Hello.

This topic is probably more for theses who live in USA. Here in Europe if you are atheist no one care about it and say really nothing (can't say about all but i don't have any bad reaction when i say i am atheist), i believe in Europe religion don't have that much power then in USA.

It is just story or it reality that in USA religion is big part of social life and have huge power over all people? if you are atheist it bad bad thing what is almost social suicide there? Just asking because never been there and not know how it there.

Any sources about this topic what you can recommend?

Thanks.

I'd agree that what you've described is a large part of the impression America makes on the rest of the world. I forget who it was but when OrP mentioned going into politics recently, someone (jokingly?) asked him if he'd admit to being an Atheist.

Seems to me that this is a pretty far ranging topic though, especially given the recent election results in which, according to a recent article in a UK broadsheet (The Guardian), means 'the end of the power of the creationists'. I forget the exact wording and can't find it online.

Is the political power of the hard right christian lobby on the wane?

It wasn't a joke. It's almost universally better (as in more votes) to claim religion if you're running for public office. Remember, only 54-percent of Americans would vote for an atheist president, and while this prejudice isn't held as strongly for lesser positions, it's still there.

I don't see it as social suicide. Personally, I think it's ludicrous that social reckoning is affected by religious stance. Just today, my wife and I went to a birthing center to get to know our head nurse practitioner who will be aiding with the delivery of our 3rd kid (slightly veiled brag). We were hitting it off with this lady, had several shared views on childbirth and child-rearing. Both inter-racial marriages. Everything seemed to be going excellently. Until we mentioned at the very end that we knew the head of the center from ~10 years ago through Christian connections. Then I could sense her turning a bit cool towards us. Oh well.

The point being, there are a lot of highly-opinionated people in America, who tend to look down on people who have different lifestyles/viewpoints. Sometimes, being a Christian makes you an outsider. Sometimes, being an atheist makes you an outsider. Give us another generation or two, and I think we'll all be a bit better at it. It seems the younger generations don't care about labeling/judging differences as much as the elder generations.

This seems to be from 2006, so I looked for something more recent and found this:

Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life / U.S. Religious Landscape Survey

And this:

Religious Beliefs & Practices / Social & Political Views - Summary of findings

Wait...you're in Europe where atheism is widely accepted yet you make comments that make it seem like you are oppressed for your beliefs.

"Christians always say Atheist no is happy...."

Me thinks you just like controversy and to hear himself talk.

Take a stand! I'M PROUD TO BE AN ATHEIST AND I DONT CARE WHO KNOWS IT !

But also accept that others have the same right. You disagree with their beliefs... they disagree with your. And the world goes round and round.

Sorry but i think you misunderstand reason for topic. I don't say nothing about other religions, i just ask how it is to be atheist into USA. O.o What are you talking about here?

This for sure is question for atheist because them feel it better how it is. I am just interested to explore how it is be atheist in different place and nothing more.

Yeah I was just about to comment about how nonsensical the first few lines of her post were.

Cmon man, if you need someone to conflicts and dramatize all go and upload videos into youtube.

I also never used words all or always. There also is no country where atheism is fully accepted and you never get this type bad attitude from Christians (or whatever religion). I also never said i am surrounded by Christians but noticing fact that some Christians (probably more radical ones) view atheists that way and think about them that way ans there was asking what is that what make them do it and i think i asked nothing more.

Please stick with topic where you write post.

Regarding the OP, it varies regionally, or depending on your social ties within a given region. It's unlikely to be social suicide to out yourself as an atheist in one of the cities to which I've been considering moving, Portland, Oregon (see slideshow here (without seeing Dinesh D'Souza, if you can help it)):

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/0...l#slide=989786

On a national level, the percentage of people self-reporting as "religious" has dropped to 60% according to the Gallup International poll referenced in the above article, and avowed atheists increased to 5% according to that same poll. Not sure how that aligns with the links Mightyboosh posted above...I skimmed the Summary of Findings report, and abruptly stopped early-skim when I noticed that the chart on page 5 reported that 21% of atheists professed a belief in god (including 6% who believe in a personal god)...oops. Could just be that 21% of atheists sampled are complete morons, but it also calls into question the credibility of the report somewhat...or not, but regardless of the explanation, my motivation for reading further was extinguished upon encountering that table

Very nice response... let see what he response is. Me think he no get it.

Thanks this is something what i was looking for, was not asking nothing more then explaining reality in America. Great resource.

