Essay on Atheism, the Hidden Prejudice - 1362 Words

Atheism, the Hidden Prejudice Prejudice has plagued our society since its conception. There have been great strides taken in educating people to the ignorance of racism, hatred, and bigotry. The majority people feel that it is wrong to judge someone based on their race, sexual preference, or sex. Mention to people that you do not believe in a god, and you will often find hate-filled stares, ignorant remarks, and judgments made. To better understand this, we will discuss the following in this paper: the history of Atheism, religious freedom in the United States, examples of religious prejudice, and some reasoning why religious discrimination occurs. Many people feel that Atheism is a â€Å"new age† trend; this is incorrect. The term†¦show more content†¦It also states that no law should be made against religious establishments, practices, or beliefs. It is probably not a coincidence that this is the first amendment to the Constitution. The founding fathers new t he importance of religious tolerance and the separation of church and state. They did not want the new America to become a religious government, like the English monarchy. Every person wants their rights protected and upheld; unfortunately, this is not occurring for those of non-secular beliefs. Race, sexual preference, and religious beliefs are the most common forms of prejudice. As a society we have made great progress against racial and sexual bigotry. What seems to be without thought, religious discriminations have been left by the wayside. From 1930 to 2007, polls conducted by the Gallup Organization asked people if they would vote for the best qualified person for president who happened to be â€Å"X†. â€Å"X† represented Atheist, Baptist, Catholic, Jewish, Mormon, Black, Hispanic, homosexual, married 3 times, and 72 years of age. Out of all the categories Atheist showed the least amount of improvement. The 2007 results show that only 45% would have voted yes. That is only a 5% increase from 1978 and a 4% decrease from 1999. In 1978, homosexuals had the lowest at 26%, but in 2007 55% said they would vote yes for a homosexual candidate (Robinson). This study shows that there have been vast improvements in all areas of discrimination exceptShow MoreRelatedAtheism Essay1443 Words   |  6 PagesAtheism People in our society today who have the atheist point of view on religion, which is the belief that there is no god, are going against the so-called norms of society, and therefor are seen as deviant. Deviance is just an idea. Society determines what is deviant by the ideas they hold of what should be the norm. Atheism is seen as a negative deviance, or below the norm. They have a status that is placed on them in society. 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