Posted on 03/22/2006 4:04:11 PM PST by dukeman
MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL-- American’s increasing acceptance of religious diversity doesn’t extend to those who don’t believe in a god, according to a national survey by researchers in the University of Minnesota’s department of sociology.
From a telephone sampling of more than 2,000 households, university researchers found that Americans rate atheists below Muslims, recent immigrants, gays and lesbians and other minority groups in “sharing their vision of American society.” Atheists are also the minority group most Americans are least willing to allow their children to marry.
Even though atheists are few in number, not formally organized and relatively hard to publicly identify, they are seen as a threat to the American way of life by a large portion of the American public. “Atheists, who account for about 3 percent of the U.S. population, offer a glaring exception to the rule of increasing social tolerance over the last 30 years,” says Penny Edgell, associate sociology professor and the study’s lead researcher.
Edgell also argues that today’s atheists play the role that Catholics, Jews and communists have played in the past—they offer a symbolic moral boundary to membership in American society. “It seems most Americans believe that diversity is fine, as long as every one shares a common ‘core’ of values that make them trustworthy—and in America, that ‘core’ has historically been religious,” says Edgell. Many of the study’s respondents associated atheism with an array of moral indiscretions ranging from criminal behavior to rampant materialism and cultural elitism.
Edgell believes a fear of moral decline and resulting social disorder is behind the findings. “Americans believe they share more than rules and procedures with their fellow citizens—they share an understanding of right and wrong,” she said. “Our findings seem to rest on a view of atheists as self-interested individuals who are not concerned with the common good.”
The researchers also found acceptance or rejection of atheists is related not only to personal religiosity, but also to one’s exposure to diversity, education and political orientation—with more educated, East and West Coast Americans more accepting of atheists than their Midwestern counterparts.
The study is co-authored by assistant professor Joseph Gerteis and associate professor Doug Hartmann. It’s the first in a series of national studies conducted the American Mosaic Project, a three-year project funded by the Minneapolis-based David Edelstein Family Foundation that looks at race, religion and cultural diversity in the contemporary United States. The study will appear in the April issue of the American Sociological Review.
Works for me! : )
How many atheists do you know personally. I know quite a few and they seem to be happy, okay people to me. Of course, they could be out burning churches and slaughtering religious types after hours, but you'd think we'd have heard about it now.
This is from a local county paper in Kansas:
Non-believers looking for converts
Sheri Baker-Rickman, Staff Writer March 16, 2006
"And God said, Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness..." (Genesis 1:26).
"Not so," said Greg Swartz, Kansas City, president of Community of Reason. "Man created God in man's image."
Community of Reason is a Kansas City area group of secular humanists, atheists, agnostics and free thinkers. Such people reject the supernatural, specifically a belief in God, spirituality or religion.
Several atheist groups gather regularly in a University of Missouri-Kansas City classroom to discuss issues and are now planning an international convention. About 20 people gathered for the informal March 5 meeting.
"Easter weekend 2006 will hold a pleasant surprise for those in Kansas City," reads a flier. "The Atheist Alliance International's annual convention will be here at the Airport Marriott."
The convention allows non-believers to reaffirm their stance in "this heavily Christian nation."
Heartland Humanists, based in Overland Park, sponsors the convention.
Fliers and sign-up sheets, T-shirts stating "Smile, there is no hell" with a happy face, atheist literature and a banner reading "Heartland Humanists" decorated the UMKC classroom.
David Spake, Heartland Humanist newsletter editor, encouraged everyone to attend the convention.
"I attended a convention in Los Angeles. You have no idea what it is like to walk into a room with so many other like-minded people," Spake said. "You don't hear 'God bless you' or 'thank God,' these are little things but they get oppressive after a while."
Actress Julia Sweeney, author of "God said 'Ha!'" and "Letting Go of God: My Beautiful Loss of Faith Story," is a featured speaker. Sweeney is best known for her androgynous character "Pat" on Saturday Night Live.
Paul Mirecki, University of Kansas professor who proposed teaching intelligent design as mythology, will also speak.
Jo Ann Mooney, Heartland Humanists president and former secular Sunday school teacher, said many atheist events forget to include family programming. The local convention offers "Camp Quest: A Summer Away Camp for Atheist Kids."
Mooney said efforts are under way to bring Michael Newdow, the atheist challenging "under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance, to the convention.
Panel discussions will include atheist parenting and lobbying for separation of church and state.
Outreach efforts, creating understanding, event planning and unifying the local atheist community were topics covered during the meeting.
Jason Clinton, Prairie Village, who organizes a group of mostly single atheists, said creating community is important but difficult for atheists.
"Why do people go to church every Sunday - for community and re-enforcement of their beliefs," Clinton said. "I don't have to go somewhere so I can have people pat me on the back and say my imaginary friend in the sky is real."
Clinton suggested conducting outreach efforts in the gay and lesbian community by posting notices about meetings and functions.
Mooney said outreach efforts are needed to get more people involved and avoid burn-out for active members.
Talk of creating a speakers bureau led to discussion of how to self-describe to believers.
"They often accuse us of believing in the religion of science," Clinton said.
Spake said a strong belief in anything could be described as religion.
"They say the 'spirituality of atheists,'" Swartz said. "Atheists have no spirituality."
Mooney said this issue will be addressed at the convention.
"We are having a panel about how to talk about atheism to theists, how to reach out and communicate, how to be a spokesperson," Mooney said. "We will have more experienced people teaching us."
Swartz shared his story of becoming an atheist.
