Why Is Atheism So Unpopular In America?

[Shadow Wolf]

Just stop trying to push your opinons on the majority.

That sounds like what alot of Christian groups do. more so than most Atheist groups.

Yes. But the laws were based one the Christian values represented in the Ten Commandments which the founders of the nation believed in. So the Ten Commandments are the roots of the laws in the United States. Showing the Ten Commandments is simply showing the source of our laws. It's not promoting Christianty, it's depicting the historical values our nation was founded on.

Actually, the original Constitution only has one defined crime, and that crime being treason. It says nothing about honoring god, your parents, keeping the Sabbath holy, not coveting thy neighbor, or anything else from the 10 Commandments. It doesn't even remotely say "Thou shalt not murder."
Actually, it was wrote to give citizens rights and protections they didn't have in England. Such as the rule of double jeopardy, which states once you are tried for a crime and found innocent, you cannot be re-tried. It was common practice in England at the time to continuously retry certain individuals found innocent until they were found guilty. Another law being the Writ of Habeas Corpus, which assures a citizen cannot be arrested for any reason, but due proses must be followed.
Some laws were to allow for citizens to protect themselves, such as the right to bear arms, and the right to refuse to allow a soldier to rest in your house. And then there are the liberties, such as free speech, free press, freedom to peacefully assemble, and freedom to protest the government. Many of those rights of which were also suppressed in England.
The biggest part deals with how the government is run, and even still there is not one mentioning of God, the 10 Commandments, or anything else.

If the laws of America were based on some other document we would show that document.

Then they better start on displaying page after page of various Thomas Paine books and pamphlets.

 

[Jeremiah]

Yes you can.
You just have to have a government that will actually enforce it on it's own instead of being taken to court over it.

You mean a government that does not listen to the people. I am not sure that is a great idea. It's the loudest voice wins in America and I don't really see that changing any time soon.

 

[Jeremiah]

Hmmm. Maybe it's not that popular but the Atheists sure have a loud voice.

Really? Than maybe I should get my ears checked.

 

[Willamena]

Really? Than maybe I should get my ears checked.

It may also help to open the window.

 

[Smoke]

I have no problem with hearing opinions. Just stop trying to push your opinons on the majority.

Yeah, that's the heart of the problem. Many Christians feel persecuted and put upon if atheists suggest that Christians shouldn't be allowed to force their opinions on everybody else. They even interpret that as atheists forcing their opinion on Christians. It makes you wonder whether there isn't some inverse relationship between religiosity and intelligence.

 

[sandandfoam]

It makes you wonder whether there isn't some inverse relationship between religiosity and intelligence.

If you ever come to Ireland I want to buy you a few pints.

 

[McBell]

You mean a government that does not listen to the people. I am not sure that is a great idea. It's the loudest voice wins in America and I don't really see that changing any time soon.

Then you do not pay much attention.
If majority ruled like you claim then:

inter-racial marriage would still be illegal,
women would not be allowed to own land or even vote,
women would still be paid a fraction of the wages a man gets for the exact same job,
abortion would be illegal,
there would be no seatbelt laws,
slavery would still be legal...
the list goes on and on.
​

 

[Super Universe]

What is atheism so unpopular in America?

Atheism removes all of the value from existence.

It's like a diamond that suddenly becomes worthless.

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

Atheism removes all of the value from existence.

It's like a diamond that suddenly becomes worthless.

I wouldn't say that. It's more like having all the faint lines erased off your paint-by-numbers canvas.

 

[Sunstone]

Atheism removes all of the value from existence.

Except that it doesn't seem to be very good at removing all the value from existence for the atheist. More or less the only people it seems to remove all the value from existence for are theists. Why is that? Why do theists think atheism removes all the value from existence when atheists themselves don't usually think it does?

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

Except that it doesn't seem to be very good at removing all the value from existence for the atheist. More or less the only people it seems to remove all the value from existence for are theists. Why is that?[/size] Why do theists think atheism removes all the value from existence when atheists themselves don't usually think it does?

"One man's trash is another man's treasure"?

 

[Sunstone]

"One man's trash is another man's treasure"?

I figure it might be that theists who believe atheism removes all meaning from existence are merely stating what atheism would mean to them since their self-identity and meaning is so wrapped up in their theism.

 

[Jeremiah]

Then you do not pay much attention.



If majority ruled like you claim then:

inter-racial marriage would still be illegal,​

women would not be allowed to own land or even vote,​

women would still be paid a fraction of the wages a man gets for the exact same job,​

abortion would be illegal,​

there would be no seatbelt laws,​

slavery would still be legal...​

the list goes on and on.​

Or perhaps I just have a higher opinion of people than you. I willing to bet against the idea that the majority of people now a days are willing to support slavery or suppression of women. Times change people grow it is the society that controls a society not a government. People are not the dark picture you are painting.

