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→Atheism, neoconservatism and aggressive advocacy of violence
Christopher Hitchens became an activist against [[Islam]] when Ayatullah Kohmeini declared a [[fatwa]] against his personal friend [[Salman Rushdie]]. The event has led him to become very vocal in his support of the war in Iraq and heavily critical of Muslim society and ethics.
Christopher Hitchens became an activist against [[Islam]] when Ayatullah Kohmeini declared a [[fatwa]] against his personal friend [[Salman Rushdie]]. The event has led him to become very vocal in his support of the war in Iraq and heavily critical of Muslim society and ethics.
== Irreligion and domestic violence ==
[[Image:Cycle.gif|thumbnail|200px|right|Research suggests that irreligiousity is a causal factor for domestic violence.<ref name=VAW>Ellison, Christopher L. et al. (November 2007). [http://vaw.sagepub.com/content/13/11/1094.full.pdf+html "Race/Ethnicity, Religious Involvement, and Domestic Violence"]. ''Violence Against Women'', vol. 13, no. 11, pp. 1094-1112, doi:10.1177/1077801207308259. Retrieved from Sage Journals archive.</ref>]]
''See also:'' [[Irreligion and domestic violence]] and [[Atheism and love]] and [[Atheism and loneliness]]
The abstract for the 2007 article in the journal ''Violence Against Women'' entitled ''Race/Ethnicity, Religious Involvement, and Domestic Violence'' indicated:
{{cquote|The authors explored the relationship between religious involvement and intimate partner violence by analyzing data from the first wave of the National Survey of Families and Households. They found that: (a) religious involvement is correlated with reduced levels of domestic violence; (b) levels of domestic violence vary by race/ethnicity; (c) the effects of religious involvement on domestic violence vary by race/ethnicity; and (d) religious involvement, specifically church attendance, protects against domestic violence, and this protective effect is stronger for African American men and women and for Hispanic men, groups that, for a variety of reasons, experience elevated risk for this type of violence.<ref name=VAW/>}}
A higher rate of domestic violence exists among cohabiting couples as compared with married couples<ref>Kenney, C. T. and McLanahan, S. S. (February 2006). [http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16579211 [abstract of] "Why are cohabiting relationships more violent than marriages?"] ''Demography'', vol. 43, no. 1, pp. 127-40. Abstract retrieved from U. S. National Institute of Health/National Library of Medicine/National Center for Biotechnology Information/PubMed.</ref> Atheists have lower marriage rates than [[theism|theists]] (see: [[Atheism and marriage]] and [[Atheist marriages]]).
A September 9, 2012 article at ''Atlantic Wire'' wrote about the noted atheist [[John Lennon]]:
{{cquote|But people have mostly forgotten that Lennon was also physically abusive towards women. "I used to be cruel to my woman," he said, citing the lyrics to "Getting Better" in a Playboy interview near the end of his life. "Physically—any woman. I was a hitter. I couldn't express myself and I hit. I fought men and I hit women." In his biography The Lives of John Lennon, Albert Goldman also maintains that Lennon was guilty of spousal abuse.<ref>Wagner, David (September 19, 2012). [http://www.theatlanticwire.com/entertainment/2012/09/john-lennon-and-chris-brown-have-something-common/57040/ "John Lennon and Chris Brown have something in common"]. The Wire website.</ref>}}
For more information, please see: [[Irreligion and domestic violence]]
=== Secular Europe and domestic violence ===
''See also:'' [[Secular Europe and domestic violence]] and [[Atheistic Sweden and rape]]
[[File:Flag of Sweden.png|thumbnail|200px|left|Sweden is one of the most atheistic countries in the world.<ref name=Top50>[http://www.adherents.com/largecom/com_atheist.html "The largest atheist/agnostic populations: Top 50 countries with highest proportion of atheists / agnostics (Zuckerman, 2005)"] (2005). Adherents.com/Largest religious communities.</ref> In Sweden, 81 percent of women said they had been harassed at some point after the age of 15 - compared to the EU average of 55 percent.<ref name=Sweden>Törnkvist, Ann (March 5, 2014, 8:34). [http://www.thelocal.se/20140305/sweden-out-top-in-eu-domestic-violence-league "Sweden stands out in domestic violence study"]. The Local.</ref>]]
In March 2014, the [[Sweden|Swedish]] news website ''The Local'' published an article entitled ''Sweden stands out in domestic violence study'' which declared:
{{cquote|A new EU review of violence against women has revealed that one in three European women has been assaulted, and one in twenty has been raped, with the Scandinavian countries at the top of the league tables.
