The BBC reports that the while the US is one of the most religious countries in the west, it is undergoing a period of doubt.
It may be daring to say it but America seems to be experiencing an atheist moment. Although “In God We Trust” was declared the national motto by an act of Congress more than 50 years ago and has been stamped on the currency for longer than that, some considerable doubt has developed of late.
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More than anything, people without faith hate the description of them as empty or soulless. They have long been singled out for a special kind of hell.
The constitution of the state of Texas, for example, allows discrimination against atheists in employment or jury duty – provisions that have been nullified by federal laws.
And even my mother used to lower her voice in the kind of whisper reserved for people with terminal brain cancer when she described a neighbour as…. an atheist.
Non-believers say they have also been aided by the revulsion of fair-minded Americans to the religious zealotry behind the September 11 attacks and the subsequent violence on behalf of radical Islam.
You can read the entire article here: here.
Haven’t read the article yet, but it sounds promising. Something to lift the mood a little for this morning.
Simply the fact that such an openly secular article (not demonising the atheists etc.) shows how far we in Europe have come on the path to a wholly secular society.
Good article. I do have to object to atheists being referred to as a religion. We are not united by any belief other than we have none. We have varied view points on the world and not all are the same or even remotely alike in some cases. But we discuss these things and will point out flaws in arguments and revise our ideas when confronted with new information. We do not threaten each other with violence, wag war or evoke hell fire. We don’t claim god is on our side in a conflict wile the other side does the same. If god is routing for both sides then he just wants slaughter!
I call Cheesecake! mmhhh
Personally I don’t care if because I am an athiest they refer to me as souless…what is a soul? Isn’t it something made up by the religious? If a soul means I am cognizant or self-aware, then I guess I have a soul. If it means that it is something that is supernatural and goes on forever to be tortured or lifted to some form of heaven, well excuse me while I do some projectile vomitting.
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I agree with the author, things do seem to be lightening up a little, but as Carl Sagan stated in the Demon Haunted World, humanity is one step away from the dark ages. If something like 9/11 can send the nation into a dizzying spin of zealotry, can you imagine what can happen if all the lights were to go out?
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Take a look at today’s latest and greatest TV shows. There are literally dozens of shows about finding ghosts and spirits. If that isn’t all about pandering to the superstitious side of the human psyche, I don’t know what is.
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As long as the majority of us carbon-based life forms can be suckered in by a ghost story or two, we will always be susceptible to faith, religion and all the accoutrements and devastation that comes with it.
The article is pretty good. I get toothpaste.
@ Iron Bess- I thought a soul was something you walked on?
I’d use it as a metaphor more than anything else. And I’m certainly not without metaphor!
I was reading one of your other posts. Yes it is sad the 4christsake left, I liked him. He actually made an effort to argue intelligently, even if his thinking was based on an inherent flaw.
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@Pam- Cheese cake huh? I’ll see what I can do.
Is the Texas part true? Fuck, the US doesn’t end with the surprises for me.
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Stop with the god deal, they still haven’t noticed that it only brings violence and hatred.
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Hell, no hell for me…it is too hot and I already live in a tropical country.