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→Fear of death and distrust of atheists
An abstract of the Sage journal article ''What If They’re Right About the Afterlife? Evidence of the Role of Existential Threat on Anti-Atheist Prejudice'' by Corey L. Cook, Florette Cohen, Sheldon Solomon indicates:
An abstract of the Sage journal article ''What If They’re Right About the Afterlife? Evidence of the Role of Existential Threat on Anti-Atheist Prejudice'' by Corey L. Cook, Florette Cohen, Sheldon Solomon indicates:
{{Cquote|Terror management theory posits that the uniquely human awareness of death gives rise to potentially paralyzing terror that is assuaged by embracing cultural worldviews that provide a sense that one is a valuable participant in a meaningful universe. We propose that pervasive and pronounced anti-atheist prejudices stem, in part, from the existential threat posed by conflicting worldview beliefs. Two studies were conducted to establish that existential concerns contribute to anti-atheist sentiments. Experiment 1 found that a subtle reminder of death increased disparagement, social distancing, and distrust of atheists. Experiment 2 found that asking people to think about atheism increased the accessibility of implicit death thoughts. These studies provide the first empirical link between existential concerns and anti-atheist prejudices<ref>[http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1948550615584200 ''What If They’re Right About the Afterlife? Evidence of the Role of Existential Threat on Anti-Atheist Prejudice''] by Corey L. Cook, Florette Cohen, Sheldon Solomon, Sage</ref>}}
{{Cquote|Terror management theory posits that the uniquely human awareness of death gives rise to potentially paralyzing terror that is assuaged by embracing cultural worldviews that provide a sense that one is a valuable participant in a meaningful universe. We propose that pervasive and pronounced anti-atheist prejudices stem, in part, from the existential threat posed by conflicting worldview beliefs. Two studies were conducted to establish that existential concerns contribute to anti-atheist sentiments. Experiment 1 found that a subtle reminder of death increased disparagement, social distancing, and distrust of atheists. Experiment 2 found that asking people to think about atheism increased the accessibility of implicit death thoughts. These studies provide the first empirical link between existential concerns and anti-atheist prejudices<ref>[http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1948550615584200 ''What If They’re Right About the Afterlife? Evidence of the Role of Existential Threat on Anti-Atheist Prejudice''] by Corey L. Cook, Florette Cohen, Sheldon Solomon, Sage</ref>}}
''Discover'' magazine wrote about the study by Corey L. Cook, Florette Cohen, Sheldon Solomon:
{{cquote|These death thoughts help trigger a subconscious dislike of atheists, said study leader Corey Cook, a social psychologist at the University of Washington, Tacoma. Not only do thoughts of death put people in a negative frame of mind, Cook told Live Science, but they also prompt people to hold more tightly onto their own values.<ref>[http://news.discovery.com/human/psychology/atheists-inspire-thoughts-of-death-in-many-americans-150523.htm Atheists Inspire Thoughts of Death in Many Americans] by Stephanie Pappas, LiveScience, ''Discover'' magazine, May 23, 2015 09:25 AM ET</ref>}}
== Global desecularization and atheists lacking in confidence ==
== Global desecularization and atheists lacking in confidence ==