Difference between revisions of "Distrust of atheists"

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== UK study finds atheists widely distrusted - even among themselves ==
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[[File:Sam Harris 01.jpg|thumbnail|260px|right|The [[New Atheism|new atheist]] [[Sam Harris]] said concerning the label of [[Atheism|atheist]], "It's right next to child molester as a designation."(see also: [[Views on atheists]])<ref name="NEWSWEEK Poll: 90% Believe in God">[http://www.newsweek.com/newsweek-poll-90-believe-god-97611 NEWSWEEK Poll: 90% Believe in God], ''Newsweek'' 2007</ref><ref name="Harris">Roberts, Jessica, et al. (June 19, 2007).  [http://news21.com/story/2007/06/19/interview_with_an_atheist "Interview with an atheist"].  News21.  Retrieved on July 30, 2014.</ref>]]
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Concerning '''distrust of atheists''', sociological research indicates that atheists are widely distrusted in both religious cultures and nonreligious cultures.<ref name="USATodayviewsonatheists">[http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/religion/story/2011-12-10/religion-atheism/51777612/1 Study: Atheists distrusted as much as rapists]</ref><ref name="CPviewsonatheists">[http://www.christianpost.com/news/atheists-widely-distrusted-even-among-themselves-culturally-ingrained-uk-study-finds-160480/ Atheists Widely Distrusted, Even Among Themselves, UK Study Finds], Christian Post, 2015</ref><ref name="Independentviewsonatheists">[http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/anti-atheist-distrust-deeply-and-culturally-ingrained-study-finds-a6952276.html Anti-atheist distrust ‘deeply and culturally ingrained’, study finds], ''The Independent'', 2015</ref><ref>Edgell, Gerteis & Hartmann 2006</ref>  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."<ref name="Independentviewsonatheists"/> The study found that many atheists do not trust other atheists as well.<ref name="Independentviewsonatheists"/>
  
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''See also:'' [[Atheist factions]]
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The [[New Atheism|new atheist]] [[Sam Harris]] said concerning the label of [[Atheism|atheist]], "It's right next to child molester as a designation."(see also: [[Views on atheists]])<ref name="NEWSWEEK Poll: 90% Believe in God">[http://www.newsweek.com/newsweek-poll-90-believe-god-97611 NEWSWEEK Poll: 90% Believe in God], ''Newsweek'' 2007</ref><ref name="Harris">Roberts, Jessica, et al. (June 19, 2007).  [http://news21.com/story/2007/06/19/interview_with_an_atheist "Interview with an atheist"].  News21.  Retrieved on July 30, 2014.</ref>
  
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In 2015, the ''Christian Post'' reported in a story entitled ''Atheists Widely Distrusted, Even Among Themselves, UK Study Finds'':
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Furthermore, atheism is often associated with immorality (see: [[Atheism and morality]]). In addition, historically atheists have frequently behaved in an immoral manner (see: [[Atheist population and immorality]]) and various atheists have committed capital crimes (see: [[Atheism and Mass Murder]] and [[List of atheist shooters and serial killers]]).
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{{cquote|Distrust of atheists is "deeply and culturally ingrained" among people, and even many atheists are not able to trust each other, according to a new study carried out by the psychology department at Nottingham Trent University in England.
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Published in the ''International Journal for The Psychology of Religion'', the study, "The Robustness of Anti-Atheist Prejudice as Measured by Way of Cognitive Errors," was conducted with 100 participants from the U.K. ....
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A Quartz website article indicates:
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{{Cquote|Evidence suggests that [https://theconversation.com/religiosity-about-reproduction-more-than-cooperation-18935 religion and sexual behavior are often linked]. Many major religions, such as Christianity, Judaism, Islam and some traditional religions, promote lifestyles emphasizing fidelity and underscoring the importance of caring for one’s family. And a large body of research suggests that such religions may be especially attractive to people who value such commitments—perhaps precisely because those religions help to reinforce their own lifestyle choices...
  
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The study shows that "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."<ref>[http://www.christianpost.com/news/atheists-widely-distrusted-even-among-themselves-culturally-ingrained-uk-study-finds-160480/ Atheists Widely Distrusted, Even Among Themselves, UK Study Finds], Christian Post, 2015</ref>}}
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Still, knowing the perceived connection between faith and sexual commitment, we suspected that people may see atheists, relative to believers, as less likely to endorse values like monogamy and caring for one’s family—values associated with being sexually committed.
  
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''The Independent'' reports about the participants of the study:
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In such people’s minds, sexually uncommitted behavior is linked to several other traits and social behavior, such as opportunism and being impulsive—traits that hardly inspire trust
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{{cquote|Professor Leah Giddings and Thomas Dunn led the study with 100 online participants from the United Kingdom, 70 of whom were women and whose average age was 21.
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<ref>[https://qz.com/1776715/research-shows-atheists-are-trusted-less-than-religious-people/ Intense prejudice exists against atheists in the US] by By Jaimie Arona Krems & Jordan W. Moon, December 28, 2019, Quartz website</ref>}}
  
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A total of 43 per cent of the contributors were atheist, 33 per cent were Christian and the remainder belonged to other faiths.<ref>[http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/anti-atheist-distrust-deeply-and-culturally-ingrained-study-finds-a6952276.html Anti-atheist distrust ‘deeply and culturally ingrained’, study finds], ''The Independent'', 2015</ref>}}
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Various atheists have attempted to change the public's perception of atheism and atheists, but their efforts were largely unsuccessful (see: [[Attempts to positively rebrand atheism]]).  
  