"I started to be skeptical about religion 55 years ago when my parents couldn't remember if I was baptized or not," Swartz said. "To be baptized I had to agree to all these things and I said, 'I don't know.'"
Swartz said his parents instructed him to agree, he did, and got baptized.
"By 18 I was agnostic, then I became atheist," Swartz said. "I try to work for secular humanism and atheism because I want to do what is needed to save humans from all the stupid stuff religion is doing."
Swartz said his group's Web site now has a forum feature to allow comments.
"I've had some Christians log on, and I think that's fine if they are polite," Swartz said.
Spake said he has made an umbrella Web site for atheist groups in the Kansas City area.
"Just visit www.KCFreethought.org, they are all there," Spake said.
For information about the convention, visit www.heartlandhumanists.org or www.atheistalliance.org.
I don't believe in atheism.
Fair enough. There was not a secularist organization that opposed Clinton (i.e. People of the American Way etc.)
The Centre Pary (Catholic Party) opposed von Papen. . . Some of the time.
No, consistantly starting with his becoming chancellor.
They also negotiated with the NSDAP in 1932 about forming a government,
We are negotiating with nutcases now in Iraq about forming a government.
acted in cooperation with the Nazis after the elections of March 1933,
The campaigned hard against the Nazis in 1933.
and voted for the Enabling Act, which was the act that truly gave Hitler the reins of power.
And why did they do that? Was it because they agreed with the act? Because the supported Hitler? Or was it because as party leader Ludwig Kaas said: "On the one hand we must preserve our soul, but on the other hand a rejection of the Enabling Act would result in unpleasant consequences for fraction and party. What is left is only to guard us against the worst. Were a two-thirds majority not obtained, the government's plans would be carried through by other means. The President has acquiesced in the Enabling Act. From the DNVP no attempt of relieving the situation is to be expected."?
I'm an atheist (self-labelled) but I'd place my beliefs on the issue somewhere between the above two statements. I know loads of atheists (I'm British) and I don't think many would make a claim as extreme as the first one above. Wikipedia characterises the position of most real-world atheists as "Weak atheism". I don't believe in any deities, but I cannot attach absolute certainty to that denial.
In the same manner that baldness is a hair color.
Not necessarily.
Atheists lack what we Christians refer to as "Spiritual Maturity."
"What are the marks of spiritual maturity? Spiritual maturity is learning how to walk in obedience to God. It is making the choice to live by God's viewpoint rather than your human viewpoint. Galatians 5:16 and 25 give the key, "So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature…Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit." The word "walk" in verse 16 is from the Greek word peripateo, which means "to walk with a purpose in view." The word "walk" in verse 25 is translated from another Greek word stoicheo and it means "step by step, one step at a time." It is learning to walk under the instruction of another. That person is the Holy Spirit. Since believers are indwelt by the Spirit, they should also walk under His control.
How can you learn to walk in the Holy Spirit's control? You study God's Word! 2 Timothy 2:15; 3:16-17 instructs us, "Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth…All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." This is good practical instruction on how you become spiritually mature. It is not done by osmosis, but it is done by choosing to apply God's Word in everyday circumstances. As you walk step-by-step, applying God's Word to your life, you will grow spiritually."
Source:
http://www.allaboutfollowingjesus.org/spiritual-maturity.htm
Because they lack any form of Spiritual Maturity, atheists have a distinct probability of resorting to petty name-calling whenever discussing politics with someone of a different opinion.
There are uncommon exceptions to the rule, of course.
Not necessarily.
Atheists lack what we Christians refer to as "Spiritual Maturity."
"What are the marks of spiritual maturity? Spiritual maturity is learning how to walk in obedience to God. It is making the choice to live by God's viewpoint rather than your human viewpoint. Galatians 5:16 and 25 give the key, "So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature…Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit." The word "walk" in verse 16 is from the Greek word peripateo, which means "to walk with a purpose in view." The word "walk" in verse 25 is translated from another Greek word stoicheo and it means "step by step, one step at a time." It is learning to walk under the instruction of another. That person is the Holy Spirit. Since believers are indwelt by the Spirit, they should also walk under His control.
How can you learn to walk in the Holy Spirit's control? You study God's Word! 2 Timothy 2:15; 3:16-17 instructs us, "Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth…All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." This is good practical instruction on how you become spiritually mature. It is not done by osmosis, but it is done by choosing to apply God's Word in everyday circumstances. As you walk step-by-step, applying God's Word to your life, you will grow spiritually."
Source:
http://www.allaboutfollowingjesus.org/spiritual-maturity.htm
Because they lack any form of Spiritual Maturity, atheists have a distinct probability of resorting to petty name-calling whenever discussing politics with someone of a different opinion.
There are uncommon exceptions to the rule, of course.
Oh, but you must be 100% certain or else the apologists cannot play their gotcha-game and paint you into the "intellectually dishonest" corner.
Delicious irony placemarker.
By the way, getting your information about atheism from a site called allaboutfollowingjesus.org may not be your best place to find unbiased information.
There are a couple hundred posts and you haven't been pinged to this article yet! Enjoy.
~ Blue Jays ~
You are on your own in the afterlife, pal.
Good luck explaining.
Why not? Liberals get their information about conservatism from Michael Moore...
Ah, witnessing for the deity of protection rackets. "Worship me, or else".
Likewise, good luck when a different God from the one you were expecting hurls you into everlasting torment for making a mistake in picking your deity (whilst giving atheists and agnostics the benefit of the doubt)
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