Afraid to Be Atheist in America?
November 30th, 2006 by 
soulster
While searching for a plugin for this site, I ran into a blog post on Zy.ca about Richard Dawkins [wiki] recent speech at a University in Lynchburg. In the post, Zyca says:
The whole exchange and his [Dawkin's] bit about atheists being fearful of revealing themselves in the US … disturbs me. It seems inconceivable that americans are so … fanatical, but then again their president is a strong believer in “your with us or against us” ideology so I could see it being true…..Basically his strongest arguement is that being an Atheist should not be a stigma … it shouldn’t prevent you from being elected, etc. It is creepy that it would be an issue … but more so, it is creepy that there would be a cohesive group of atheists imposing their beliefs upon others. I strongly believe in live and let live … but Neocons scare the crap out of me … so maybe there is a point to unity of atheist … mind, I consider myself Agnostic. Still, fervor is fervor and whether it is backed by faith or religion, it is still a very scary thing.
I appreciate the oberservation and honesty from someone presumably outside to the US. This impressed upon me the importance of our dialogue here. It is interesting that this blog was started by two Americans, though our readership is not geographically limited. I don't think either of us would agree that there should ever be such a society where certain thought systems are afraid of revealing themselves. That amounts to truth-suppression, or, at the very least, gross insecurity on the part of the oppressors. To say we believe our thinking is right as atheists, theists, or anything else is, of course, reasonable. But to believe so deeply that others are wrong that you are willing to force their view into hiding or extinction is arrogance of the worst kind, unhealthy for the truth, and just generally evil. Humans in general, and Americans in particular, could gain much by learning the art of humility. Since our talk of late has been a lot on ethics and the ethics of dialogue, I thought we might do some ethical work here on this blog and draft a atheist-theist ethical statement on the treatment of humans, specifically with regards to people of different truth-systems and their treatment. To get the ball rolling, I suggest some questions:
1. What evolutionary advantage might there be to allowing free dialogue? What other moral or ethical reasons might inform our treatment of people from other truth-systems?
2. What teaching in Christianity might support greater tolerance of other thought-systems? What teaching in other wisdom traditions religious or philosophical might help here?
3. What should be our rules of engagement? What constitutes wrong behavior universally (or, what is it always wrong and right to do to people of other truth-systems)?
4. What can be done proactively to remove fear from people of other truth-systems and create places of dialogue and cooperation?
Please answer which ever questions interest you in whatever order you like.
Posted in atheism, belief, ethics, how to dialogue | 
November 30th, 2006 at 3:01 pm
I think a helpful start is to agree that the basis of ethical dialog is respect for individual opinion. Those who express their views in an attempt to witness, convince, or otherwise create understanding in another are doing well. Those who attempt to trick, coerce, silence, or intimidate others are out of bounds. A basis for this would be “do unto others as you would have them do unto you” or “there is no compulsion in religion” from some faith perspectives. From non-religious perspective, we all have a genetic endowment and experiential course in life, but no reason exists that should allow anyone to impose the results of that on others.
It will be inevitable that some controversy will exist at the margins. In that case, it should be valid for the person detecting what they feel is a crossing of the boundary to point it out. Then, we ought to remind ourselves of the virtues of forgiveness. Forgiveness, I would assert, is also an effect of respect for individual opinion in a religious or non-religious perspective. But it is a choice, just as respect for ethical dialog is a choice. Those who choose to not engage the discussion in a way that is in bounds should be warned, but forgiveness can extend only so far, perhaps “seventy times seven times” or less, depending on the patience of the moderator.
November 30th, 2006 at 3:07 pm
I’m not sure what I have to add to the discussion, but I wanted to comment on the sentiment of the quoted post. I personally find that to be very much the norm where I live. I live in Alabama, work in software development, and find that I have to be cautious with who I’m completely open about my beliefs with. I don’t mind anyone knowing I’m an atheist, but it makes day-to-day life much smoother if I can interact with certain coworkers without them looking down on me just because I happen to believe differently.
Working in a progressive field does make things easier. Everyday life is worse here for an atheist than it should be. I live in the state capital city, and I haven’t been able to find any organized atheist or freethinkers groups in a 50 mile radius, and our city and state governments are dominated by those who specifically use their religion as tools for political gain. You have no chance of getting elected to any post in this state if you don’t profess religion and your “good Christian morals,” although, it does sometimes backfire (Roy Moore, notably). Every time a politician does this, it simply distances me, as I’m sure it does most secular voters. We are just not a big enough base for them to care about.