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[[Vox Day|Theodore Beale]] says about atheists not trusting other atheists: "The reason most atheists trust fellow atheists less than anyone else is because they recognize their own lack of integrity and morality."<ref>[https://voxday.blogspot.com/2016/06/fun-with-atheists.html Fun with atheists] by [[Vox Day|Theodore Beale]]</ref>
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== Science journal article in Nature on distrusts of atheism in countries ==
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== Americans and Canadians distrust atheists as much as rapists ==
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[[File:Peter Singer MIT Veritas.jpg|right|thumbnail|200px|The [[Atheism|atheist]] philosopher Peter Singer defends the practice of [[bestiality]] (as well as [[abortion]] and [[euthanasia]]).<ref>
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*[http://creation.com/the-basis-of-a-christian-worldview The Basis of a Christian Worldview]*[http://creation.com/answer-to-philosophy-religion-professor-on-biblical-exegesis-and-the-problem-of-evil CMI answers philosophy/religion professor on biblical exegesis and the problem of evil]
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*[http://www.firstthings.com/onthesquare/2011/06/the-dangerous-mind-of-peter-singer ''The Dangerous Mind''] by Joe Carter, ''[[First Things]]''</ref> See: [[Atheism and bestiality]] ]]
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The Special Broadcasting Service reported:
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{{Cquote|According to a new study published last week in Nature, people all over the world connect immorality with atheism. In fact, the moral prejudice against atheists is so strong that it holds even in countries like the Netherlands, where most people aren’t religious. Even atheists themselves, according to the study, are inclined to see nonbelievers as more wicked than the faithful.,..
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“Entrenched moral suspicion of atheists suggests that religion’s powerful influence on moral judgements persists, even among non-believers in secular societies,” the authors wrote.
  
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''See also:'' [[Atheism and rape]] and [[Atheism and social outcasts]]
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The study, led by University of Kentucky psychology professor Will Gervais, surveyed more than 3,000 people in 13 countries, including nations with Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Muslim, and non-religious majorities: Australia, China, Czech Republic, Finland, Hong Kong, India, Mauritius, Netherlands, New Zealand, Singapore, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, and the United States.
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[[File:2404429188 ea8f1fc48b.jpg|thumbnail|right|200px|Studies and web traffic data appear to indicate that women in the Western World tend to be more religious than men.<ref>Multiple references:
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As they had hypothesised, the researchers found a universal suspicion of atheist morality across all 13 countries. “People overall are roughly twice as likely to view extreme immorality as representative of atheists, relative to believers,” they wrote. “Consistent with predictions, extreme intuitive moral distrust of atheists is both globally evident and variable in its magnitude across countries.”
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*Kosmin, Barry A., et al. (2008).  [http://web.archive.org/web/20110904110346/http://www.americanreligionsurvey-aris.org/reports/NONES_08.pdf "American nones:  Profile of the no religion population"].  American Religion Survey website [Trinity College, Hartford, CT].  Retrieved from Internet Archive.
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*Britt, Robert Roy (February 28, 2009).  [http://www.livescience.com/7689-women-religious-men.html "Women more religious than men"].  Live Science website.</ref> See: [[Atheism and women]] ]]
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On December 10, 2011, USA Today reported in a story entitled ''Study: Atheists distrusted as much as rapists'':
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{{cquote|The study, conducted among 350 Americans adults and 420 Canadian college students, asked participants to decide if a fictional driver damaged a parked car and left the scene, then found a wallet and took the money, was the driver more likely to be a teacher, an atheist teacher, or a rapist teacher?
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The participants, who were from religious and nonreligious backgrounds, most often chose the atheist teacher.
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The association was somewhat stronger in more religious countries, but even in very secular countries in the study — Australia, China, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom — people were more likely to associate serial killing with atheism, although the gap was narrower. The survey also asked participants to describe their religious beliefs, which allowed the research team to determine that even atheists connected immoral acts to atheism more often than to religious belief.<ref>[http://www.sbs.com.au/topics/life/culture/article/2017/08/21/everyones-suspicious-atheists-even-other-atheists Everyone’s suspicious of atheists — even other atheists], The Special Broadcasting Service, 2017</ref>}}
  
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The study is part of an attempt to understand what needs religion fulfills in people. Among the conclusions is a sense of trust in others.
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=== Journal article: Global evidence of extreme intuitive moral prejudice against atheists ===
  
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"People find atheists very suspect," Shariff said. "They don't fear God so we should distrust them; they do not have the same moral obligations of others. This is a common refrain against atheists. People fear them as a group."<ref>[http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/religion/story/2011-12-10/religion-atheism/51777612/1 Study: Atheists distrusted as much as rapists]</ref>}}
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*[https://www.nature.com/articles/s41562-017-0151 Global evidence of extreme intuitive moral prejudice against atheists], Nature Human Behaviour, Published: 07 August 2017, https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/csnp2
  
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See also:
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== Distrust of atheists: Study indicates antiatheist prejudice is common and atheists are comnonly associated with various negative, steotypical attributes ==
  
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*[[Irreligion and domestic violence]]
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The abstract of 2019 study related to distrust of atheists entitled ''Distrust persists after subverting atheist stereotypes'' published in the peer-reviewed journal ''Group Processes & Intergroup Relations'' states: {{Cquote|Antiatheist prejudice appears to be common. This prejudice may stem from distrust. However, the factors influencing distrust are not fully understood. The current research identified common stereotypes about atheists, tested the intuitiveness of those stereotypes, and determined whether distrust toward atheists depends more on the label “atheist” or the attributes atheists are thought to possess... Overall, the results of these studies indicate that atheists and Christians are explicitly and implicitly associated with different attributes and that, even when atheists possess stereotypically Christian attributes, Christians trust atheists significantly less than other Christians. These findings suggest that antiatheist prejudice is relatively insensitive to individual differences of the target.<ref>[https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1368430219874103 Distrust persists after subverting atheist stereotypes] by Richard C. Grove, Ayla Rubenstein, and Heather K. Terrell, ''Group Processes & Intergroup Relations'', Volume 23, Issue 7, https://doi.org/10.1177/1368430219874103</ref>}}
  
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*[[Atheism and rape]]
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== UK study finds atheists widely distrusted - even among themselves ==
  
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== Barna Group studies related to atheism and morality ==
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''See also:'' [[Views on atheists]] and [[Atheism and deception]]
  
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=== Barna Group study on behavior of atheists vs. evangelical Christians ===
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In 2015, the ''Christian Post'' reported in a story entitled ''Atheists Widely Distrusted, Even Among Themselves, UK Study Finds'':
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{{cquote|Distrust of atheists is "deeply and culturally ingrained" among people, and even many atheists are not able to trust each other, according to a new study carried out by the psychology department at Nottingham Trent University in England.
  
