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Ebone4rock
SFN Regular
USA
894 Posts |
 Posted - 04/29/2010 : 13:38:54
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An interesting article about Atheism and jury selection.
http://www.astcweb.org/public/publication/article.cfm/1/22/2/America-Hates-Atheists
Some highlights that I find particularly interesting.
Atheists are the most mistrusted, reviled, and disliked minority in the United States, according to numerous studies. Jews, African Americans, homosexuals, illegal immigrants, and even the much-mistrusted Muslim communities are all held in higher regard by the average American than are Atheists. The threat of spiritual alienation is more compelling than anything other than immediate injury.
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I didn't realize I was hated more than Muslims.
| In a twist on common wisdom that Americans are more concerned about interracial marriages than interfaith marriages--we don't want our kids marrying an atheist. |
I wonder how my own in-laws would react if they knew I am an Atheist.
In 1987, former President George H.W. Bush wondered if atheists should be thought of as 'American': "I don't know that atheists should be considered as citizens, nor should they be considered patriots. This is one nation under God"5.
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I think old George needs a swift kick in the balls.
Some things that shed some light for me personally
Atheists tend not to be 'joiners'. As a result, there are not organized groups which most of them 'join' where they can be studied, or where they can develop clear community.
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I've never really belonged to any organizations other than my bands (which I have always been the leader of). I have always avoided most groups and quite frankly...they tend to scare me.
| They may be smarter than us: A new 'Online First' article at the Social Psychology Quarterly website suggests that liberals and atheists are more intelligent because they tend to endorse more "novel values and preferences" than the rest of us. |
I have heard this one before. It scares the shit out of me. I do know that among my immediate peers I am regarded as one of the intelligent ones. If that is the case...WE ARE FUCKED!
Thoughts?
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Haole with heart, thats all I'll ever be. I'm not a part of the North Shore society. Stuck on the shoulder, that's where you'll find me. Digging for scraps with the kooks in line. -Offspring |
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HalfMooner
Dingaling
Philippines
15831 Posts |
Posted - 04/29/2010 : 14:34:16 [Permalink]
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| My thought: Your fears are justified. |
“Biology is just physics that has begun to smell bad.” —HalfMooner
Here's a link to Moonscape News, and one to its Archive. |
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Ebone4rock
SFN Regular
USA
894 Posts |
Posted - 04/29/2010 : 14:37:00 [Permalink]
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Originally posted by HalfMooner
My thought: Your fears are justified.
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Gee...Thanks..... |
Haole with heart, thats all I'll ever be. I'm not a part of the North Shore society. Stuck on the shoulder, that's where you'll find me. Digging for scraps with the kooks in line. -Offspring |
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Machi4velli
SFN Regular
USA
854 Posts |
Posted - 04/29/2010 : 19:02:34 [Permalink]
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I now know to make sure they know I'm an atheist so they let me out of jury duty 8)
I think the part about atheists/liberals being smarter probably isn't that useful of a distinction. I would expect atheists to be more intelligent on average simply because atheism isn't the norm, and those who are less intelligent are presumably less willing to challenge such a thing, but I think discounting some lower end of the spectrum (e.g. those who never seriously considered alternatives to beliefs into which they were born) puts atheists and religious people on similar footing. And if it's the study I heard before, it was only like a few IQ points difference. |
"Truth does not change because it is, or is not, believed by a majority of the people."
-Giordano Bruno
"The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance, but the illusion of knowledge."
-Stephen Hawking
"Seeking what is true is not seeking what is desirable"
-Albert Camus |
| Edited by - Machi4velli on 04/29/2010 19:11:09 |
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Machi4velli
SFN Regular
USA
854 Posts |
Posted - 04/29/2010 : 19:19:28 [Permalink]
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| Some of us are less tolerant of atheists than others: Non-white Americans, females and those with less education tend to be more rejecting of atheists than white Americans, males and the college degreed. |
I wonder if those are rough numbers or controlled for education. |
"Truth does not change because it is, or is not, believed by a majority of the people."
-Giordano Bruno
"The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance, but the illusion of knowledge."
-Stephen Hawking
"Seeking what is true is not seeking what is desirable"
-Albert Camus |
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H. Humbert
SFN Die Hard
USA
4574 Posts |
Posted - 04/29/2010 : 19:33:37 [Permalink]
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Originally posted by Ebone4rock
I wonder how my own in-laws would react if they knew I am an Atheist.
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If they knew you were an atheist, do you think your in-law's impression impression of you would change, or would they change their impression of atheists? More importantly, how can you expect people to change their preconceptions about atheists unless you accurately represent yourself as one?
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"A man is his own easiest dupe, for what he wishes to be true he generally believes to be true." --Demosthenes
"The first principle is that you must not fool yourself - and you are the easiest person to fool." --Richard P. Feynman
"Face facts with dignity." --found inside a fortune cookie |
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astropin
SFN Regular
USA
970 Posts |
Posted - 04/30/2010 : 12:06:27 [Permalink]
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I don't necessarily hide my atheism.....but I don't flaunt it either.
Although it is all over my Facebook profile which of course uses my real name.
I have not come across too many intolerant people in person.
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I would rather face a cold reality than delude myself with comforting fantasies.
You are free to believe what you want to believe and I am free to ridicule you for it.
Atheism:
The result of an unbiased and rational search for the truth.
Infinitus est numerus stultorum |
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Ebone4rock
SFN Regular
USA
894 Posts |
Posted - 04/30/2010 : 12:54:12 [Permalink]
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Originally posted by astropin
I don't necessarily hide my atheism.....but I don't flaunt it either.
Although it is all over my Facebook profile which of course uses my real name.
I have not come across too many intolerant people in person.
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Same here including the Facebook. I have come across in-tolerant people in real life though. I remember my step father calling me a "heathen" when I directly told him that I don't beleive in God. He saw on my dogtags " NoRelPref" and asked me what it meant. We got into a pretty good fistfight for that one. He is an ignorant backwoods asshole anyway so that never really bothered me.
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Haole with heart, thats all I'll ever be. I'm not a part of the North Shore society. Stuck on the shoulder, that's where you'll find me. Digging for scraps with the kooks in line. -Offspring |
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Many things I didn’t realize
