Religion
In reply to the discussion: Agree or Disagree - Atheists are a persecuted minority in 2014 America. [View all]stage left
(3,079 posts)I think it's pretty much fundamental, evangelical Christians who have a lock on that. We non-believers are torturing them by not buying into their beliefs and resisting, as much as we can, their apparent desire to turn the US into a theocracy. I think atheists are discriminated against, though. They're seen as having no morals and no ethics and as not worthy of trust. That's my perception from what I read and see. I live in a place where the plumber and such have trucks emblazoned with bible verses and the fact that they are Christians, often right close to the stars and bars in their rear window. That fact is on signs outside of businesses everywhere. I can't really imagine anyone advertising as a Humanist, for instance, to recommend themselves. If someone did, I think I might see discrimination become persecution double quick.
I haven't always been an atheist. In fact in my teens, I was a passionate Christian. I still believe that some of the things Jesus said are good things to live by. It's hard to put a finger on what changed me. Reading, living for awhile elsewhere among different kinds of people? But eventually the way I'd grown to perceive the world just wouldn't align with Christian beliefs. I could no longer twist my thinking around to fit the pattern. I no longer wanted to.
I'm still, though, rather far back in the closet, just venturing a toe out, as I am now.
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