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[[Richard Deem]] wrote:
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Published in the ''International Journal for The Psychology of Religion'', the study, "The Robustness of Anti-Atheist Prejudice as Measured by Way of Cognitive Errors," was conducted with 100 participants from the U.K. ....
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{{Cquote|A random sample of 1003 adults were surveyed in May, 2008 by The Barna Group for their participation in a number of negative behaviors within the previous week. The results showed that there were vast differences in the behaviors of evangelicals compared to agnostics/atheists.
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These results show that atheists/agnostics participate in morally questionable behaviors to a much greater degree than [[evangelicalism|evangelical Christians]] - an average of nearly five times the frequency!<ref>[http://www.godandscience.org/apologetics/atheists_more_immoral.html Atheism Doesn't Lead to Immoral Behavior - Or Does It?] by Richard Deem</ref>}}
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The study shows that "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."<ref name="CPviewsonatheists"/>}}
  
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=== Barna Group study related to atheist beliefs about behaviors ===
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''The Independent'' reports about the participants of the study:
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{{cquote|Professor Leah Giddings and Thomas Dunn led the study with 100 online participants from the United Kingdom, 70 of whom were women and whose average age was 21.
  
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The [[Barna Group]] found that atheists and [[agnostics]] in America were more likely, than [[theist]]s in America, to look upon the following behaviors as morally acceptable:  illegal drug use; excessive drinking; sexual relationships outside of marriage; [[abortion]]; cohabitating with someone of opposite sex outside of marriage; obscene language; gambling; [[pornography]] and obscene sexual behavior; and engaging in [[homosexuality]]/bisexuality.<ref>[https://www.barna.org/component/content/article/5-barna-update/45-barna-update-sp-657/58-practical-outcomes-replace-biblical-principles-as-the-moral-standard#.VumtJuYvK1s Practical outcomes replace biblical principles as the moral standard], Barna Group</ref>  
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A total of 43 per cent of the contributors were atheist, 33 per cent were Christian and the remainder belonged to other faiths.<ref name="Independentviewsonatheists"/>}}
  
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Given the [[Homosexuality and Health|many diseases associated with homosexuality]], the [[Bible|biblical]] prohibition against homosexuality is quite arguably one of the  many examples where the Bible exhibited [http://creationwiki.org/Bible_scientific_foreknowledge knowledge that was ahead of its time]. See also: [[Atheism and sexual immorality]] and [[New Atheism leaders and unhealthy lifestyles#The Bible and sound health practices|The Bible and sound health practices]]
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Theodore Beale says about atheists not trusting other atheists: "The reason most atheists trust fellow atheists less than anyone else is because they recognize their own lack of integrity and morality."<ref>[http://voxday.blogspot.com/2016/06/fun-with-atheists.html Fun with atheists], Theodore Beale/Vox Day</ref>
  
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== Atheism and historical revisionism ==
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== University of Minnesota study indicates that American dislike of atheists grew ==
  
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''See also:'' [[Atheism and historical revisionism]]
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A 2016 press release of a University of Minnesota study on atheists reported:
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{{Cquote|Survey data collected in 2014 shows that, compared to data collected in 2003, Americans have sharpened their negative views of atheists...
  
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[[File: Voroshilov, Molotov, Stalin, with Nikolai Yezhov.jpg|right|225px]]
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The findings of this most recent survey support the argument that atheists are persistent cultural outsiders in the United States because they are perceived to have rejected cultural values and practices understood as essential to private morality, civic virtue, and national identity. Moreover, any refusal to embrace a religious identity of any type is troubling for a large portion of Americans.<ref>[http://cla.umn.edu/news-events/news/atheists-remain-most-disliked-religious-minority-us Atheists Remain Most Disliked Religious Minority in the US]</ref>}}
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[[File: The Commissar Vanishes 2.jpg|thumbnail|right|220px|Nikolai Yezhov walking with [[Joseph Stalin]] in the top photo taken in the mid 1930s. Subsequent to his execution in 1940, Yezhov was edited out of the photo by [[Soviet Union]] censors.<ref>[http://www.newseum.org/berlinwall/commissar_vanishes/vanishes.htm The Commissar Vanishes</ref>]]
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Historically and presently, most [[atheism|atheists]] lean [[leftism|politically left]] (See: [[Atheism and politics]]).
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[[Vox Day|Theodore Beale]] wrote about [[secular left|secular leftists]] and leftists in general:
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The atheist Dan Arel reported:  
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{{cquote|Regardless of whether it is...[[Richard Dawkins]], [[PZ Myers]], or the vast and [[Lesbianism and obesity|corpulent mass]] of [[feminism|feminists]], the Left has an observable tendency to shun debate.  They assert many different reasons for doing so, but the truth is always revealed by their seemingly contradictory willingness to debate the incompetent and the overmatched....
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{{Cquote|In 2014, [http://www.alternet.org/belief/major-study-americas-overwhelming-mean-streak-toward-atheists-and-muslims Pew Research found that atheists ranked down at the bottom of the list], only 1 point above Muslims as the least trusted religious demographic in the United States...
  
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One of the things that has been interesting to observe over time is the way that the heated attacks on me, both in public and via email, have all but disappeared even though my overall readership has never been larger. Why is this?  My theory is this is because most of my critics, be they atheists, feminists, [[evolution]]ists, or free traders, have learned they simply cannot win in a direct confrontation.  They can't openly criticize my ideas because they have learned, much to their surprise, that they cannot adequately defend their own.
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Now, according to a [http://sf.oxfordjournals.org/content/early/2016/08/17/sf.sow063.abstract new study released by University of Minnesota sociologists] shows that today, atheists are the most disliked.
  
