Pensee

This question came to mind this morning after what turned out to be a quite pleasant incident. I did my social studies service learning project on the "under god" part of the Pledge of Allegiance. We had to present our studies to the class this morning. I was so nervous; you wouldn't believe how nervous I was. Not to brag, but nine times out of ten I'm an awesome public speaker. But this one had my head spinning. I was so worried about how people would treat me after they found out my view that "under god" should be taken out of the pledge. When I first set up my learning center, I saw that another girl had done her project on the Pledge of Allegiance also.

I started out by saying, "I see that X has studied the Pledge, also. But that's okay because I'm sure we have two opposite points of view, since I have a habit of always having the least popular view." I stumbled through the presentation. My heart was racing and all my words wanted to come out at the same time. I sucked. But I eventually calmed down and made my way through.

Then the other girl went. To my shock, she also suggested that we take the words "under god" out!!!!! I know this girl is a Christian. I was so surprised. She didn't struggle at all with hers. She just presented it as it was. She didn't seem to worry at all about others' reaction to her viewpoint.

Then, after we were finished presenting, this other girl came up to me and said, "I just wanted to thank you for sticking up for your beliefs. I also tend to have the opposite point of view of everybody in Mississippi. Like in my multicultural education class, when the teacher asked who thought prayer should be in school, I was the only person who didn't raise my hand."
WOAH!!! I couldn't believe it! This was the only comment anyone gave me!! Doesn't that rock?

This leads back to the original question. Do we look for religious persecution? Had I given everyone the benefit of the doubt, I would have had no trouble getting through my presentation. But because I was looking for any negative feedback, I barely made it through. Granted, I am kind of "gun shy" due to what happened when I told my former best friend that I'm an atheist. But this shouldn't discolor every interaction about my beliefs or non-beliefs I have with every other person.

So, is this something most atheists/freethinkers/agnostics/etc. do? Do we look for our rights to be violated? Do we look to be discriminated against for our beliefs and lack thereof? What do you think?

Amazon

Speaking only for myself, I would have to answer yes and no.

I don't think I look for persecution. It usually finds me in the form of comments people make biased against non-believers, media/commercial/private focus on religious holidays without regard for people who don't celebrate those holidays, general people-who-go-to-church-are-better-than-those-who-don't attitude, etc.

However, I do go into new acquaintanceships with a certain amount of dread that I didn't have as a theist - until I find out if this new person will accept my minority viewpoint, I feel tension. It's as though I am expecting each new person I meet to suddenly become hostile when they find out I am an atheist.
Perhaps I identify too large a part of myself as atheist, so that's the part I am most worried about. In that vein, I suppose I can be considered as "looking for it".

MollyMac

I think it entirely depends on your circumstances, Pensee. By that I mean the culture that you live in and what your past experience has been. Religious privilege exists in England but I don't think atheists here are generally made to feel like objects of contempt. I am perfectly open about my atheism to everyone I meet and I've never once had a negative reaction of any sort. I meet few Xians and when I do they are a lot more respectful of my views than I am of theirs and I am actually surprised when I hear anyone under the age of about 40 mention that they go to church, it happens so rarely.

But when I read posts from Americans on these boards I sometimes feel like I'm reading posts from another planet. I'm sure if I was at school in Mississipi and had the same experience that you've had in the past, I would have felt exactly the same. It's not so much that freethinkers over there are 'looking' for their rights to be violated. It's that their previous experience has led them to expect their rights to be violated. It's human nature and completely understandable.

In those circumstances, I think you've got a lot of courage to do what you did.

Just Another Infidel

I'm fairly new to this forum, but there are a lot of folks here who have surprised me with the intensity of their hostility towards theists. They must have had much worse experiences with the Godly than I ever did.

Having said that, since I became alarmed enough by the actions of the religious right to spend my time on an Atheist discussion board and actually "buy and display" trinkets which express my non-religious orientation my own sensitivity level has risen considerably.

I suspect many non-believers have set themselves up to be offended, wearing their convictions on their sleeves so to speak.

Personally I feel the same as I always have. Displays of religion do not offend me. I just don't participate.

daria

I will admit that sometimes I do look for it... I have yet to encounter anything directed specifically at me, though. Don't get me wrong, I know I've been lucky to know understanding people and have a supportive family (not just on this, but also regarding my choice of being child free), but sometimes I just want someone to be rude to me so I can "go off." That probably stems from my past of being extremely quiet and pretty much a doormat... and now that I'm not so much of a pushover, no one's doing or saying anything for me to refute. Ah well... all in all, I know it's better that way.

HaysooChreesto!

Well, it depends on what one considers to be persecution. To me, religous persecution is the woman in Zimbabwe (I'm pretty sure it's in Zimbabwe) who was going to be stoned to death for getting pregnant outside of marriage.
Here in the U.S. religous persecution lies more in the stifling of medical advancements that can cure disease and ease tremendous suffering (Cloning, stem cell research, etc.).

Outside of the bizarre fear of modern medicine and technology by the religous right, I think that on a scale of 1-100 the persecution meter in the U.S. stands at about a .01

wildernesse

Amina Lawal is in Nigeria. She's been sentenced to death by stoning--although the Nigerian government has pledged to the international community that these judgements won't take place. We'll see. Learn more about Amina Lawal at <a href="http://www.amnestyusa.org" target="_blank">Amnesty</a>.

I think that Lamma does have a point in reference to "persecution". I think that very few people are actively persecuted for their (lack of) religious beliefs in America. I would say that discrimination would be a better word--in that the connotations are slightly less severe. (Persecution being active and discrimination being more passive--two sides of the same coin?) But that's just my two cents, and you might say that I haven't the correct frame of reference to comment on this anyway, as I'm a Christian.

--tibac

BibleBelted

I think the ones who are imagining religious persecution where it isn't are the Religious Right themselves.

Anytime everyone in the whole country doesn't hit their knees and praise the lawd over one of their half-baked notions of religious "freedom" (like teaching creationism in science class or painting the Ten Commandments on the side of school buses) they start posturing as if they are being led to the colosseum to be fed to wild animals.