Post by Matthius on Jan 4, 2005 0:17:51 GMT -5
"Atheists are most despised group in U.S."
By MATT CHERRY
Humanist Network News
First published April 28, 2004
"A nationwide telephone survey of more than 2,000 Americans has revealed that the non-religious are viewed as the greatest threat to the American way of life. The results, released this week, come from a survey conducted last summer by the University of Wisconsin Survey Center. The survey -- consisting of 120 questions about the respondents' views on race, religion, intolerance and prejudice -- is the first phase of a three-year study called the American Mosaic Project.
When questioned about what belief group doesn't share their vision of American society, 54 percent of survey participants indicated that atheists provided the greatest threat. Muslims were viewed as the second-highest threat.
"This result shows that religion is deeply intertwined with conceptions of American society," commented Doug Hartmann, one of the three professors spearheading the project. "The absence of faith, the belief in a higher being seems to be a major barrier between people in our society."
The new survey corroborates the findings of earlier studies. An April 2001 opinion poll by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life revealed that 66 percent of Americans viewed atheists unfavorably -- almost twice the percentage that held a negative view of Muslims. (While the percentage of Americans viewing Muslims unfavorably has increased significantly since September 11, 2001, the new survey shows that Muslims are still a lot less unpopular than the non-religious.) Another 2001 survey -- by the Kaiser Foundation, The Washington Post, and Harvard University -- found that 69 percent of Americans would be bothered by a close family member marrying an atheist.
Commenting on these surveys, Mary Ellen Sikes, Associate Director of the Institute for Humanist Studies, observed that, "Members of humanist, atheist, and freethought organizations -- 'the community of reason' -- are among the most compassionate, ethical, and patriotic people I have encountered anywhere. We volunteer in our communities, serve in the military, and have lower divorce rates than almost every mainstream religious denomination.
"Yet many non-believers feel they must hide their secularism from coworkers, neighbors, and families. We may be the last minority against which intolerance and discrimination are not only permitted, but modeled by political leaders at every level."
Matt Cherry is the executive director of the Institute for Humanist Studies"
Thank you, thank you.
~ Matt
By MATT CHERRY
Humanist Network News
First published April 28, 2004
"A nationwide telephone survey of more than 2,000 Americans has revealed that the non-religious are viewed as the greatest threat to the American way of life. The results, released this week, come from a survey conducted last summer by the University of Wisconsin Survey Center. The survey -- consisting of 120 questions about the respondents' views on race, religion, intolerance and prejudice -- is the first phase of a three-year study called the American Mosaic Project.
When questioned about what belief group doesn't share their vision of American society, 54 percent of survey participants indicated that atheists provided the greatest threat. Muslims were viewed as the second-highest threat.
"This result shows that religion is deeply intertwined with conceptions of American society," commented Doug Hartmann, one of the three professors spearheading the project. "The absence of faith, the belief in a higher being seems to be a major barrier between people in our society."
The new survey corroborates the findings of earlier studies. An April 2001 opinion poll by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life revealed that 66 percent of Americans viewed atheists unfavorably -- almost twice the percentage that held a negative view of Muslims. (While the percentage of Americans viewing Muslims unfavorably has increased significantly since September 11, 2001, the new survey shows that Muslims are still a lot less unpopular than the non-religious.) Another 2001 survey -- by the Kaiser Foundation, The Washington Post, and Harvard University -- found that 69 percent of Americans would be bothered by a close family member marrying an atheist.
Commenting on these surveys, Mary Ellen Sikes, Associate Director of the Institute for Humanist Studies, observed that, "Members of humanist, atheist, and freethought organizations -- 'the community of reason' -- are among the most compassionate, ethical, and patriotic people I have encountered anywhere. We volunteer in our communities, serve in the military, and have lower divorce rates than almost every mainstream religious denomination.
"Yet many non-believers feel they must hide their secularism from coworkers, neighbors, and families. We may be the last minority against which intolerance and discrimination are not only permitted, but modeled by political leaders at every level."
Matt Cherry is the executive director of the Institute for Humanist Studies"
Thank you, thank you.
~ Matt