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As [[Aristotle]] pointed out more than two thousand years ago, even at the rhetorical level, the side more closely approximates the truth will tend to win out, because it is easier to argue when your arguments are based on truth rather than falsehood. Events will always ultimately prove the arguments of the [[global warming|global warmers]], the godless, the female supremacists, the [[socialism|socialists]], the [[Keynesian economics|Keynesians]], and the monetarists to be false because their ideas are false. This is why a good memory is one of the most lethal weapons against them and why it is so easy to win debates against them, as given enough time, they are going to contradict themselves.  
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The study compared a previous 2003 study with the new study, originally conducted in 2014, and found that Americans have only sharpened their dislike for atheists and religious nones.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20161017182107/http://www.patheos.com/blogs/danthropology/2016/09/study-atheists-remain-the-most-disliked-religious-minority-in-the-u-s/ Study: Atheists remain the most disliked religious minority in the U.S.]</ref>}}
  
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Why?  Because they have no choice.  Being false, their positions have to be dynamic, which means they can never hope for any significant degree of consistency.  This is why ex post facto revision and double-talk are the hallmarks of the Left, and is why the first thing Leftists do when they are in a position of power is to erase history and attempt to silence any voices capable of calling attention to their fictions and contradictions.<ref>[http://voxday.blogspot.com/2012/10/the-distaste-for-debate.html The distaste for debate], Theodore Beale</ref>}}
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According the American atheist author Kevin Davis, atheism has an "unshakeable stigma".<ref>[http://www.peacock-panache.com/2016/11/lifetree-meeting-atheism-26370.html An Atheist Walks into a Christian Meeting about Atheism] by Kevin Davis</ref>
  
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See also:
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== 2011 poll: Americans and Canadians distrust atheists as much as rapists ==
  
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*[[Atheism and cowardice]]
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''See also:'' [[Atheism and rape]] and [[Atheism and social outcasts]] and [[American atheism]] and [[Canada and irreligion]]
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[[File:Women.jpg|thumbnail|right|200px|Studies and web traffic data appear to indicate that women in the Western World tend to be more religious than men.<ref>Multiple references:
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*Kosmin, Barry A., et al. (2008).  [https://web.archive.org/web/20110904110346/http://www.americanreligionsurvey-aris.org/reports/NONES_08.pdf "American nones:  Profile of the no religion population"].  American Religion Survey website [Trinity College, Hartford, CT].  Retrieved from Internet Archive.
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*Britt, Robert Roy (February 28, 2009).  [http://www.livescience.com/7689-women-religious-men.html "Women more religious than men"].  Live Science website.</ref> See: [[Atheism and women]] ]]
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On December 10, 2011, USA Today reported in a story entitled ''Study: Atheists distrusted as much as rapists'':
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{{cquote|The study, conducted among 350 Americans adults and 420 Canadian college students, asked participants to decide if a fictional driver damaged a parked car and left the scene, then found a wallet and took the money, was the driver more likely to be a teacher, an atheist teacher, or a rapist teacher?
  
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*[[Instances of Richard Dawkins ducking debates]]
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The participants, who were from religious and nonreligious backgrounds, most often chose the atheist teacher.
  
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*[[Atheism and debate]]
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The study is part of an attempt to understand what needs religion fulfills in people. Among the conclusions is a sense of trust in others.
  
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*[[Rebuttals to atheist arguments]]
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"People find atheists very suspect," Shariff said. "They don't fear God so we should distrust them; they do not have the same moral obligations of others. This is a common refrain against atheists. People fear them as a group."<ref name="USATodayviewsonatheists"/>}}
  
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*[[Atheist hypocrisy]]
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In 2011, ''The Atlantic'' published the article [https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2011/12/study-of-the-day-religious-people-distrust-atheists-as-much-as-rapists/250005/ Study of the Day: Religious People Distrust Atheists as Much as Rapists]
  
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=== Soviet Union and historical revisionism ===
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See also:
  
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In terms of academic and popular history, the Communist Party of the [[Soviet Union]] (CPSU) often engaged in [[historical revisionism]] via their control of political/ideological public discourse (media, education, etc.) and via the monitoring/silencing/imprisonment/persecution of citizens through the [[KGB]].<ref>Klaus Mehnert, Stalin Versus Marx: the Stalinist historical doctrine (Translation of Weltrevolution durch Weltgeschichte) Port Washington NY: Kennikat Press 1972 (1952), on the illegitimate use of history in the 1934–1952 period</ref> 
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*[[Irreligion and domestic violence]]
  
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During and subsequent to the rule of [[Nikita Khrushchev]] (1956–64), there was competition between the pro-[[Joseph Stalin|Stalin]]ists and anti-Stalinists in terms of how Soviet history was portrayed.<ref>Roger D. Markwick, Rewriting history in Soviet Russia : the politics of revisionist historiography, 1956–1974 New York ; Basingstoke : Palgrave, 2001, on legitimate Soviet Historiography particularly in the post 1956 period.</ref>
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*[[Atheism and rape]]
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=== 2015 poll: Canadians' view of atheists ===
  
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=== Richard Dawkins, atheist atrocities, and historical revisionism ===
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''See also:'' [[Views on atheists]]
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[[File:Richard Dawkins at Global Atheism Convention.jpg|alt=Richard Dawkins|thumbnail|200px|left|[[Richard Dawkins]] ]]
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''See also:'' [[Richard Dawkins, atheist atrocities, and historical revisionism]] and [[Atheism and communism]]
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A 2015 poll of 3,041 Canadians conducted by Angus Reid Institute and Dr. Reginald Bibby of the University of Lethbridge found that 27% of Canadians had an unfavorable view of atheists while 27% of Canadians had an favorable view of atheists (the remainder were neutral).<ref>[http://nationalpost.com/news/religion/a-god-thats-complicated-canadians-hanging-on-to-personal-faith-as-organized-religion-declines-poll A God? That's complicated. Canadians hanging on to personal faith as organized religion declines: poll] , ''National Post'', 2015</ref>
  
