Are you a minority?

[brainshmain]

I was just wondering, are your guys' opinions on religion common where you live?  I always take note of where you guys are from, and I would love to hear what it's like to be an atheist in that region, especially in areas that have high concentrations of religious people.
I live in Portland, OR, which is incredibly liberal, so I feel almost no religious pressure in my area.  As soon as you leave Portland and head toward Southern or Eastern Oregon, you start to see the giant 'Jesus Saves' road signs, which seems so silly because I'm not used to being subject to that stuff.  I was just curious as to what it's like to be atheist in your town or city...

[SteveS]

I live in Lemont Illinois, which is just a small (15,000 people) suburban town in the great Chicago sprawl.  Our town used to have the words "Village of Faith" on some of the official logos (although now it appears they've changed them all to "Historic Lemont") - and indeed, the village is very faithful.  There are churches everywhere, and they are almost exclusively catholic.  In fact, the community info page says there are 50 catholic churches within 10 miles ( ), 0 jewish synagogues, and 1 protestant church.  Which is weird, because I've driven by other churches that are Lutheran and even one baptist, so I'm disinclined to trust these numbers entirely.  There is also a very large Hindu temple (it does a whopping business, but draws people from all over.  It's actually named the "Hindu Temple of Greater Chicago".  It's all carved up and has an interesting look to it).

So, although there are a lot of religious people around, they are mostly catholic.  And the catholics are, in Richard Dawkins words, a "benign herd";  they seem to make being an atheist very easy.  I don't encounter any religious problems in my daily life, and I occasionally mouth off about my irreligious beliefs (haha, hard to believe, right?).  So far nobody has ostracized me, although I can't help but wonder what they think in private (freakin' heathen!).

Part of this is probably because Lemont, at least in recent decades and regardless of what the village literature says, has acquired more character as "another Chicago suburb" than it has kept of it's own, and the city is such a mish-mosh of ethnicity and culture that I don't perceive a lot of intolerance.  I was a boy scout growing up, and our troop was very secular.  We never did church services or anything, and nobody challenged my religious beliefs (sort of like gays in the military, right?  Don't ask don't tell, ).

This is part of why I'm so shocked when somebody comes on and posts about all the intolerance they have been subjected to - it's just a foreign experience to me.  I guess I've had it easy.

[Whitney]

I'm in a college town right now so it's not too bad, I can go all day, most of the time, without hearing anything about religion (as long as I don't visit the forum).  When I do hear something about religion it is usually from my best friend talking about how her troubles must be part of God's plan and that she trusts that it will work out since everything happens for a reason.  She has a tendency to forget that I'm not a believer (I guess it's hard for her to accept since she knows I'm a good person and her beliefs put me n a road to hell)...I don't challange her since she needs all the support she can get right now even if it's just imagined support.

I can say I'm "not religious" around here without any problems but I'm not sure how openly saying I'm an athiest would go over and don't really want to find out right now either.  If most Christians around here are like my mom, atheist is the worst thing you can be in their view....but agnostic is okay for some reason.

Those who deal with a lot of intolerance are probably from smaller towns.  I know there are a few towns in Oklahoma where you pretty much have to be a church goer to be accepted into the community.

[ScourgeO'God]

I'm from the Philly burbs.  It's weird here.  In one direction there's Philly, a big city with several colleges, a large gay community, and a generally open-minded vibe.  In the other direction the people are very religious and can be exceptionally judgemental.  My ex-boyfriend lives out in that direction and has gotten a few comments from strangers just for wearing a Maiden shirt with some of the lyrics from "Number Of The Beast".  That's the exception.  For the most part people in Lancaster and Berks counties are too shy/polite to say anything, even if you try to offend them.  They'll look, they'll shake their heads, but they won't usually confront you.  If they do they usually try to inform you that whatever it is that caught their attention just isn't right, but they're polite about it and will usually leave you alone if you ask nicely.  I live right in the middle where it just seems to depend on the person.  I've met the full range, from other atheists to total bible humpers and everything in-between.  I tend to avoid talking about religion unless I know someone well.  When the subject comes up and I say I'm a nonbeliever the reaction is almost always a total non-event.

I can't imagine living surrounded by Jesus freaks.  *shudder*

I don't challange her since she needs all the support she can get right now even if it's just imagined support.

