A Call to End Discrimination

[Cirosan]

A common cry that I hear from Atheists is that we are discriminated against by other people. This is true. However, stopping such discrimination in its tracks is your responsibility.

If you truly want to dispel the negative perceptions against Atheists, be vocal about it! Get out and say to your local populace, "Hey! I'm an Atheist! I'm a moral, upstanding person just like you!"

I myself have been successful with this tactic. I live in the Bible Belt. I'm also very vocal about my Atheistic beliefs. I can say without ego that I'm fairly well-liked within my local area. By being vocal, I've been able to show the local populace that Atheists are not Satan-worshiping, bred-to-kill, immoral nor evil people.

True, you may not be able to convince the older folk. But if you're young - a student, ideally - you should be able to convince open-minded peers, and in turn future generations.

I don't expect this to be fool-proof. Nay, in many places it may be unsuccessful. But if you can convince one person - just one - that Atheists are just people like them, you will have made a huge difference.

At least try it. Worst-case scenario: You're hated by bigots who would have hated you anyway.  

[AnonymouZ]

Worst case scenario possibility that you forgot (out of the many related ones):

People who hated atheists hear you are atheist. As opposed to just knowing you were moral and upstanding just like them, they now start seeing flaws in your work performance, homework assignments, or even the way you comb your hair. "evil" is stamped on your head by the imagination of not just older people, but fanatics who believe you should burn in hell for your blasphemy. ( i think it is considered a blasphemy... to not believe in jesus christ's teachings after you heard/read/know-about them)

You either get shot, or you survive by getting the crappiest possible job, since people who would have thought about hiring you because of your skills, now thought twice about it, since they all know atheists are immoral people who would probably steal from them.

But enough about the jokes. I bet, even after speaking out your beliefs, there's still people who think you "will see the light in the end", or who just try to convince you that your view on this issue is wrong. If it is that way... i'd rather not let anyone know, and keep their preaching to theirselves... domokun  

[Cirosan]

Anonymouz

Worst case scenario possibility that you forgot (out of the many related ones):

People who hated atheists hear you are atheist. As opposed to just knowing you were moral and upstanding just like them, they now start seeing flaws in your work performance, homework assignments, or even the way you comb your hair. "evil" is stamped on your head by the imagination of not just older people, but fanatics who believe you should burn in hell for your blasphemy. ( i think it is considered a blasphemy... to not believe in jesus christ's teachings after you heard/read/know-about them)

You either get shot, or you survive by getting the crappiest possible job, since people who would have thought about hiring you because of your skills, now thought twice about it, since they all know atheists are immoral people who would probably steal from them.

But enough about the jokes. I bet, even after speaking out your beliefs, there's still people who think you "will see the light in the end", or who just try to convince you that your view on this issue is wrong. If it is that way... i'd rather not let anyone know, and keep their preaching to theirselves... domokun

Yet if we don't try, we will always have to live in shadow. Without effort, we will always be considered evil and have to hide our true selves. We have to speak out and dispel those negative connotations or live with them forever.

Besides, I have more faith in humanity than that. Not every religious person is a bigoted zealot. Certainly some of them would be assholes about it, but there's bound to be at least one person who will acknowledge our humanity.

I never said it would be easy. I never said it would be painless. But with enough effort, we could make sure that no Atheist in the future would ever have to go through the widespread discrimination that we do now. And to ensure that our children would have a better world to live in... Is that not worth slaving for? Is that not worth dying for?  

[Sanguvixen]

Well, the problem with being active is that many people who are atheist stand to lose much by letting people know. I myself cannot allow my family to know what I believe in, becuase it would throw my future down the drain.

It would make a mess of things, and I'd probably end up losing the support I get as far as fianances and college. If only people didn't react so harshly to finding out those around them do not believe in god. I think that once a person has found grounds, and is out on thier own, and succesful in life with a job and a place to live...then they might be more able to be vocal without the consequences being too harsh.

The thing is though...it's kind of like with furries. If you are vocal about what you are into, or what you believe in with the intent of correcting misinformation...people come down on you and your kind in a negative way. If you are not vocal, and you keep quiet, than people run around saying bad things and untrue things, and no one is there to set them straight. It's a double edged sword, a you get burned either way, a damned if you do, and damned if you don't kind of situation.

 

[Cirosan]

Sanguvixen

Well, the problem with being active is that many people who are atheist stand to lose much by letting people know. I myself cannot allow my family to know what I believe in, becuase it would throw my future down the drain.

It would make a mess of things, and I'd probably end up losing the support I get as far as fianances and college. If only people didn't react so harshly to finding out those around them do not believe in god. I think that once a person has found grounds, and is out on thier own, and succesful in life with a job and a place to live...then they might be more able to be vocal without the consequences being too harsh.

The thing is though...it's kind of like with furries. If you are vocal about what you are into, or what you believe in with the intent of correcting misinformation...people come down on you and your kind in a negative way. If you are not vocal, and you keep quiet, than people run around saying bad things and untrue things, and no one is there to set them straight. It's a double edged sword, a you get burned either way, a damned if you do, and damned if you don't kind of situation.

