The results of an online survey published in the latest issue of Skeptic Magazine show that atheists in America fear paying a high social price in coming out as a non-believer. “The Stigma of Being an Atheist: An Empirical Study on the New Atheist Movement and its Consequences,” written by Tom Arcaro, was based on the results of 8,200 people who identify as atheists or non-believers in God.

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By a wide margin, atheists in the U.S. were more likely to feel a sense of stigma, highest among those living in the south. For instance, 57 percent of U.S. respondents said they felt they would suffer at least minor social repercussions in the workplace if they came out as an atheist, compared to only 35 percent of respondents in Canada, 24 percent of Australians, 15 percent of residents of United Kingdom, and 12 percent of Western Europeans.

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Wahhh. 57% thought they would suffer “at least minor social repercussions”. Folks, this is not a problem, it’s a cause for celebration. We have come so far, and our stigma is evaporating as we watch. Yes, there will be growing pains, but they must be recognized as just that. Did you think going from the most hated group in the country to full mainstream would be like flipping a switch?

Outed atheists will suffer socially, but only slightly compared to older generations, because former outed atheists softened the blow. Similarly, today’s outed atheists will make tomorrow’s atheists’ lives easier still. This is evolution, and articles like this, which seem to imply that atheists should stay in the closet, hurt the cause.

Hide not, lest ye be hidden.

Interesting stuff going on over at Comedy Central. Who’d have thought that a low-brow cable channel would become a hub for cultural and religious debates?

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/06/03/comedy-centrals-jesus-sho_n_599430.html?ir=Religion

Kathleen

For more information, please contact:
Ed Buckner, President 908-499-9200 (cell) or 770-803-5353 (office/fax)
Dave Silverman, Communications Director 732-648-9333

VATICAN PLAN TO DEBATE ATHEISTS

IGNORES LEADING CRITICS

A new initiative by the Vatican to engage Atheists in debate over major theological questions would exclude key spokesmen like Dr. Richard Dawkins and writer Christopher Hitchens.

Dubbed “The Courtyard of the Gentiles,” the program would supposedly be a “forum” for believers and nonbelievers to exchange views; but a spokesman for the Holy See, Archbishop Ravasi, stressed that only those who express “qualified atheism” will be included in meetings, panels and other events. The Archbishop declared that only exponents of a “noble atheism or agnosticism, not the polemical kind such as … Hitchens and Dawkins” will be invited.

Dr. Ed Buckner, President of American Atheists, said that this would undermine the whole principle of open, scholarly debate, and that the Vatican is engaging in proselytizing, not intellectual inquiry.

“Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens are extremely articulate, well-informed spokespersons for Atheism who have written books, articles, and spoken all over the world before a diverse range of audiences,” said Buckner. “And while they are both passionate about their ideas, they rely on reason and logic in presenting their case.”

Dave Silverman, Vice President and Communications Director for American Atheists, charged that the Vatican “is trying to stack the deck and control the discussion in what should be an open and free-ranging debate.”

“If they really want to engage and reach out to the growing number of Atheists across the world, and especially in the United States, the Holy See would invite two of the most famous Atheists — Dawkins and Hitchens — to participate in this event. This exclusionary move raises serious questions about the real intentions of the Vatican, and its commitment to authentic intellectual debate and inquiry.”

AMERICAN ATHEISTS is a nationwide movement that defends civil rights for Atheists, Freethinkers and other nonbelievers; works for the total separation of church and state; and addresses issues of First Amendment public policy.