That's very respectable.  The older I've gotten, the more I've realized religion is a crutch and that's all that's holding some people upright.  It preys on weakness, but it also creates community.  So while the support of a big fake man in the clouds might not be there, the sheep look out for each other and you have to admire that on some level.

[McQ]

I live in the middle of Lancaster County, PA. aka Pennsylvania Dutch Country. aka Amish Country. Horses and buggies. It's about as conservative as it gets. I think it's like me and two other non-believers in total!  

But the Shoo-Fly Pie is good.

I'd say it's peaceful, but we're the ones who had that Amish schoolhouse mass murder in 2006.

[MommaSquid]

But the Shoo-Fly Pie is good.

Oh, how cruel of you to mention shoo-fly pie!  I'm drooling all over my keyboard...


Back to the topic at hand:  there are quite a lot of churches in the Phoenix area and they come in many flavors.  I laugh at believers but keep my atheism to myself.  What they don't know can't hurt me.

[Will]

Sure. I don't know of many Atheist-saturated areas in the US yet. They're coming, though. If atheism, or un-faith, continues to grow the way it has even over the past few months, I'd be willing to be California and the Pacific Northwest, and New England might start being...well not predominantly, but have a much higher concentration of atheists. I just hope we don't see a whole bunch of atheist churches pop up. Science damn it, that'd piss me off.

[semicolon]

Hey, I'm a newbie. Canadian (check the flag!) I am an atheist in a once totally church-going Catholic province. Now church attendance is the lowest in Canada. Hm. I haven't really told anyone I am an atheist, because I just became one!  I've been reading Richard Dawkins and Sam Harris, doing a lot of thinking over the past couple of years and finally came to a decision. I am sure glad to find your site!

[ScourgeO'God]

I live in the middle of Lancaster County, PA. aka Pennsylvania Dutch Country. aka Amish Country. Horses and buggies. It's about as conservative as it gets. I think it's like me and two other non-believers in total!  

But the Shoo-Fly Pie is good.

Hey 'neighbor'.    That's what's great about living in Montgomery County.  Less conservative, but still close to all of the great food.

[McQ]

I live in the middle of Lancaster County, PA. aka Pennsylvania Dutch Country. aka Amish Country. Horses and buggies. It's about as conservative as it gets. I think it's like me and two other non-believers in total!  

But the Shoo-Fly Pie is good.

Hey 'neighbor'.    That's what's great about living in Montgomery County.  Less conservative, but still close to all of the great food.

Born and reared in Blue Bell. I know Montgomery county well. Welcome to the forum, BTW!

[SteveS]

Canadian (check the flag!)

Hi semicolon - I was born in the states, but one of my parents was born and raised in Canada.  So, I guess that makes me half-Canadian.

[Tom62]

I was "lucky" to be born in the Netherlands, where approx. 30-40% are non religious.

[Scrybe]

I was raised all over, including Japan, Texas, and Alaska.  But my home will always be the great NorthWest.  This is an interesting topic because it shows how perceptions can be so different.  It's like the way conservatives say the media is totally liberally biased, and the liberals say it's totally conservatively biased.  I've always felt a certain amount of embarrassment when people find out I'm a Christian.  I've always felt pressure to drop the religion.  But certainly not by atheists.  Mostly the non-religious.  Which I think comprise the vast majority of people in the world.  (No, filling in a checkbox with a religion does not make you religious.)  

Though, now that I'm an adult, and don't give a crap about what people think of me I really don't notice any friction.  I get along with religious people and non-religious people equally well.  I'm in the least churched area in the U.S. and I enjoy it.

[starelda]

In my town, almost 70% described themselves as Christian in the last census (2001). Though I'm in the UK, where church attendance has been falling for years...I think maybe around 10% attend church regularly. So most of that 70% are probably just Christmas/Easter Christians who are barely influenced by their faith for the rest of the year. Then there's some Sikh, Muslim and Hindu people (around 3% each).

In the last census, about 15% of people in my town said they had no religion whilst 10% didn't state their religion. I've had no problems as an atheist in my town and the majority of people I know are atheists.

[cheddamash]

I live in Appleton WI and it's pretty decent here. Virtually no pressure from society. I don't have any statistics, but I'd say it's 60/40 theists to atheists. Not a bad number. hehe.