By Dr. Steve Wyre
Faculty Member, Philosophy
Why would anyone discriminate against atheists? For many people, giving up on faith is among the hardest decisions a person will ever make. To accept that there was no grand design or purpose and that nothing survives death is the kind of decision few people can make lightly.
Personally, that decision took me more than 10 years of research and contemplation, and it was a terrifying and liberating decision to make. Why, though, would people who proclaim to believe in a higher power feel it was acceptable to discriminate or penalize those who chose a different path?
Such discrimination seems rather odd. I have encountered folks who live like they purchased an express ticket to hell exhibit true dismay and seem offended if a non-believer suggests there may not be a divine judge from whom they need to seek forgiveness. Of course, we all know someone we secretly (or not so secretly) wish could get smacked with karma or burn in an eternal lake of fire because of acts they committed.
Maybe this prejudice against atheists is a bit of jealousy or maybe there’s a little resentment for knowing how many things were sacrificed for a being who might not be there. Humans are pretty bad about being told we are wrong.
The Vocabulary of Atheism
Calling a group of atheists “non-believers” seems too vague; there are more beliefs containing some form of deity than just the monotheistic three religions of Christianity, Judaism and Islam. There are also belief systems like Buddhism where the traditional notions of a deity are hard to apply, but there remains a belief in something more – some grand purpose for our lives.
The Pew Research Organization, studying atheists since at least 2012, refers to these folks as “religiously nonaffiliated” or just “nones.” This research shows this fast-growing demographic to be complicated on most matters including spirituality, politics, and religion in general. Maybe, for many of these “nones,” they are more dismayed by the people who claim to have faith than with religion.
When you’re talking about the persecution of people, the terms most applicable are “atheist” or “nontheist.” According to Learn Religions writer Austin Cline, “The label nontheist was created and continues to be used to avoid the negative baggage that comes with the label atheist due to the bigotry of so many Christians towards atheists.”
America Is Becoming More Nontheistic
Atheism is usually perceived to be a belief system where the point is to insist that theists are wrong. It is not enough to reject theistic arguments; the point is to be free from religion and religious ideologies. Groups like Freedom from Religion and American Atheists fight to keep church and state separate.
Honestly, it would be hard to not see these groups as antagonistic or even hostile against religion and Christianity in particular. These types of groups serve an important purpose, but being an atheist or nontheist means so much more.
Nontheists are less confrontational and can discuss Jesus, Mohammed, and Buddha as important historical figures without trying to prove anyone wrong or right apart from the historical context. For nontheists discussing which religion is “right” would be like trying to determine the best color for fairies’ dresses.
However, nontheists can also see that reducing all religion to fairytales is not helpful in the drive for a more rational way of living. But when it comes to religious persecution, I am not sure the difference matters.
Undeniably, America is becoming more nontheistic. According to Pew Research Center writer Gregory A. Smith, nearly three in 10 Americans now consider themselves unaffiliated with any religion. This statistic does not mean they are all atheists or even nontheists, but the trend is clear.
Pew Research Center applied four models to the “Future of Religion in America,” and they all predicted that Christianity is in decline. This organization has great research on the topic of atheists. In fact, another Pew Research Center journalist, Michael Lipka, has “10 facts about atheists” that many people might find surprising.
Atheists and Persecution
There is no true war on Christianity. But with the wealth of available information and the continued development of a scientific understanding of the cosmos, human nature, and biology, many evangelical doctrines become less and less tenable. Maybe it is time for Christians to embrace a more acceptable “social” gospel.
There is, however, well-documented hostility toward atheists. The Nebraska Center for Research on Children, Youth, Families and Schools has recognized that “the social stigma associated with atheism can leave the population vulnerable to isolation and poor mental health outcomes.”
Dena Abbot, who is leading a study on the subject, affirms such discrimination occurs “quite frequently.” Interestingly enough, Abbot’s research may help others better understand this discrimination against atheists. It also seeks to assess the “psychological strengths atheists possess, which mental health professionals may be able to lean into and help non-religious people feel more fulfilled.”
Behavioral health specialist Shawn Rill, writing for The Elm, a publication of the University of Maryland, opined that “Atheists are an invisible minority who are stigmatized, negatively stereotyped, marginalized, discriminated, and persecuted with pervasive anti-atheist prejudice being common throughout the world.”
