Atheist Discrimination

Originally posted by Bardock42
I think discrimination is hard to evaluate in this circumstance anyways, certain parts of society certainly have a distaste for atheists (an unreasonable one) but whether that is so severe to call it what is commonly understood as discrimination, I don't know. I'm sure it does happen, but I can't say that from personal experience or anything I read or watched I could say that it's prevalent.

We might divide severity and extend. The dislike of atheists seems to be very extensive based on surveys but it's severity is mitigated by the difficulty of determining if someone is an atheist.

Originally posted by Symmetric Chaos
We might divide severity and extend. The dislike of atheists seems to be very extensive based on surveys but it's severity is mitigated by the difficulty of determining if someone is an atheist.

I think the severity is also limited by people very rarely hating atheists as extremely as other groups. I don't think many people have a hatred for atheists more often than not they are somewhat weirded out by them.

Originally posted by Mindship
Is that non-religious in the 'organized religion' sense? I ask because often I've got the impression that 'atheist', as typically used on these forums, refers to disbelief in the God of the Bible. Or does non-religious here mean disbelief of any transcendent reality?

As an adjunct, it's been my experience that, generally, more 'intelligent' people tend to reject pretty much any/most feeling-based input, eg, 'hunches'.

I dislike personal experiences, even my own. That may be true, but without data to support it, it's just an anecdote.

And I'm speaking about atheism specifically with the earlier comments. I don't know what the data tells us about those who simply aren't affiliated with an identifiable organization. Whether the correlation is incidental or indicative remains up for debate, but there is reason to believe that increased levels of intelligence leads to an increased likelihood of being an atheist. It's hard to mention this without seeming elitist, but I'm actually just a messenger of the data. I don't claim any kind of intellectual superiority personally.

Originally posted by Bardock42
I think the severity is also limited by people very rarely hating atheists as extremely as other groups. I don't think many people have a hatred for atheists more often than not they are somewhat weirded out by them.

Ta-da!

Originally posted by Digi
[b]I. Severity vs. Prevalence
- First we need to make a distinction between what I will term Severity and Prevalence. Discrimination against atheists is NOT more severe than against most other antagonized groups. What it is, however, is more prevalent than many.
- I'd argue that if you conducted a nationwide survey (in the US, this is) with the question "Do you trust {____}?" for various cultural groups, atheists would be trusted by less people than traditionally discriminated groups such as blacks or Jews. I am not guessing at this theory either, there are numerous studies to support this conclusion. I will discuss them further in future posts when I have the time. [/B]

Seriously, my genius is undervalued on this forum.

dgrin

Originally posted by Digi
I dislike personal experiences, even my own. That may be true, but without data to support it, it's just an anecdote.

And I'm speaking about atheism specifically with the earlier comments. I don't know what the data tells us about those who simply aren't affiliated with an identifiable organization. Whether the correlation is incidental or indicative remains up for debate, but there is reason to believe that increased levels of intelligence leads to an increased likelihood of being an atheist. It's hard to mention this without seeming elitist, but I'm actually just a messenger of the data. I don't claim any kind of intellectual superiority personally.

It's not something to bring up in casual conversation, pretty much ever. Being an atheism leads to increased sexiness....that's about as much bragging as I'll reliably commit to in a debate.

Originally posted by Digi
I dislike personal experiences, even my own. That may be true, but without data to support it, it's just an anecdote.

And I'm speaking about atheism specifically with the earlier comments. I don't know what the data tells us about those who simply aren't affiliated with an identifiable organization. Whether the correlation is incidental or indicative remains up for debate, but there is reason to believe that increased levels of intelligence leads to an increased likelihood of being an atheist. It's hard to mention this without seeming elitist, but I'm actually just a messenger of the data. I don't claim any kind of intellectual superiority personally.

Ta-da!

Seriously, my genius is undervalued on this forum.

dgrin

lol, well I was referencing you, but my point was more that the severity might be so low as to not be commonly described as discrimination anymore.

