Excerpts from an article at Sojourners:
Some outside the atheist community — and even many inside it — would argue that atheism has an image problem. Every challenge to the First Amendment seems to bring to the airwaves some version of an angry atheist versus a sputtering religious pundit. Cooler, calmer heads seldom make an appearance.
Now, a new feature-length documentary from a first-time filmmaker hopes to put a more human, middle-of-the-road face on American atheism... The 90-minute film is the project of Sylvia Broeckx, a 35-year-old Belgian who lives in England and has been an atheist and humanist since her teens. She became interested in America’s perception of nonbelievers when some American friends and fellow atheists shared their own stories of feeling marginalized.“I always assumed America was founded on freedom of religion and was very much like Europe where if you are an atheist it is no big deal,” she said. “When I discovered that in America being an atheist could be a big problem, that was really a shock to me.”She was especially upset by the stories of Jessica Ahlquist and Damon Fowler, two teenage atheists who challenged prayer in their public schools. Ahlquist, a Rhode Island high schooler, received death threats and was belittled by local government officials, and Fowler’s family kicked him out of their Louisiana home before his high school graduation...What is not included is any sort of diatribe or argument against religious belief or believers that’s become the common currency of the most visible atheist activists.
“I really wanted to make sure it was as upbeat as possible and that it really wasn’t a case of ‘us’ against ‘them,’” Broeckx said.
“When I discovered that in America being an atheist could be a big problem, that was really a shock to me.”
ReplyDeleteIs that actually true? I know the USA is a tad more religious than Australia, where i live, but is stated atheism likely to be a stumbling block in one's life over there?
In politics for sure. Sports also, where team prayers are commonplace and nonparticipation is not being part of the team. Also the business world.
DeleteBeing a quiet, unassuming atheist who sits silently at home on Sunday mornings is not a problem, but if you admit to being an atheist in public at a gathering, you will be viewed in the same category with child abusers.
Would add the workplace to the many places it could cause problems for you in the U.S. I know it was not something I felt comfortable sharing at my mostly religious workplace. You will also find that co-workers and strangers in the U.S. just automatically assume that just about anybody they encounter is also a Christian, or to a much lesser extent Catholic.
Deleteyou will be viewed in the same category with child abusers.
ReplyDeleteSurely hyperbole...