As a recent candidate, I was exposed to many different and interesting people.
I made it a point to be honest with people about who I am and what I believe in. Believe it or not, the most negative responses I received were not because I had a deferred adjudication when I was 17, but because of my lack of religious beliefs.
In fact, I was a bit surprised at the number of “stares” I got when I told people I’m an atheist. Although people seemed to get over it pretty quickly after discussing my stance on religion and religious tolerance. But it was that initial “look” that really surprised me.
Now I have a good idea why.
A new study has just been published:
Atheists Identified as America’s Most Distrustful Minority, New U of M Study Finds
What: U of M study reveals US mistrust of atheism
Who: Penny Edgell, associate professor of sociology
Contact: Nina Shepherd, Sociology Media Relations, (612) 599-1148
Mark Cassutt University News Service, (612) 624-8038MINNEAPOLIS/ST. PAUL (03/20/2006) —
The growing acceptance of religious diversity by Americans does not extend to those who do not believe in a god, according to a national survey conducted by researchers in the sociology department at the University of Minnesota.From a telephone sample of more than 2,000 households, the university researchers found that Americans rank atheists below Muslims, recent immigrants, gays and lesbians, and other minority groups in “sharing their view of American society.” “. Atheists are also the minority group that most Americans are least willing to allow their children to marry.
Although atheists are few in number, not formally organized, and relatively difficult to publicly identify, they are viewed by a large part of the American public as a threat to the American way of life. “Atheists, who make up about 3 percent of the US population, offer a glaring exception to the rule of increasing social tolerance over the past 30 years,” says Penny Edgell, associate professor of sociology and principal investigator of the study.
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 limit to membership in American society. “It seems that most Americans believe that diversity is fine, as long as everyone shares a common ‘core’ of values that makes them trustworthy, and in America, that ‘core’ has historically been religious,” he says. Edgell. Many of those surveyed in the study associated atheism with a variety of moral indiscretions ranging from criminal behavior to rampant materialism and cultural elitism.
Edgell believes 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 appear to rest on a view of atheists as selfish individuals who are not concerned with the greater good.”
The researchers also found that acceptance or rejection of atheists is related not only to personal religiosity, but also to one’s exposure to diversity, education, and political orientation: the most educated Americans on the East and West Coast more accepting of atheists than their Midwestern counterparts.
The study is co-authored by Assistant Professor Joseph Gerteis and Associate Professor Doug Hartmann. It is the first in a series of national studies by the American Mosaic Project, a three-year project funded by the Minneapolis-based David Edelstein Family Foundation that examines race, religion, and cultural diversity in contemporary America. . The study will appear in the April issue of the American Sociological Review.
I have found it important to make an effort to understand other cultures and beliefs. I have delved into learning about different religions and religious history because we have a rich diversity of religious and cultural differences in this country.
I value religion and above all the freedom of religion that this country has. Other parts of the world, like Afghanistan, have strict Islamic law where a man was tried for converting to Christianity and faced the death penalty. A person like me would also be executed for my lack of faith.
I bring up this topic because I believe that people are basically good and tolerant. That awareness is the key to understanding and that by raising awareness I believe that some of these prejudices can be overcome.
After all, we are not so different.
As atheists we believe in things like:
Peace, happiness, community, truth, goodness, beauty and freedom; these are attributes of human consciousness. We must fight for them and protect them.
Marriage, family and commitment.
Freedom and religious freedom.
The separation of Church and State.
Justice and forgiveness.
Fairness and competition.
Hard work and fair reward.
Help others by giving a hand, not alms.
Education and continuous learning.
Science and the scientific method.
We believe in the Government for the People by the People.
Humanity must protect the elderly, children and foundlings, or they will not be protected.
Man must listen and help man.
We are responsible and must face the consequences of our actions.
Life is a struggle against preventable and unavoidable situations.
Humanity’s cooperation is the world’s only hope.
We must work to achieve our personal goals now or never.
Again, are we so different?
Hopefully this will help raise awareness and help bring about greater understanding. By having a dialogue we can continue to have and increase the mutual respect and tolerance that all human beings deserve.