Originally posted by Digi
I dislike personal experiences, even my own. That may be true, but without data to support it, it's just an anecdote.

And I'm speaking about atheism specifically with the earlier comments. I don't know what the data tells us about those who simply aren't affiliated with an identifiable organization. Whether the correlation is incidental or indicative remains up for debate, but there is reason to believe that increased levels of intelligence leads to an increased likelihood of being an atheist. It's hard to mention this without seeming elitist, but I'm actually just a messenger of the data. I don't claim any kind of intellectual superiority personally.

Originally posted by Mindship
Interesting though that your own response would seem to support it.

IMO, you've never come across as elitist. Just someone who knows his stuff and tries to present it as objectively as possible. In fact, no one on this board really strikes me that way. Wise-asses, yeah. But basically, I see intelligent people presenting good reason for believing what they do.

heh, thanks. I didn't mean to discredit your opinion though. It's just hard to make any kind of convincing case based on observations, however accurate they may or may not be.

Originally posted by Digi
Hell, Jesse Ventura is a famous example. It doesn't refute my point.

He's also an out-there conspiracy nut who's probably a schizo, and who has a show about his whacked out theories (on 'Tru' TV, ironically). So he's probably not a shining example or the best reference point for would-be aspiring atheist politicians.

----

To be honest, I would vote for an atheist if I liked him or her.

Originally posted by Digi
It's not something to bring up in casual conversation, pretty much ever. Being an atheism leads to increased sexiness....that's about as much bragging as I'll reliably commit to in a debate.

Originally posted by Mindship

IMO, you've never come across as elitist.

I strongly disagree, in particular his last post to me was disgraceful but I let it lie.

Originally posted by Deadline
I strongly disagree, in particular his last post to me was disgraceful but I let it lie.

Way to take a veiled stab at me without reinforcing it with an actual example. I don't even remember my last post to you. In any case, bringing it up in a way that is not relevant to the discussion, and is only as an insult, is not "letting it lie."

Originally posted by Quiero Mota
He's also an out-there conspiracy nut who's probably a schizo, and who has a show about his whacked out theories (on 'Tru' TV, ironically). So he's probably not a shining example or the best reference point for would-be aspiring atheist politicians.

Which was kinda my point. I didn't use him as a shining example of anything.

Originally posted by Quiero Mota
To be honest, I would vote for an atheist if I liked him or her.

You're still dodging the issue here. Does a politician's atheist tendencies hurt him/her in pretty much any election? The answer is yes. If they're elected, it's in spite of it, not because of it.

Originally posted by Digi
Way to take a veiled stab at me without reinforcing it with an actual example.

Hey don't take yourself too serioulsy, I don't need to take a veiled stab at you. I was skimming through the thread and decided to add my opinion.

Originally posted by Digi
I don't even remember my last post to you. In any case, bringing it up in a way that is not relevant to the discussion, and is only as an insult, is not "letting it lie."

I said I let it lie, I may respond to the post or I may not. You insulted me as well in your last post but I'm not complaining either.

Anyway I was going to edit the post but it was too late. At any rate I don't want to talk about it right now but not because im afraid that I can't make my case. Too many other more important posts to respond to.

If you have an issue with any of my posts, PM me and we can sort it out. If all you're going to do is bad-mouth me, or any poster for that matter, while remaining off-topic, it will become a warnable offense very quickly. PM me with any further concerns, and stay on topic. Thanks.

Originally posted by Deadline
Shaky you do behave like a troll. Considering you're supposed to be a buddhist you should know better.

So, a Buddhist cannot defend themselves? I bet you think I wear a red robe a shaved head. 😂 I am a normal person, and if someone trolls me by miss-characterizing my belief in order to discredit me, I will fight back. Would you do any different? Don't answer that question. I already know that answer. You would throw an absolute fit.