I’m not sure how to fix this, and I’m not sure how to open any sort of meaningful dialog with the average believer I encounter. The ones that are appalled that I don’t believe in their god are also the ones appalled when I dare ask them how their god is different from any other. If you can’t find any common ground for discussion, it’s hard to have a discussion at all.
November 30th, 2006 at 3:53 pm
soulster,
In an open dialogue, good ideas are transmitted more often and survive longer. They're better for the species and induce progress. Bad ideas cannot stand up under criticism.
There is always the chance (no matter how slim) that we are wrong. Since we may be wrong, it's always good to explore other ideas in open debate. If the idea does not hold up, we can dismiss it and adopt a philosophy that more fully reflects reality. If the idea is good, it will survive scrutiny. That was the 'ploy' I used during the discussion at Harvest Boston. In a discussion, we only have to gain better ideas, or help strengthen current beliefs. That's actually where we met each other, soulster!
Here's a few.
I think a good set of rules are both of the "How to…" articles and the "On Debate" article for now.
Cheating is always wrong. To everyone that is not cheating, it is a wrong behavior. To the cheater, it is not. All societies and religions have in place systems that try to prevent cheating.
I suggest we use a tit-for-tat strategy developed by Rapoport, the social psychologist and game theorist I quoted in "On Debate." He formulated a system to explain reciprocal altruism.
November 30th, 2006 at 6:10 pm
I feel the same way, but I'm Catholic, and I think probably anyone will tell you that it's wise to be a little circumspect about revealing your deepest beliefs. The title of the quote was 'afraid to be atheist'… Does anyone really feel afraid, like, "these crazy Christians are gonna rough me up!" type afraid? As far as the argument about atheism being a stigma goes: Atheism is an idea about the fundamental nature of the world. I think it natural that someone might not vote for you because you hold an idea that is contrary to their most basic understanding of the universe. (Now of course, if the candidates were a twitty theist and a wise atheist, I would vote for the atheist.)
November 30th, 2006 at 9:01 pm
Yes, at times I have felt afraid of either ridicule by my friends or physical violence enacted against me. That's why I am not open about my beliefs.
For example, just recently a good friend of mine and I were eating lunch, and he stopped eating, leaned over, and asked me if I believed in Hell. I tried not to spit out my food. Instead I gave him a hard look.
I couldn't tell him that I didn't believe in Hell. The bar was full of Good Ol' Boys (Maryland's got plenty of them), and my friend was so insistent that I could only mutter, "I'll tell you later in the car." Only after we were driving back could I tell him that I didn't believe in Hell. I couldn't break it to him that I was an atheist, because on several occasions he's told me that atheists are deserving of Hellfire.
I still got considerable flak for not believing in Hell.
And he's my good friend.
On a more general note, atheists are the most distrusted minority.
December 1st, 2006 at 1:57 am
I’m a nudist. I’ve told lots of people that I’m a nudist. I publish the fact on the Internet, send out Christmas cards with information about what we are doing as nudists, and am open to family, friends, acquaintances, and even strangers about being a nudist. I’ve let out that I’m an atheist to very few. The reaction to being an atheist is much worse than to being a nudist.
December 1st, 2006 at 10:36 pm
I just want to say I’m listening.
My life is lived mostly among the marginal and non-white populations of NYC. I’m married to an Asian, and have only few close white friends any more. Once you move out of the dominant culture, your eyes are open, and you begin to see how life is for others.
Just last night, I was riding with a Columbian friend back from a lecture at Princeton. He is much more educated than I am, and brilliant besides. I was saying that I might not go to school for my writing. He said I didn’t need to because I was white, but he was a different story. He was right. I watched him in a crowd of whites at the pub after the lecture. He was better read and a longer study on the topic of conversation. But he sat and listened to others speak because no one recognized him. Even in the ‘enlightened’ academy, being part of the dominant culture means more than true ability. I think, if my friend could, he might occasionally hide his Latino appearence just to sit equally at a conversation. No wonder atheists choose often to remain in silence. But what have we lost?
When I read your stories, in comments here, it stikes me. I have a sense of growing indignation. I want to keep listening for a while and be a good witness.
June 18th, 2008 at 9:26 pm
I consider myself an athiest. However, I am a very new athiest and my conscious is riddled with fear and anxiety. I need a supportive group of like minded people before i lose my mind. Does anyone know of a support group in Fort Collins, CO or of an upcoming retreat? I am willing to travel as far as California or the East Coast. Please respond if you know of anything! I crave connection and support. I’m sure there are other people like me out there. I’ve already read many books but now i need human interaction. Thank you!!