True. I suppose it's a matter of personal opinion and situational conditions that would drive someone to either choice. For me, though, living a lie is worse than not living at all.

It's a lose-lose situation... And the only way to possibly get out is to lose.

Although, I truly believe that we'll never escape the awkward situation we're in without effort. If society doesn't have any good examples of Atheists to look to, we'll be ostracized forever. Hiding your true self may lead to less hardship now, but in the end, being open about it would probably bring less in the long run.

Either way, it's a personal call. Everyone knows the results of their decisions and can decide for themselves whether or not it's worth it.  

[Meirelle]

I let people know I'm an atheist, but only if it comes up. I don't just randomly shout "ZOMG i m teh atheist! :0" That would be, like, awkward.

It's kind of like the Christians who have to mention that they're Christian at every possible moment. It gets annoying fast, and nobody cares.

So if it comes up, yes. If not, then why should every single one of my coworkers know I'm an atheist within my first two weeks on the job? That's creepy. The subject is bound to come up eventually, but still-- even at my job, where I work a lot with television and the media, I only directly said "I'm an atheist" twice. Once was when some coworkers and I were joking about how a band playing on one of the NBC late night shows sounded like a Christian band. The other time was when a coworker was looking for a good Catholic church to go to, and my parent's church came up, and I recommended it. She asked if I went there, and I said no, and that I was an atheist, to avoid any confusion. I've been at my job for almost a year.

But yeah. People who flaunt their religion all the time are weird. sweatdrop  

[Cirosan]

Meirelle

I let people know I'm an atheist, but only if it comes up. I don't just randomly shout "ZOMG i m teh atheist! :0" That would be, like, awkward.

It's kind of like the Christians who have to mention that they're Christian at every possible moment. It gets annoying fast, and nobody cares.

So if it comes up, yes. If not, then why should every single one of my coworkers know I'm an atheist within my first two weeks on the job? That's creepy. The subject is bound to come up eventually, but still-- even at my job, where I work a lot with television and the media, I only directly said "I'm an atheist" twice. Once was when some coworkers and I were joking about how a band playing on one of the NBC late night shows sounded like a Christian band. The other time was when a coworker was looking for a good Catholic church to go to, and my parent's church came up, and I recommended it. She asked if I went there, and I said no, and that I was an atheist, to avoid any confusion. I've been at my job for almost a year.

But yeah. People who flaunt their religion all the time are weird. sweatdrop

Precisely. We shouldn't lie or hide who we are, but there's no need to be overtly open about it; that would be unnecessary.  

[=X-Sparker + AquaKiller=]

i'll only let people i really trust know that i'm an atheist, because after all, there are people who are reckless enough to shoot an atheist on a bright day on the street.....  

[Ruminating Skeptic]

Yeah, going around saying you are an Atheist might seem weird, but otherwise people automatically assume you're a Christain, which is incredibly annoying and frustrating. And kinda awkward too.

religious person: "aww, but we both know how silly those Atheists are. They'll burn in hell while we get eternal salvation!"

you: "i am an Atheist."

religious person: "...oh whoops."

well that's if they have any decency. if they're like most, it'll be more "BURN!" rolleyes

Maybe the solution to that is to be descreet, like a Bad Religion t-shirt or something.

But yeah, I agree, I think the only way to get rid of all those stereotypes is to be vocal. Do you think women and blacks would have their rights today if they hadn't been so vocal?  

[Death God Hitsugaya]

I had a friend who said he didn't have any atheist friends once. I told him I was, and he started avoiding me.

Another incident: Someone was annoyed with me and said "You... You atheist!" I responded by saying "Why yes, yes I am." She was kind of stunned for a moment, and I started laughing. She's still my friend though.

But for me, if anyone asks, I'll tell them that I'm atheist. My parents probably won't really care, cause they probably know because I had a sticker sasying "Gaian Atheists United" on the back of my student ID which was sitting around all the time.

And... Sparker, it's true. That's why I don't let the adults out where I live know. They're all fundies. 6000-year-theory-fundies.  

[Cirosan]

Death God Hitsugaya

That's why I don't let the adults out where I live know. They're all fundies. 6000-year-theory-fundies.

This is somewhat of an unrelated note, but I feel compelled to point it out. I hate it when religious bigots call themselves "fundamentalists" when they are nothing of the sort. Fundamentalists would follow the original teachings of Christ, correct? The original teachings of Christ state that each devout Christian must carry their own cross - make their own sacrifices. One of the sacrifices he teaches is to love your fellow man. Therefore, true fundamentalists would love everyone regardless of belief, color, race, creed, gender, ideals, morals, or bubblegum flavor.

For example, if you were to tell a true fundamentalist that you were an Atheist, their response would be something like this: "Oh, that's fine. Christ loved everyone, and I follow Christ, so I love everyone." However, if you were to tell a fake fundamentalist that you were Atheist, their response would be something like this: "YOU SHALL BURN IN HELL, SINNER!"  

[xxvampirexninjaxx]

ya one of the guys in my school is the son of a minister and a christian mom but he's very vocal about being atheist and his parents and everyone else around him accept it in fact he's the class clown and the class know it all lol he's the funny guy biggrin