Stigma of atheism
Concerning the stigma of atheism, sociological research indicates that atheists are widely distrusted in both religious cultures and nonreligious cultures (see: Distrust of atheists and Views on atheists).[3][4][5][6] According to a study published in the International Journal for The Psychology of Religion: "anti-atheist prejudice is not confined either to dominantly religious countries or to religious individuals, but rather appears to be a robust judgment about atheists."[5] The study found that many atheists do not trust other atheists as well.[5]
The abstract for the 2016 journal article entitled Atheism and how it is perceived: Manipulation of, bias against and ways to reduce the bias which was published in the journal Nordic Psychology indicates: "...atheists are distrusted, elicit disgust and are viewed as immoral both explicitly and implicitly".[7]
Citing another study, which was published in the science journal Nature, on the public's perception of atheists the Smithsonian declares:
| “ | “It is striking that even atheists appear to hold the same intuitive anti-atheist bias,” study co-author Will Gervais, psychology professor at the University of Kentucky, tells AFP. “I suspect that this stems from the prevalence of deeply entrenched pro-religious norms. Even in places that are currently quite overtly secular, people still seem to intuitively hold on to the belief that religion is a moral safeguard.”[8] | ” |
The BBC declared in 2014: "A recent poll conducted by the Pew Research Centre shows Americans would rather have a president who was either in their 70s, or openly gay, or who had never held any public office than one that was atheist." (See: Atheism and politics).[9]
Furthermore, atheism is often associated with various types of immorality (see: Atheism and morality). In addition, historically atheists have frequently behaved in an immoral manner (see: Atheist population and immorality) and have committed various capital crimes (see: Atheism and Mass Murder and List of atheist shooters and serial killers).
Stigma of atheism in the United States
See also
Notes
- ↑ Roberts, Jessica, et al. (June 19, 2007). "Interview with an atheist". News21. Retrieved on July 30, 2014.
- ↑ NEWSWEEK Poll: 90% Believe in God, Newsweek 2007
- ↑ Study: Atheists distrusted as much as rapists
- ↑ Atheists Widely Distrusted, Even Among Themselves, UK Study Finds, Christian Post, 2015
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Anti-atheist distrust ‘deeply and culturally ingrained’, study finds, The Independent, 2015
- ↑ Edgell, Gerteis & Hartmann 2006
- ↑ Atheism and how it is perceived: Manipulation of, bias against and ways to reduce the bias by Gerhard Andersson, Nordic Psychology 68(3):1-10 · January 2016, DOI: 10.1080/19012276.2015.1125304
- ↑ Survey Finds Most People Are Biased Against Atheists, Including Atheists By Jason Daley, AUGUST 9, 2017, smithsonian.com
- ↑ The stigma of being an atheist in the US By Aleem Maqbool, 2014, BBC