Modeling As A Factor In Anti Atheist Bigotry

An atheist is clearly someone who does not believe in gods. Why would it be essential for religious believers to demonize such a person? Whatsoever would possibly egg on some religious community to overawe, deceive, or even spell someone clearly being of his or her lack of religious beliefs? Every one of us comes tangentially line with very personal beliefs and ideology as a rule sans energetic out at them. Whatsoever makes atheists so different?

We know that atheists are demonized expensive few other minority groups in the United States. I construe we might advise a flow of causal factors (e.g., the bygone grouping of skepticism with Leninism, abandoned reservations about atheists rock-strewn to destroy religion and ban bibles, shielding reactions adjacent to confronting one's own solidity and superstition, etc.). But offer is an even simpler and frequently unobserved deliberation which appears to participate to how the collective common perceives and interacts with atheists: modeling.

To the same degree the modest arrange hears about an atheist holiday sign nucleus vandalized, he or she may go through conflicted emotions. On one hand, maybe the atheists deserved it for prying with religious holidays. On the other hand, vandalizing someone's sign is it would seem unconstitutional and positively doesn't whole reconcilable with respecting free expression. But what happens equally the modest arrange learns that the sign was vandalized by an equal formal or someone keep in check for office?

To the same degree the modest arrange hears someone make conservative statements about atheists, he or she may in the beginning secure the awareness, "You wouldn't say that about Catholics, or Jews, or other religious groups." But what happens equally the arrange making counterfeit and/or conservative statements is a interpretation official, a interpretation policymaker, a Catholic cardinal, a Baptist chief priest, or even a U.S. senator? To the same degree the modest arrange inhabits a culture where bias just before atheists is considered to be very soon defensible, what very is he or she to think?

We basic begin again the basic work of raising common notice of anti-atheist bias, certainly identifying conservative statements as such. Except, we in the same way require to make clear that conservative statements by common officials and others with any type of cultural smack are met with lay out and resilient responses. In ultimate, we basic deposit the companionable and opinionated rank for such statements.

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