Here is the report referenced above, which I believe was already posted in another thread on this forum, but here it is regardless:

http://www.wingia.com/web/files/rich...eism_PR__6.pdf

No problem...have to sign off; have a good one, kamitis and Emily

I think you don't get my questions in any topic. It maybe because you use things like "Me think" not "i think" or unhoppy and other grammar and sentence making mistakes what i will not notice. My first language is not English but even i can say you may not be best understanding English that well and themselves also questions what i ask.

I find American culture weird, if not often very likeable.

I'm probably a fairly typical lower middle class Englishman, and I think I know more openly gay people than I do regular Church attenders, so I find it very odd to think that being an atheist might carry a social stigma.

+1, this is close to my opinion about all this. Just where i live is stereotype that into USA it all different view to theses things for average person and religion is much bigger (huge?) impact to social live, wanted ask theses who live there explain me reality.

Kamitis... I get your questions. They have been asked... much more intellectually than you have attempted to phrase them here. I am just having fun with you... stop being so serious. You are asking questions and starting threads on subjects that have 100's of responses to.... so I chose to have a bit of fun with you.

To say atheism isn't accepted in America would be like saying fire is hot. America is HUGE. There are gays, straights, Christians, atheist, buddhist, satanist, cross dressers, rednecks, cajuns, socialists.... and the list goes on and on.
Each of these groups are intolerable to some level to the other group(s). Your country is no different. There are groups where you live that don't accept the other groups.

Just live your life and enjoy each day and don't worry what other people think.
In short.... we no get along. We no like people who no like us.

It is probably useful to remind yourself that the U.S. is a pretty huge country, with lots of people and lots of space. Thus, while there are certainly commonalities, the culture that you would find in the U.S. has large regional differences. I have lived in the Northwest, the Southwest, Chicago, and New York, but have never experienced any social stigma from being an atheist (and I am probably more obvious about my atheism than the average).

Pretty much what I said...no?

I think it's also a function of what aspects of the US are newsworthy. I'm slightly ashamed to remember my personal prejudice the first time we visited (we've been back semi-regularly, maybe half a dozen times?).

Almost every American I've ever met has gone out of their way to shatter my stereotypes. I chatted with people on the New York subway, wandered around streets feeling safe (my assumption was basically that gangs had shootouts on the streets pretty much daily and everyone sat inside with a shotgun pointed at the door, just in case) and just generally felt bad for all the things I'd expected based purely on the nutters they show on television.

I guess there's not a lot of news mileage to be got out of "New York commuters are really quite friendly and relaxed!" but I reckon there's considerably more of them than members of the Westboro Baptist Church (who get semi-regular runs on our news/current affairs shows).

Just for reference, here's the population of the US, Australia, and the 6 most populous European countries, in millions, rounded to the nearest million:

US: 315
Russia: 143
Germany: 82
France: 65
UK: 62
Italy: 61
Spain: 46
Australia: 23

Note that excluding Russia, the US is as big as the next 5 countries in Europe combined. So as said, there's so much diversity in this country. In some places, religion is very important, in other places, not so much. In some, you have to be Christian, in others, you just have to not be atheist.

I live in NJ, which is in a rather liberal area, and I tend to be around people my own age (under 30), so my biased view is that people don't care too much about if you're religious or not. Still, I know some people around me really do care.

Yeah, you just got lucky... (well, I used to walk around Baltimore and Newark at night alone, but I'm no bunny).

It totally depends. There are places where nobody cares and to whatever extent religion is talked about you would not be looked down on for being an atheist. And there are situations where to "out" yourself is to face immediate provocation and discrimination. I feel particularly sad for kids, to whom they think (sometimes correctly, sometimes not) that they would be kicked out of their parents homes, beat up at school etc should they be an out atheist. It sounds like something more realistically facing a gay youth trying to decide whether to come out of the closet, but it is a sadly real phenomenon.

I think, if I'm analysing my own perceptions, it's not that I don't expect culture to vary quite a lot, but more that it surprises me that in such a developed nation that there is such broad and open influence of religion.

I also think it's more how I contrast it with my homeland (which has plenty of its own quirks). After all, it's still fair to say that it's very difficult to reach high political office in the US while being openly atheist, and yet I come from a country with an official state religion where a senior adviser to (at the time) Prime Minister Blair very publicly stated "I'm sorry. We don't do God.".

Divided by a common language, and all that.