would want to work in close proximity to a fundy besides another fundy.
I agree. Probably because of their inability to control their preaching when it is unsolicited.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Blending in
