Why Religious People Are Scared of Atheists

[Whitney]

because we won't let them have their theocracy. . .

excerpts pulled from original: http://www.alternet.org/story/149224/wh ... f_atheists

And if these op-ed pieces and whatnot were all you knew about the atheist movement and the critiques of it, you might think that atheists were simply being asked to be reasonable, civil, and polite.

But if you follow atheism in the news, you begin to see a very different story.

You begin to see that atheists are regularly criticized -- vilified, even -- simply for existing.

Case in point: In Bryan/ College Station, Texas, the Brazos Valley Vuvuzela Atheist Marching Band recently marched in the annual Christmas parade. Now, let's be very clear about this: The 18-person marching band didn't march with signs saying "Fuck Your Religion," or "You Know It's A Myth," or even "There's Probably No God -- Now Stop Worrying and Enjoy Your Life." They wished people a merry Christmas, and a happy Hanukkah, and a merry Kwanzaa. They played "Jingle Bells" on vuvuzelas. And they carried a banner saying they were atheists.

Which was enough, apparently, to send many Christians into fits. The atheist presence in the Christmas parade created a substantial controversy in the area. One resident interviewed by the local news, Tina Corgey, said, "I spent many years teaching my children to love and respect other people and to love the fact that they were children of God and I don't feel that they should be influenced in any other way especially not at a Christmas parade."

And she was hardly alone. Her sentiments were echoed in many comments on the local news story. Including:

    "There was one entry that should not have been in the parade. It was against Christmas."

Just a reminder before we go on: We're talking about playing "Jingle Bells" in a Christmas parade. You can't get any less controversial than this. It's like a freaking Norman Rockwell painting. How much more sweet and agreeable could you be?

Usually, the atheist bus ads and billboards say things like, "Millions are good without God." Or, "In Good We Trust." Or, "Don't believe in God? You are not alone."

And when they do, there's almost always an angry, intensely offended reaction from religious believers. There are protests, boycotts, demands that the ads be taken down, even vandalism. Sometimes the ads actually do get stopped: transit companies will sometimes stop accepting religious or controversial ads entirely, rather than let those vile atheists defile their sacred buses and trains. With our message about, you know, existing.

In other words: When all atheists do is say, "Atheists exist," it gets treated as an assault.

See, you don't get have it both ways. You don't get to have Christmas be a secular holiday, universal to the culture, recognized by government agencies and celebrated by people of all faiths and of no faith at all... and still have it be a religious holiday of the Christian faith. Not if you respect people's basic right to worship, or not, in their own way. Pick one. If Christmas is a universal secular holiday, quit whining about it being secularized. If it's a distinct religious holiday, quit trying to ram it down everyone else's throats.

But there's a huge difference between making a case for why your religious views are correct... and getting offended, insulted, and martyred over the mere fact that some people disagree with you. Making a case for your position is one thing. Trying to stop other people from making their case is quite another.

The former is simply the marketplace of ideas: bumpy, fractious, sometimes obnoxious, even at times grotesque, but a cornerstone of a free society. The latter is entitlement. The latter is hegemony: systems by which those in power perpetuate and expand their power. And, when it gets enshrined into government policy -- like teaching religious beliefs in public school science classes, or funding religious organizations with tax money, or opening government meetings with prayers, or displaying the Ten Commandments on government property, or promoting one religion over another in a public school -- the latter is theocracy.

And when the Christian right demands that atheists not be allowed to march in a public Christmas parade, or to advertise on public buses and trains... that's exactly what they're demanding.

[AnimatedDirt]

I find most Atheists a breath of fresh air to speak with.  I quite enjoy that for the most part, true Atheists have an excellent education on A LOT of subjects and aren't as one-way'd as most Christians are.  I like the different viewpoints, while I may disagree on some things, I've not actually met a "demon" Atheist in the sense of a person that actually hates any and all Christians or pokes fun at every turn.

That's just me, though.

[Whitney]

for the record, by "them" i meant the crazy right wing fundamentalist types who think everyone should be their brand of chrsitian even if they have to be made to follow it....like the churches who threw a fuss here in DFW over a bus ad that said "good without god"  We actually have some non-crazy chrsitian church leaders in the area who are supportive of the ad.

[AnimatedDirt]

for the record, by "them" i meant the crazy right wing fundamentalist types who think everyone should be their brand of chrsitian even if they have to be made to follow it....like the churches who threw a fuss here in DFW over a bus ad that said "good without god"  We actually have some non-crazy chrsitian church leaders in the area who are supportive of the ad.

Yes, I realize for the most part that when these things are mentioned, it is pointed at the fundies.  I don't like them probably just as much as the next person.    No worries.

[McQ]

Interesting piece, Whitney. Thanks for posting it.

Reminds me of the TED talk that I think somebody posted here, with the "drawing on the whiteboard" animation followed along with a discussion of the "us vs. them" mentality of people. Wish I could remember where that was or who posted it.