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[[Militant atheism]] was a part of [[Communism|communist]] ideology and this is still the case in communist China (See: [[Atheism and communism]]).  For example, in 2014, the Communist Party of China reaffirmed that members of their party must be atheists.<ref>[http://www.thenewamerican.com/world-news/asia/item/19567-china-s-communist-party-reaffirms-marxism-maoism-atheism China’s Communist Party Reaffirms Marxism, Maoism, Atheism], ''New American'', 2014</ref><ref>[http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/02/02/china-communist-party-atheism-zhejiang-ban-religious-members-christianity_n_6599722.html China's Communist Party Bans Believers, Doubles Down On Atheism]</ref>
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== Barna Group studies related to atheism and morality ==
  
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Dr.  R. J. Rummel, professor emeritus of political science at the University of Hawaii, is the scholar who first coined the term [[democide]] (death by government).  Dr. R. J. Rummel's mid estimate regarding the loss of life due to communism is that communism caused the death of approximately 110,286,000 people between 1917 and 1987.<ref>http://www.hawaii.edu/powerkills/COM.ART.HTM</ref>  See also: [[Atheism and Mass Murder|Atheism and mass murder]]
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=== Barna Group study on behavior of atheists vs. evangelical Christians ===
  
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[[Dinesh D'Souza]] took [[Richard Dawkins]] to task for engaging in historical revisionism when it comes to the atrocities of [[atheism|atheist]] regimes and declared Dawkins "reveals a complete ignorance of history".[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FmrRC6zD4Zk VIDEO].
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[[Richard Deem]] wrote:
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{{Cquote|A random sample of 1003 adults were surveyed in May, 2008 by The Barna Group for their participation in a number of negative behaviors within the previous week. The results showed that there were vast differences in the behaviors of evangelicals compared to agnostics/atheists.
  
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In a recent interview D'Souza declared:
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These results show that atheists/agnostics participate in morally questionable behaviors to a much greater degree than [[evangelicalism|evangelical Christians]] - an average of nearly five times the frequency!<ref>[http://www.godandscience.org/apologetics/atheists_more_immoral.html Atheism Doesn't Lead to Immoral Behavior - Or Does It?] by Richard Deem</ref>}}
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{{cquote|Richard Dawkins argues that at least the atheist regimes didn't kill people in the name of [[atheism]]. Isn't it time for this biologist to get out of the lab and read a little history? Marxism and [[Communism]] were atheist ideologies. [[Joseph Stalin|Stalin]] and [[Mao Zedong|Mao]] weren't dictators who happened to be atheist; atheism was part of their official doctrine.
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It was no accident, as the Marxists liked to say, that they shut down the churches and persecuted the clergy...<ref>http://insidecatholic.com/Joomla/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1053&Itemid=48</ref>}}
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See also:
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=== Barna Group study related to atheist beliefs about behaviors ===
  
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*[[Atheists and historical illiteracy]]
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The [[Barna Group]] found that atheists and [[agnostics]] in America were more likely, than [[theist]]s in America, to look upon the following behaviors as morally acceptable:  illegal drug use; excessive drinking; sexual relationships outside of marriage; [[abortion]]; cohabitating with someone of opposite sex outside of marriage; obscene language; gambling; [[pornography]] and obscene sexual behavior; and engaging in [[homosexuality]]/bisexuality.<ref>[https://www.barna.org/component/content/article/5-barna-update/45-barna-update-sp-657/58-practical-outcomes-replace-biblical-principles-as-the-moral-standard#.VumtJuYvK1s Practical outcomes replace biblical principles as the moral standard], Barna Group</ref>
  
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*[[History of Atheism|History of atheism]]
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Given the [[Homosexuality and health|many diseases associated with homosexuality]], the [[Bible|biblical]] prohibition against homosexuality is quite arguably one of the  many examples where the Bible exhibited [http://creationwiki.org/Bible_scientific_foreknowledge knowledge that was ahead of its time].  See also: [[Atheism and sexual immorality articles|Atheism and sexual immorality]]  
  
−
Dinesh D'Souza stated in another interview:
+
== Nordic Psychology journal article on public's perception of atheists ==
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{{cquote|As one writer put it, “Leaders such as Stalin and Mao persecuted religious groups, not in a bid to expand atheism, but as a way of focusing people’s hatred on those groups to consolidate their own power.” Of course I agree that murderous regimes, whether [[Christian]] or atheist, are generally seeking to strengthen their position. But if Christian regimes are held responsible for their crimes committed in the name of Christianity, then atheist regimes should be held accountable for their crimes committed in the name of atheism. And who can deny that Stalin and Mao, not to mention [[Pol Pot]] and a host of others, all committed atrocities in the name of a Communist ideology that was explicitly atheistic? Who can dispute that they did their bloody deeds by claiming to be establishing a “new man” and a religion-free utopia? These were mass murders performed with atheism as a central part of their ideological inspiration, they were not mass murders done by people who simply happened to be atheist.<ref>http://www.churchinhistory.org/pages/atheism/805-answering-atheists-regarding-war.htm</ref>}}
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[[Image:Khvhkgfiy.jpg|right|thumb|[[Vladimir Lenin]] ]]
+
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[[Karl Marx]] said "[Religion] is the opium of the people".  Marx also stated: "[[Communism]] begins from the outset (Owen) with atheism; but atheism is at first far from being communism; indeed, that atheism is still mostly an abstraction."<ref>http://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1844/manuscripts/comm.htm</ref>
+
  
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[[Vladimir Lenin]] similarly wrote regarding atheism and communism: "A Marxist must be a [[materialism|materialist]], i. e., an enemy of religion, but a dialectical materialist, i. e., one who treats the struggle against religion not in an abstract way, not on the basis of remote, purely theoretical, never varying preaching, but in a concrete way, on the basis of the [[class struggle]] which is going on in practice and is educating the masses more and better than anything else could."<ref>http://www.marxists.org/archive/lenin/works/1909/may/13.htm</ref>
+
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".<ref>[https://www.researchgate.net/publication/290472191_Atheism_and_how_it_is_perceived_Manipulation_of_bias_against_and_ways_to_reduce_the_bias 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</ref>
  
