More hated than the gays

This statistic has been out for a while, but I've only now found a nice graphic.

Although I like to hear about how much Americans hate me, I think we need to separate some of the prejudices operating here. The prejudices against blacks and hispanics are simple racism, they have nothing to do with things people can change. But politics is about electing the people whose beliefs you share. If the elector thinks that the candidate's religious beliefs would adversely affect their performance, then of course they shouldn't vote for them. I certainly wouldn't vote for Sheik Hilaly. Of course not all religious positions are full-blown theocracy but many forms of religion will affect the laws of the land in some way. I've never heard Tony Abbott give a secular reason for his opposition to abortion. (Then again, I've never heard a coherent religious argument either.)

If it were true that any atheist politician would try to stop religious people practising their beliefs (or if it were true that a god is necessary for ethics) then these statistics would be justified. What this graphic really shows is ignorance about atheism.