How bad is it to be Atheist in America?

[Griff]

I am an atheist. Here in Britain nobody cares whether you believe in god or not, and I can not possibly imagine atheism affecting how people see me as a person ever. However their are alot of jokes on american TV shows joking about atheists having a hard time, so basically I want to know if there is any truth behind the jokes.

 

[TheEvilDuck]

No one but a couple of nut jobs actually care. And if they do, so what. I don't know what it's like in more Christian parts in the country but where I am no one really gives a crap.

 

[Rooster Cogburn]

Depends. If you grow up in an unusually religious community, you probably will have a hard time. Likewise Christians, even very normal ones, get a lot of shit when around evangelical atheists.

In the media and politics, it doesn't really make much difference for the average person. The religious people are provoked and exploited by the right, and the atheists are provoked and exploited by the left. Then left and right hold hands and skip all the way to the bank.

EDIT: I should add that this is the very visual exception- as EvilDuck says, it doesn't come up for most people and isn't an issue.

 

[dwightsteel]

If you're living in an urban area? no one gives a crap. Living in a rural area can make it difficult though. They tend to have tight nit communities that all go to church together.

 

[Zhalath]

Got no problems here.

 

[Baby Tea]

Sounds like that Family Guy episode I watched recently, which seemed to greatly exaggerate a near nonexistent problem.
I've seen very very little 'atheist bashing', except by the always vocal extreme minority.
But we all (Most Christians included) just ignore them anyways.

 

[soren7550]

It all depends on where yo live and who you're around. I live right next to a church in New York and live with a bunch of reliogus nuts. Most people here don't aperciate that. They also don't like that I'm a patriotic white American who is against illigal aliens.

 

[zeroharpuia]

I avoid the problem entirely by following a strict belief system that dictates, whatever we humans come up with will exist in some other dimension's reality.

For example, there would be a dimension set in a Final Fantasy game, a dimension based solely on the beleifs of Christianity, a Jewish dimension and so on and so forth.

 

[sneak_copter]

If you live in the South, VERY BAD. Be an atheist in Alabama = Death.

 

[DoctorNick]

I've go no problems at all. This is to the point that I wasn't even aware that there was a perceived problem with atheists here.

Granted, I can imagine places where it MIGHT be a problem, but even then I have a hard time imagining real trouble coming from it.

 

[cuddly_tomato]

If you live in the South, VERY BAD. Be an atheist in Alabama = Death.

Have you ever experienced that? Or are you from "Location: Durham, England" and are merely echoing the pre-conceived notions non-Americans have as shown by the op?

 

[sneak_copter]

If you live in the South, VERY BAD. Be an atheist in Alabama = Death.

Have you ever experienced that? Or are you from "Location: Durham, England" and are merely echoing the pre-conceived notions non-Americans have as shown by the op?

Well my cousin lives in Alabama, and it Is a deep christian state, so it's a fair guess to say that being open about Athiesm is not a good idea.

And yes I am from Durham (much worse).

 

[sebar nl]

well i'm an atheist but I live in the Netherlands. And here on1 gives a shit.

 

[IamQ]

I'm not from the U.S but I doubt there would be any difference there from where you live.

 

[curlycrouton]

It really depends what part of America you're in. In New York and such places, for example, it's not likely that people will care whether you're religious or not, but in a small town in Louisiana, people definitely will.

 

[johnman]

I am an atheist. Here in Britain nobody cares whether you believe in god or not, and I can not possibly imagine atheism affecting how people see me as a person ever. However their are alot of jokes on american TV shows joking about atheists having a hard time, so basically I want to know if there is any truth behind the jokes.

Did you just watch the new family guy episode? It was all about this.

 

[Danzaivar]

What about an area like Austin Texas? I hear Texas is kinda backwards, but Austin itself is different to the rest of Texas?

Anyone know?

 

[Shapsters]

I think here in Canada, its the same as everywhere else. There are most places that don't care, but other places that do. I live 15 minutes away from the city with the largest churches per capita in the world(Mennonites) and they are pretty annoying.

 

[Trifer420]

I live in the north east, and it's pretty chill in terms of religion here. it's been said here before, aside from a couple nut cases, you can be in any religion you want.