Anyway, this is good, so thanks.

[Voter]

Making a case for your position is one thing. Trying to stop other people from making their case is quite another.

Worth repeating.

[dgmort19]

...a teenager, 8-year-old and they were curious and they asked questions and it was hard for them to believe and understand that there are actually people out there that don't believe in God."

Reminds me of my childhood. Touching.  

[Velma]

for the record, by "them" i meant the crazy right wing fundamentalist types who think everyone should be their brand of chrsitian even if they have to be made to follow it....like the churches who threw a fuss here in DFW over a bus ad that said "good without god"  We actually have some non-crazy chrsitian church leaders in the area who are supportive of the ad.

Yes, I realize for the most part that when these things are mentioned, it is pointed at the fundies.  I don't like them probably just as much as the next person.    No worries.

The fundies are the most vocal and do seem to be trying the hardest to push their doctrine onto everyone else.

[Sophus]

This is why I like PZ Myers new idea of putting "You Won't Burn In Hell" on a billboard. It would make all the fundies essentially scream "You will too burn in hell" and more people will see how vicious religion can be.

[Tank]

This is why I like PZ Myers new idea of putting "You Won't Burn In Hell" on a billboard. It would make all the fundies essentially scream "You will too burn in hell" and more people will see how vicious religion can be.

A perfect example and exploitation of reverse psychology. It would be a great idea.

[Baggy]

I find most Atheists a breath of fresh air to speak with.  I quite enjoy that for the most part, true Atheists have an excellent education on A LOT of subjects and aren't as one-way'd as most Christians are.  I like the different viewpoints, while I may disagree on some things, I've not actually met a "demon" Atheist in the sense of a person that actually hates any and all Christians or pokes fun at every turn.

That's just me, though.

I'm not sure atheists are generally any better educated or intelligent than people of faith. There are a lot of pretty clever 'believers' as well as a load of dumb ones! perhaps not quite so many poorly educated atheists?..not sure.

Remember Dawkins' ill fated attempt to get atheists to refer to themselves as 'brights'? A bit of a damp squib!

As to the OP I think a lot of religious people feel as sorry for us as they feel threatened. We are after all doomed to spend eternity in hell!

[karadan]

This is why I like PZ Myers new idea of putting "You Won't Burn In Hell" on a billboard. It would make all the fundies essentially scream "You will too burn in hell" and more people will see how vicious religion can be.

Wow, that is clever.

[Recusant]

I think that the article posted by Whitney points to one of the primary reasons that the religious fear atheism:  "Won't somebody please think of the children?"  They fear that their kids may be drawn to atheism, motivated by a variety of factors.

Many types of Christianity have it as a central doctrine that the "one unpardonable sin" is to "permanently reject Christ."  If their wee ones grow up to be atheists, they will surely go to hell.  That's a terrifying thought to them.  Atheists who refuse to hide their disbelief bring that concept to the attention of impressionable young minds.  Imagine the horror of the mother whose youngsters came to understand during that parade "that there are actually people out there that don't believe in God." She spent years carefully indoctrinating them to believe that the existence of her god was beyond question.  Now they know that there are those who not only question it, but actively display the fact that they exist.  Who knows what the result of this knowledge might be?

  I do agree though, that the defense of a secular government championed by atheists is extremely repugnant and offensive to many Christians, to the point that they actively deny that there should be such a thing as "a wall of separation between church and state." That phrase isn't in the US Constitution, after all!

[lundberg500]

I'm not sure atheists are generally any better educated or intelligent than people of faith.

In general, atheists are more intelligent. I firmly believe this. Every single time I converse with an atheist they always seem more educted and intelligent than the average Christian that I deal with. It never fails. That is, at least, my own personal experience. The average Christian that I talk to never seems interested in history or science and that says a lot in my book. I always keep in mind when I'm talking to a Christian that they believe in demons, angels, holy spirits, heaven, hell, and a godman that walked on water, cast out demons, healed the sick and raised the dead, died resurrected and floated up to heaven. It really says a lot about someone who truly believes in supernatural things like these.  

I find most Atheists a breath of fresh air to speak with. I quite enjoy that for the most part, true Atheists have an excellent education on A LOT of subjects and aren't as one-way'd as most Christians are. I like the different viewpoints, while I may disagree on some things, I've not actually met a "demon" Atheist in the sense of a person that actually hates any and all Christians or pokes fun at every turn.That's just me, though.

AnimatedDirt, I wish there were more Christians like you down here in the south. Most Christians are not as open minded as you are down here.

[Voter]

This is why I like PZ Myers new idea of putting "You Won't Burn In Hell" on a billboard. It would make all the fundies essentially scream "You will too burn in hell" and more people will see how vicious religion can be.

You're basically advocating real-life trolling.