In the Scandinavian countries, in contrast, around half of the women reported physical or sexual violence, which researchers at the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights said could have several explanations...
In Sweden, 81 percent of women said they had been harassed at some point after the age of 15 - compared to the EU average of 55 percent. After Sweden, which had the highest rate, Denmark, France, the Netherland and Finland all saw rates above 70 percent. The EU member state with the lowest rate - 24 percent - was Bulgaria.<ref name=Sweden/>}}
[[Sweden]] is one of the most atheistic countries in the world and the website adherents.com reported that in 2005 46 - 85% of Swedes were agnostics/atheists/non-believers in God.<ref name=Top50/> Sweden also has the 3rd highest rate of belief in evolution as far as [[Western World]] nations.<ref>Owen, James (August 10, 2006). [http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/08/060810-evolution.html "Evolution less accepted in U.S. than other Western countries, study finds [photo and caption]"]. National Geographic News.</ref>
See also: [[Atheistic Sweden and rape]] and [[Sexual immorality and Sweden]]
For more information, please see: [[Irreligion and domestic violence]]
=== Irreligion, alcoholism and domestic abuse ===
''See also:'' [[Atheist Americans, gender and alcoholism]]
According to the [[World Health Organization]], "Evidence suggests that alcohol use increases the occurrence and severity of domestic violence".<ref>[http://www.who.int/violence_injury_prevention/violence/world_report/factsheets/ft_intimate.pdf "World Health Organization Intimate Partner Violence and Alcohol Fact Sheet"] (2005 or 2006). www.Who.int/Violence and Injury Prevention/Violence/Fact Sheets.</ref>
A 2010 ''Scientific American'' column article indicates concerning domestic violence that "Women suffer close to two thirds of the injuries... In addition, women and men differ in the severity of their actions; women are more likely to scratch or slap their partners, men more commonly punch or choke their partners."<ref>Arkowitz, Hal and Lilienfeld, Scott O. (May–June 2010). [http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/are-men-the-more-belligerent-sex/ "Are men the more belligerent sex? Men are more dangerous, but women can be just as aggressive"]. ''Mind''. Retrieved from ''Scientific American'' website.</ref>
[[File:Vodka.jpg|thumbnail|200px|right|[[Alcoholism]] was a serious social problem in the former atheistic [[Soviet Union]].<ref>Pomerlau, Joceline, et. al. (May–June 2008). [http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18245818 "Hazardous alcohol drinking in the former Soviet Union: A cross-sectional study of eight countries"]. ''Alcohol and Alcoholism'', vol. 43, no. 3, pp. 351-9. Retrieved from PubMed.gov</ref> Between 1940 and 1980, this [[atheist state]] had the largest increase of the amount of alcohol usage in the developed world.<ref>Anderson, Sandra C. and Hibbs, Valerie K. (October 1992). [http://isw.sagepub.com/content/35/4/441.extract "Alcoholism in the Soviet Union" [first page]]. ''International Social Work'', vol. 35, no. 4, pp. 441-53 [fee or registration required for full article]. First page retrieved from Sage journals/International Social Work.</ref>]]
Atheists and atheistic societies often have significant problems with excess alcohol usage (For more information please see: [[Atheism and alcoholism]]).
According to the [[Centers for Disease Control]] (CDC):
{{cquote|Men are more likely than women to drink excessively. Excessive drinking is associated with significant increases in short-term risks to health and safety, and the risk increases as the amount of drinking increases. Men are also more likely than women to take other risks (e.g., drive fast or without a safety belt), when combined with excessive drinking, further increasing their risk of injury or death.
Approximately 63% of adult men reported drinking alcohol in the last 30 days. Men (24%) were two times more likely to binge drink than women during the same time period.
Men average about 12.5 binge drinking episodes per person per year, while women average about 2.7 binge drinking episodes per year.
Most people who binge drink are not alcoholics or alcohol dependent.
It is estimated that about 17% of men and about 8% of women will meet criteria for alcohol dependence at some point in their lives.<ref>[http://www.cdc.gov/alcohol/fact-sheets/mens-health.htm "Excessive alcohol use and risks to men's health"] (November 19, 2014). U. S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website/Alcohol and Public Health/Fact Sheets</ref>}}
== Notes ==
== Notes ==