−
In 1955, [[China|Chinese]] communist leader Zhou Enlai declared, "We Communists are atheists".<ref>Noebel, David, The Battle for Truth, Harvest House, 2001.</ref>
+
== Atheism and historical revisionism ==
  
−
=== Atheist Daniel Dennet's commentary on Joseph Stalin ===
+
See: [[Atheism and historical revisionism]]
  
−
The new atheist [[Daniel Dennett]] attempted to minimize the atheism of the [[Militant atheism|militant atheist]] [[Joseph Stalin]].  Dennett said, “ …it occurred to me—let’s think about Stalin for a moment. Was he an atheist? You might say well of course he was an atheist. No, on the contrary. In a certain sense, he wasn’t an atheist at all. He believed in god. Not only that, he believe in a god whose will determined what right and wrong was. And he was sure of the existence of this god, and the god’s name was Stalin.”<ref>[http://creation.com/atheism Atheism]</ref>
+
== Atheism and morality ==
  
 +
[[Image:115523-004-FA619CA3.jpg|thumb|right|201px| The perverse and cruel atheist [[Marquis de Sade]] in prison, 18th century line engraving.]]
  
 +
''See also:'' [[Atheism and morality]]
  
−
== Atheist historical revisionism about the birth of modern science ==
+
Not possessing a [[Religion|religious]] basis for [[morality]], which can provide a basis for [[objective morality]], atheists are fundamentally [[Moral relativism|incapable]] of having a coherent system of morality.<ref>
−
[[Image:Bacon5.jpg|thumb|right|175px|In his essay ''Of [[Atheism]]'' Sir [[Francis Bacon]] wrote: "I had rather believe all the fables in the Legend, and the [[Talmud]], and the [[Koran|Alcoran (Koran)]], than that this universal frame is without a mind."<ref>Bacon, Francis, [http://www.authorama.com/essays-of-francis-bacon-17.html Of Atheism]</ref>  ]]
+
*[http://www.paulcopan.com/articles/pdf/God-naturalism-morality.pdf God, Naturalism, and the Foundations of Morality] by
−
A notable fact in relation to [[Christianity and science]] is that the [[Scientific revolution|birth of modern science]] occurred in the geographic area of [[Christianity|Christianized]] [[Europe]].<ref>http://www.ldolphin.org/bumbulis/#anchor5343749</ref>  Christians awed by the grandeur of [[God]]'s creative work have long striven to understand His creativity through [[Science|scientific]] study.
+
Paul Copan
 +
*[http://www.bethinking.org/morality/can-moral-objectivism-do-without-god Can Moral Objectivism Do Without God?] by Peter S. Williams
 +
*[http://www.equip.org/articles/atheists-and-the-quest-for-objective-morality/ Atheists and the Quest for Objective Morality] by Chad Meister
 +
*[http://carm.org/failure-of-atheism-to-account-for-morality The failure of atheism to account for morality]</ref>   
  
−
[[Sociology|Sociologist]] [[Rodney Stark]] investigated the individuals who made the most significant scientific contributions between 1543 and 1680 A.D., the time of the Scientific Revolution.
+
For example, atheists have been the biggest mass murderers in history (see: [[Atheism and mass murder]]). Dr. R. J. Rummel's mid estimate regarding the loss of life due to atheistic communism is that communism caused the death of approximately 110,286,000 people between 1917 and 1987.<ref>Rummel, R. J. (November 1993).  [http://www.hawaii.edu/powerkills/COM.ART.HTM "How many did communist regimes murder?"] University of Hawaii website; Freedom, Democracy, Peace; Power, Democide, and War. Retrieved July 19, 2014.</ref>  
−
In Stark's list of 52 top scientific contributors,<ref name="Origins">Williams, Alex,[http://www.creationontheweb.com/content/view/1581/ The biblical origins of science], ''Journal of Creation'' 18(2):49–52, August 2004.</ref> only one ([[Edmund Halley]]) was a skeptic and another ([[Paracelsus]]) was a [[pantheism|pantheist]].
+
−
The other 50 were Christians, 30 of whom could be characterized as being devout Christians.<ref name="Origins" />
+
−
Stark believes that the [[Enlightenment]] was a ploy by [[Militant atheism|militant atheists]] to claim credit for the rise of science<ref>http://goliath.ecnext.com/coms2/gi_0199-3274629/False-conflict-Christianity-is-not.html</ref>.
+
  
−
In ''False conflict: Christianity is not only compatible with Science - it created it''. Stark writes:
+
See also:  
−
{{cquote|Recent historical research has debunked the idea of a "Dark Ages" after the "fall" of [[Roman Empire|Rome]]. In fact, this was an era of profound and rapid technological progress, by the end of which Europe had surpassed the rest of the world. Moreover, the so-called "Scientific Revolution" of the sixteenth century was a result of developments begun by religious scholars starting in the eleventh century. In my own academic research I have asked why these religious scholastics were interested in science at all. Why did science develop in Europe at this time? Why did it not develop anywhere else? I find answers to those questions in unique features of Christian [[theology]].
+
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Even in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, the leading scientific figures were overwhelmingly devout Christians who believed it their duty to comprehend God's handiwork. My studies show that the "Enlightenment" was conceived initially as a propaganda ploy by militant atheists attempting to claim credit for the rise of science. The falsehood that science required the defeat of religion was proclaimed by self-appointed cheerleaders like [[Voltaire]], [[Denis Diderot|Diderot]], and [[Edward Gibbon|Gibbon]], who themselves played no part in the scientific enterprise......<ref>http://goliath.ecnext.com/coms2/gi_0199-3274629/False-conflict-Christianity-is-not.html</ref>}}
+
  
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There is abundant amount of historical evidence which demonstrates a causal relationship between the Christian world of ideas and the rise of modern science.<ref>[https://streetapologist.wordpress.com/2014/10/29/the-history-of-science-vs-historical-revisionism/ THE HISTORY OF SCIENCE vs. HISTORICAL REVISIONISM]</ref><ref>[http://www.ldolphin.org/bumbulis/#anchor5343749 Christianity and the birth of modern science]</ref>
+
* [[Atheist population and immorality]]
  
