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.
posted by Nick @ 5:28 pm
4 comments
4 Comments:
Not only more hated than gays, but also more hated than 72-year-olds!
So I guess both atheists and Christians need to learn more about each other. No point arguing in ignorance.
Gee and I was about to change my profile on my blog to "I am 25 year old atheist...". Me thinks it probably wouldn't go down well with my constituency.
I have always said that the Greens are the party for atheists. We'll take all of that 45% thankyou.
Well, they're US statistics. Luckily, Australians still find it a little unseemly for politicians to discuss their religious beliefs. Unfortunately this is changing...
I think you're right that the Greens has the highest proportion of atheists. Certainly Greens policies are more secular than other parties just look at the NSW upper house where the Greens move to replace The Lord's Prayer with a moment of silence (that way Fred can still say his prayer, albeit silently) and to remove religious exemptions from the anti-discrimination act. It's not just the Christian Democrats who oppose these moves, it's Liberal and Labor too.
I guess that anti-discrimination laws do curtail the religious freedoms of those who claim that discrimination is part of their religion. Although I believe strongly in freedom of belief and speech, I'd have to argue that people's actions need to be restricted when they affect others; we do not and should not have unrestrained freedom of religious practice.
Anyway, Joel is sounding a little like Fred Nile at the moment. A while ago when I was on holidays with my family my grandmother read in the paper a quote from Nile saying that the Greens are anti-Christian. I simply explained that Fred Nile is a lying nut-case (to which she agreed, having met him once at a Uniting Church function, many years ago). But there's an even simpler refutation - by counter-example. In the last council election, of the lead Greens candidates for Penrith's three wards, one was a Christian, one was a Muslim and one was an atheist.
I find it disturbing that one in ten Americans wouldn't vote for a woman.
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