Rill recounts blatant discrimination in the Maryland State Constitution, including the mandate that any juror or holder of a public office must declare a belief in God. While such mandates have been struck down through legal challenges, he asserted that “Six other states ban atheists from holding public office under their current state constitutions.”
Most of the prejudice stems from false stereotypes about patriotism and morality. Rill detailed that many countries make being an atheist punishable by death. According to Pew Research Center writers Sarah Crawford and Virginia Villa, humans non-affiliated with any religion faced social or governmental harassment – or both – in 27 countries.
In one extreme case, an atheist with a Facebook page called “The Egyptian Atheist” was fined over $19,000 and sentenced to three years in prison, according to Crawford and Villa. While atheists in America may not face prison for a lack of religious belief, Rill stated that many “conceal it by actively avoiding people, conversations, and situations that deal with religion to remain hidden.”
Dr. Ralph Lewis, a Canadian psychiatrist writing for Psychology Today, declared, “In the last couple of decades, religious affiliation has been on a steep decline in all modern societies. Many worry that religion’s loss of influence will result in nihilistic societal values – a loss of the sense of purpose, meaning and morality.” He then does an excellent job affirming that humans are pretty good about supplying their own meaning and morality without a deity.
What Would Happen If Society Gave Up the Idea That One Religion Is ‘Right’?
Let’s set aside the notion of a deity and see what kind of problems that one move would solve or resolve. The most glaring issue would be to eliminate the fight over which religion has it “right.”
It would resolve the whole Catholic/Protestant issue and the Sunni/Shia Muslim controversy. Also, eliminating the fight over which religion is right would eliminate any distinction between “orthodox,” “reformed,” and any other classification. Within Protestantism, there would be no need to determine which group truly has God’s favor.
Without a deity, there is no classification of “God’s Chosen” and no “remnant.” There would be no need to pray for God’s guidance, which never seems to come or is perceived in contradictory ways by those people who claim to hear and see signs from God.
Everyone would see the pointlessness of offering “thoughts and prayers” over some tragedy. There would be no group hoping “the Rapture” would save them and doom unbelievers; there would be no messiah coming to take vengeance on all of those people who persecuted some group for not agreeing with the chosen ones.
Imagine humans realizing that life is a one-shot deal and accepting the need to fight to preserve life, not end it. They would have to accept the need to fight to save themselves – and everyone else – because there is no other salvation coming.
What would it be like if no group could stand up and say they had a “God-given right” to lord over other people? What if no group could take some plot of land or exterminate a group of other people because they are “the other”?
While accepting that there is no God does not eliminate any beliefs in a human soul or in the idea that something survives the physical body after death (a Buddhist philosophy), it might reframe the idea of human “ensoulment”. It might also move the arguments of “personhood” and abortion out of the grip of people who seek to impose their religious beliefs on everyone else and into the hands of scientists who might find a better answer if they are unfettered by religious dogma.
The bottom line is that many parts of the world are becoming more secular despite efforts to punish those people who lose faith or never had it.
To be honest, I wrote this article with some trepidation. Once upon a time, I had an experience that led me to believe I had a close relationship with a God, and I wanted to share that feeling with others. I started training for the ministry and even had my own small church and radio program at one time.
But I promised myself I would never stand in front of people and teach something I did not truly believe. After a little more than a decade studying the origins and evolution of my faith as well as other religions, I was left with only philosophy to share.
I will not plant a “Here’s an atheist” flag in my yard, and I personally prefer the “nontheist” moniker. But in my opinion, it does seem rather pointless to persecute people for admitting they do not believe in a higher power. It might just be possible for the world to be better if more people followed suit.
The University’s Philosophy Degree
For students interested in exploring the philosophy of religion, the University offers a B.A. in philosophy. Matters related to the philosophy of religion are also discussed in PHIL101 — Introduction to Philosophy.
About the Author
Dr. Steve Wyre received his B.A. and M.A. in philosophy from the University of Oklahoma and his Ed.D. from the University of Phoenix. He has been teaching various ground-based philosophy courses since 2000 and online since 2003. Steve has also served as a subject matter expert (SME) for courses in ancient philosophy, ethics, logic, and several other areas. Dr. Wyre is currently the interim Department Chair of Philosophy, Religion, Art, and Music.