−
Professor [[Eric Kaufmann]], who specializes in demography and politics (and is an agnostic), wrote:
+
* [[Atheism and moral depravity]]
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{{cquote|Worldwide, the [[Desecularization|march of religion]] can probably only be reversed by a renewed, self-aware secularism. Today, it appears exhausted and lacking in confidence... Secularism's greatest triumphs owe less to science than to popular social movements like nationalism, socialism and 1960s anarchist-liberalism. Ironically, secularism's demographic deficit means that it will probably only succeed in the twenty-first century if it can create a secular form of 'religious' enthusiasm." <ref>[http://www.sneps.net/uploadsepk/JQR%20Demography.pdf Shall the religious inherit the earth? - Eric Kaufmann]</ref>}}
+
  
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Internet atheists frequently engage in historical revisionism as far as the rise of modern science in Christianized Europe.<ref>[https://streetapologist.wordpress.com/2014/10/29/the-history-of-science-vs-historical-revisionism/ THE HISTORY OF SCIENCE vs. HISTORICAL REVISIONISM]</ref>
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* [[Atheism and culture]]
 +
== Atheist organizations and scandals ==
  
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For more information, please see: [[Christianity and science]]
+
See: [[Atheist organizations and scandals]]
  
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== North Korea and the start of the Korean War ==
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== Atheism and theft crimes ==
  
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Since the beginning of the Korean War (1950–53), the communist government of North Korea, which practices [[state atheism]]<ref>Elizabeth Raum. North Korea. Series: Countries Around the World. Heinemann, 2012. ISBN 1432961330. p. 28: "North Korea is an atheist state. This means that people do not pray in public or attend places of worship. Buddhist temples exist from earlier times. They are now preserved as historic buildings, but they are not used for worship. A few Christian churches exist, but few people attend services. North Koreans do not celebrate religious holidays"</ref>, has repeatedly falsely denied that the Democratic Peoples' Republic of Korea (DPRK) launched the attack which began the war.
+
See: [[Atheism and stealing|Atheism and theft crimes]]
  
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== Evolutionary pseudoscience and historical revisionism ==
+
== Atheist mass shooters and serial killers ==
  
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Since [[World War II]] a majority of the most prominent and vocal defenders of the [[evolution]]ary position which employs methodological naturalism have been atheists and [[agnosticism|agnostics]].<ref>
+
*[[Atheist mass shooters]]
−
* Dr. Don Batten, [http://creation.com/a-whos-who-of-evolutionists A ''Who’s Who'' of evolutionists] ''Creation'' 20(1):32, December 1997.
+
−
* [[Jonathan Sarfati]], Ph.D.,F.M., [http://www.creation.com/content/view/3830 ''Refuting Evolution'', Chapter 1, Facts and Bias]
+
−
</ref>
+
  
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The [[creation]] vs. evolution issue is a matter which deals with historical science and not experimental science.<ref>[http://johnhartnett.org/2014/06/17/evolution-is-not-operational-science/ Evolution is not operational science]</ref>
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*[[List of atheist shooters and serial killers]]
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[[File:Ernst Mayr.jpg|thumbnail|right|200px|[[Ernst Mayr]] ]]
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The atheist [[Ernst Mayr]] was a [[Harvard]] biologist and served as director of Harvard's Museum of Comparative [[Zoology]] from 1961 to 1970.<ref>http://www.edge.org/3rd_culture/bios/mayr.html</ref><ref>http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/evolution/library/06/2/l_062_01.html</ref> Mayr was a prominent [[evolutionist]] and was referred to as "the [[Charles Darwin|Darwin]] of the 20th century". <ref>http://www.news.harvard.edu/gazette/daily/2005/02/04-mayr.html</ref>
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−
Mayr wrote:
+
== See also ==
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{{cquote|Evolutionary biology, in contrast with physics and chemistry, is a historical science—the evolutionist attempts to explain events and processes that have already taken place.
+
  
−
Laws and experiments are inappropriate techniques for the explication of such events and processes. Instead one constructs a historical narrative, consisting of a tentative reconstruction of the particular scenario that led to the events one is trying to explain.<ref>Ernst Mayr, Darwin’s Influence on Modern Thought, Lecture 1999, ScientificAmerican .com, 2009.</ref>}}
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*[[Stigma of atheism]]
  
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=== Evolution and fraud/speculation posing as fact  ===
+
*[[Desecularization and social conformity]]
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[[Image:Nebraska Man.jpg|thumb|alt=human evolution|150px|left|[[Nebraska man]] was made famous by Henry Osborn of the American Museum of Natural History. Nebraska man turned out to be nothing more than a single pig-like tooth.]]
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Evolution is a [[pseudoscience]] that engages in historical revisionism and often has speculation posing as historical fact (see: [[Evolution and Cases of Fraud, Hoaxes and Speculation]] and [[Atheism and deception]] and [[Evolution and just so stories]]). In January of 2012, the  ''Journal of Research in Science Teaching'' published a study indicating that evolutionary belief is significantly based on gut feelings.<ref>
+
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*[http://www.livescience.com/18051-belief-evolution-gut-feeling.html Belief in Evolution Boils Down to a Gut Feeling]
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*[http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/tea.20449/abstract Feeling of Certainty: Uncovering a Missing Link Between Knowledge and Acceptance of Evolution]</ref> See also: [[Causes of evolutionary belief]]
+
  