 

[RationalSoulution]

I thought America had a segregation between religion and politics. I thought it was a clear statement in the first amendment.

Yet for some reason every president i can think of has been religious... and religion is constantly mentioned by the president and people of office...not to mention in the Pledge of Allegiance. For some reason the separation of church and state is said, but not held...as with most of the constitution at this point.

 

[Sunstone]

Yet for some reason every president i can think of has been religious... and religion is constantly mentioned by the president and people of office...not to mention in the Pledge of Allegiance. For some reason the separation of church and state is said, but not held...as with most of the constitution at this point.

Most of the early presidents were not especially religious.

 

[Quath]

Pretty good thread. I have a few comments on what I have read so far.

The US was founded as a secular society by founders that tended to lean towards Desim. The Treaty of Tripoli even stated that this was not a Christian Nation. It was also pointed out that the Ten Commandments really don't play much into the Constitution at all. What did play into the Constitution was a lot of British law and then-modern philosophy. Laws about murder, theft, etc. were pretty much in all cultures. Christianity really did not bring much of anything to the laws of the land (unless you count people justifying slavery and not letting women vote).

As for the OP, I think atheists are unpopular because they completely invalidate religion. A Muslim at least can agree with a Christian that there is a God who talked to Abraham. A Hindu may talk of spirituality. However, an atheist tends to toss all of that out the wondow and says "prove it." This is a much different statement than "I believe my god is better than yours." It is a challenge to beliefs from a completely different angle.

I think also that religious people tend to think that if God is not judging you, why be good? So there is some distrust of motives as well.

 

[MdmSzdWhtGuy]

I think the United States should be a true democracy. It would allow the true voice of the people to be known. Wether for good or bad the voice of the people would be heard and this is the only thing that really matters.

In a pure democracy that you describe, I could, if charming enough get all my neighbors to decide it is imperitive that we take you and your family out into the front yard, and have all the recently released sex offenders in the area have their way with each and every one of you, just before we take 1/2 inch rebar to your kids, breaking all their long bones, then your spouse, then you, and then we let the dogs, who haven't been fed in a week, loose on what's left of you. All it would take is a majority of us deciding it was acceptable.

I sure hope you are picking up why a pure democracy is such a bad thing. It is merely mob rule. No minority positions are protected. People that advocate your position, I have noticed, tend to fall comfortably within the normal range in their neighborhood, but just think for a minute about how your life would look if the demographics change, and you find yourself not in the majority. . . hint, it can get a little ugly if you are not part of the majority, see parapgraph one for a refresher course.

B.

 

[MdmSzdWhtGuy]

I don't know what their intentions were. But it seems as if they are trying to destroy the historical roots of America.

If America was founded on Muslim laws i would have no problem having muslim laws shown in from of a courthouse. It's the history of the Nation. Christian or not that's the way it is.

Wasn't founded on Christian Laws either, sir. Founded to get away from the authoritarian nature of the relationship between church and state in Europe which had plagued their ancestors for hundreds of years.

And the framers were just about as clear as they could be that there would be NO ESTABLISHMENT OF RELIGION by the Government. They did not want religion interfering with goverment and vice versa. I realize that is hard to grasp in this day and age, but that is what the freethinkers who drafted the Constitution were shooting for.

B.

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

As for the OP, I think atheists are unpopular because they completely invalidate religion. A Muslim at least can agree with a Christian that there is a God who talked to Abraham. A Hindu may talk of spirituality. However, an atheist tends to toss all of that out the wondow and says "prove it." This is a much different statement than "I believe my god is better than yours." It is a challenge to beliefs from a completely different angle.

It's different, but is it worse? By their beliefs, atheists, Muslims and Pagans (just as examples) all effectively say to Christians "we don't share your beliefs". I'm not sure why disagreeing in one way is better or worse than disagreeing in another.

I think also that religious people tend to think that if God is not judging you, why be good? So there is some distrust of motives as well.

I certainly hope that's not what's going on in the head of most theists. I distrust the motives of anyone who needs a God in order to be good.

 

[Quoth The Raven]

Yes. But the laws were based one the Christian values represented in the Ten Commandments which the founders of the nation believed in. So the Ten Commandments are the roots of the laws in the United States. Showing the Ten Commandments is simply showing the source of our laws. It's not promoting Christianty, it's depicting the historical values our nation was founded on.

If the laws of America were based on some other document we would show that document.

Apparently you've never read the treaty with Tripoli, drafted under George Washington in 1796, which states; 'As the country of the United States of America is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion...' That would include the ten commandments, being as they're a religious thing.
When you get a bunch of immigrants forming a nation, they don't need to refer back to the bible to put together a set of laws. It's unlikely those raised by wolves (no offense to wolves, I'm sure they know what I mean) could scrape together the boat fare, so it's very likely they already had some legal tradition they could draw on.