The statistics are too familiar. Atheists are less appealing than homosexuals and Muslims in the American public eye. So I often ask myself, why do people hate me so much? Here's a partial list of reasons I have seen, and my reactions and comments.
1. Atheism = Communism
This one is just baseless. It has its roots in McCarthyism, where being American meant not being even remotely linked to the Communist movement, and Communism often is associated with atheism. But it is associated erroneously. Yes, 20th century Communist regimes were anti-religion, but that was only to remove the strength of will the people might gain from it. Atheist capitalists are as plentiful percentage-wise as capitalists overall. There is nothing in your belief in a god that determines whether you prefer capitalism or communism. It's just a silly proposition, and people need to recognize it.
2. Atheists Destroy Religious Traditions
Well, this depends on the traditions we are talking about. If we are talking about choosing Christmas as a federal holiday for all, well that's just a date on a calendar. It doesn't really favor Christianity, it is the same holiday for everyone. No one is harmed by this. We can argue whether federal holidays like Christmas, Memorial Day and Labor Day are really worthwhile as a whole, but there's nothing in the federal Christmas holiday itself that hurts anyone.
The fact that during November and December you can't go into a store without being inundated with Christian and Christian-inspired imagery, that's not even actual harm. Private businesses can feel free to decorate as they like. Private homes too, so long as they do not violate any other laws or neighborhood agreements in the process. People can opt not to patronize a business if they disagree with the views the business communicates, so there's no problem there.
If we are talking about governmental advocacy of religion, there's a different thing. A standing Christian display in a school, a courthouse, or a public park establishes a religious preference for that government, and the first amendment does not allow that.
Any tradition of a government which lends support to a specific or general religious view is neither a legal nor a moral tradition.
This does not stop a religious person from praying before an exam in school. This does not stop a group of religious people from convening on public property. That's not what anyone's after. But actions by a government or its representatives which discriminate on the basis of religion, however ecumenically the actions might be intended, are not ok.
3. Atheism Hurts The Faithful
If atheists can show they live morally-grounded lives and are happy with their freedom from the arbitrary rule of a deity, what does that say about the religious? Does it mean the religious are stupid? Does it mean their parents taught them poorly? Aren't atheists, by their existence, insulting and eroding the institution of faith mankind has enjoyed?
If my being the way I am shakes your faith, maybe your faith is weak or misplaced. If it did not prepare you to deal with a person like me, perhaps it is not me who is faulty, but the ideas you hold.
And my parents taught me a lot of things that used to be relevant but are no longer important or even true. That is how it works. (I can get a TV to come in great with a shotgun ariel, for one, but old-fashioned UHF broadcasting is no more.) But also how the unknowns were filled in - I was taught by traditional values, but then I formed my own opinion. Parents teach children the best they can, but no child should accept every word of their parents as unerringly true.
If being religious works for you, I'm happy for you. Your believing in a god does not hurt me at all, unless you let it. And I would fight for your right to believe.
But if seeing atheists makes you question your faith, maybe it is your faith that is the problem.
Well, that's just a short list. I'd love to hear other ideas about why atheists are reviled. Feel free to comment.
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