I'm not American, but I just can't see American Atheists being different than me.
Vox Popoli states the following in his very popular blog, why Americans hate Atheists:
1. We want to ban Christmas
2. We assume we are more educated and intelligent that believers.
3. We have a murderous track record.
4. We constantly bring up Hitler's Christianity, the Crusades, and/or the Spanish Inquisition.
5. We proselytize almost as much as Jehovah Witnesses.
6. We can't explain how we can be moral because we don't believe in God, and we have no problem lying because we are never going to have to account for it.
Now let me attempt to address these points.
1. Personally I have no problem with Christmas. It is the one time of year when many Christians act like Christians are supposed to act. It gives them a chance to visit friends and relatives. It is a cultural philosophy. In fact, Christ or God is rarely mentioned. Christmas is fine with me. In secular schools it should more emphasis should be put on Happy Holidays, because it isn't right that non Christians be overly exposed to Christian beliefs. But that is just logical. Private schools can do whatever the hell they want.
2. We don't just assume we are on average more intelligent and educated. It is a fact. I can dig up numbers, but since those numbers aren't found in the Bible, Fundies won't believe me anyways.
3. Russia for example, is only made of 20% Atheists/Agnostics. Contrary to what people perceive. The leaders of the Russian Revolution may have been mainly Atheist, but lets not blame Atheism. It was a secular government, just like China has right now. Yet in China, though most of the state doesn't belong to an organized religion, most of those individuals do in fact believe in a higher power and superstition. Denmark and Sweden today have very high Atheist percentages, but they are hardly murderous. And many wars were fought over God in history by believers, so our murderous track record is just a blip.
4. I only bring up these things when I'm dealing with anti-semites or comparing Marxism with Christianity. Rarely if ever. And I am never the first to bring it up.
5. When was the last time an Atheist knocked on your door to tell you that you were a fool for believing in God?
6. Morality is man made. In fact it has evolutionary roots. If it wasn't for morality, humans wouldn't have died out with the Neanderthals. If you steal from neighbours, continuously murder and behave like an anarchist, your chances of surviving is next to zero. You likely won't live long enough to procreate. Morality is innate in most mammals. The 10 Commandments were written by man for man. The NT was written by many men who imposed their own set of values. Morality is also subjective from one culture to another and even one person to another. I have seen Church going Christians rationalize theft to me. As far as lying goes, I find most Atheists to be completely honest and open with less to hide than believers. Maybe it has to do with us knowing that this is our only life and we might as well be as real as possible. Believers tend to worry what others will think of them.
Personally, I think the reason believers don't like Atheists, is that they fear we are right. Deep down they know that the Bible has some pretty far fetched stories like the Ark, and we remind them of that, while throwing facts like evolution and an ancient earth in their face. I doubt many people who believe in God, evolution and an ancient earth hate us or mistrust us, it is just the Fundy flock that might.
Thanks Fundy Bane for the head's up:)