−
A notable case of a scientists using fraudulent material to promote the theory of evolution was the work of German scientist and [[atheism|atheist]] [[Ernst Haeckel]]. Noted evolutionist and [[Stephen Gould]], who held a [[agnostic|agnostic]] worldview<ref>http://www.billmuehlenberg.com/2007/03/20/a-review-of-the-dawkins-delusion-by-alister-mcgrath/</ref> and promoted the notion of [[Non-Overlapping Magisteria|non-overlapping magesteria]], wrote the following regarding Ernst Haeckel's work in a March 2000 issue of ''Natural History'':
+
*[[Atheists and unreasonableness]]
−
{{cquote|"Haeckel’s forceful, eminently comprehensible, if not always accurate, books appeared in all major languages and surely exerted more influence than the works of any other scientist, including Darwin…in convincing people throughout the world about the validity of evolution... Haeckel had exaggerated the similarities [between embryos of different species] by idealizations and omissions. He also, in some cases — in a procedure that can only be called fraudulent — simply copied the same figure over and over again.…Haeckel’s drawings never fooled expert embryologists, who recognized his fudgings right from the start. Haeckel’s drawings, despite their noted inaccuracies, entered into the most impenetrable and permanent of all quasi-scientific literatures: standard student textbooks of biology... Once ensconced in textbooks, misinformation becomes cocooned and effectively permanent, because…textbooks copy from previous texts.... [W]e do, I think, have the right to be both astonished and ashamed by the century of mindless recycling that has led to the persistence of these drawings in a large number, if not a majority, of modern textbooks!"<ref name="haeckel">[http://www.creationism.org/wakefield/haeckel.htm "Another Evolution Fraud Exposed"] - Creationism.org, INVESTIGATING GENESIS SERIES.</ref>}}
+
  
−
An irony of history is that the March 9, 1907 edition of the [[NY Times]] refers to Ernst Haeckel as the "celebrated Darwinian and founder of the Association for the Propagation of Ethical [[Atheism]]."<ref>http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9C03EFDD123EE033A2575AC0A9659C946697D6CF</ref>
+
*[[Atheist indoctrination]]
  
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Stephen Gould continues by quoting Michael Richardson of the St. George’s Hospital Medical School in London, who stated: "I know of at least fifty recent biology texts which use the drawings uncritically".<ref name="haeckel" />
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*[[Atheism and truth]]
  
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==== Paleoanthropology, speculation and intellectual dishonesty ====
+
*[[Atheism and Christmas]]
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[[Image:piltdownman_quennell_1922.png|thumb|right|A rendering of "[[Piltdown Man]]", already entrenched in scientific literature in 1922.]]
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[[Paleoanthropology]] is an interdisciplinary branch of [[anthropology]] that concerns itself with the origins of early humans and it examines and evaluates items such as fossils and [[artifact]]s.<ref>[http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9058075/paleoanthropology Encyclopedia Britannica (online): Paleoanthropology]</ref>
+
  
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Dr. David Pilbeam is a paleoanthropologist who received his Ph.D. at [[Yale]] University and Dr. Pilbeam is presently Professor of Social Sciences at [[Harvard]] University and Curator of Paleontology at the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology. In addition, Dr. Pilbeam served as an advisor for the Kenya government regarding the creation of an international institute for the study of human origins.<ref>[[Answers in Genesis]], [http://www.answersingenesis.org/creation/v14/i4/fossils.asp Those Fossils Are A Problem]</ref>
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*[[Atheist stereotypes]]
  
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Dr. Pilbeam wrote a review of Richard Leakey's book ''Origins'' in the journal ''American Scientist'':
+
== External links ==
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{{cquote|...perhaps generations of students of human evolution, including myself, have been flailing about in the dark; that our data base is too sparse, too slippery, for it to be able to mold our theories. Rather the theories are more statements about us and ideology than about the past. Paleoanthropology reveals more about how humans view themselves than it does about how humans came about. But that is heresy.<ref name="thoughtsonEvo">Sean Pitman, M.D., [http://www.creationapologetics.org/refuting/quotes.html Thoughts on Evolution From Scientists and Other Intellectuals]</ref>}}
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+
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Dr. Pilbeam wrote the following regarding the theory of evolution and paleoanthropology:
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{{cquote|I am also aware of the fact that, at least in my own subject of paleoanthropology, "theory" - heavily influenced by implicit ideas almost always dominates "data". ....Ideas that are totally unrelated to actual fossils have dominated theory building, which in turn strongly influence the way fossils are interpreted.<ref name="thoughtsonEvo" />}}
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[[File:Paul gosselin.JPG|thumbnail|left|165px|The Canadian [[anthropology|anthropologist]] [[Paul Gosselin]] points out that evolution is a [[secular]] origins [[myth]].<ref>[http://www.samizdat.qc.ca/cosmos/origines/myth.htm Myths of Origin and the Theory of Evolution]</ref> See: [[Evolution as a secular origins myth]] ]]
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Evolutionist and Harvard professor [[Richard Lewontin]] wrote in 1995 that "Despite the excited and optimistic claims that have been made by some paleontologists, no fossil hominid species can be established as our direct ancestor...."<ref>Brad Harrub, Ph.D., Bert Thompson, Ph.D., and Eric Lyons, M.Min., [https://www.apologeticspress.org/apcontent.aspx?category=9&article=153 ''Human Evolution and the “Record of the Rocks”'']</ref> In the September 2005 issue of [[National Geographic]], Joel Achenbach asserted that human evolution is a "fact" but he also candidly admitted that the field of paleoanthropology "has again become a rather glorious mess."<ref>Brad Harrub, Ph.D., [http://www.apologeticspress.org/APContent.aspx?category=126&article=1555 ''The “Glorious Mess” of Human Origins'']</ref><ref name="bonesrightplaces">[[National Geographic]] (online edition), Joel Achenbach, [http://www7.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0509/resources_who.html PALEOANTHROPOLOGY, Out of Africa, Are we looking for bones in all the right places?]</ref> In the same National Geographic article Harvard paleoanthropologist Dan Lieberman states, "We're not doing a very good job of being honest about what we don't know...".<ref name="bonesrightplaces" />
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+
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Concerning pictures of the supposed ancestors of man featured in science journals and the news media Boyce Rensberger wrote in the journal ''Science'' the following regarding their highly speculative nature:
+
−
{{cquote|Unfortunately, the vast majority of artist's conceptions are based more on imagination than on evidence. But a handful of expert natural-history artists begin with the fossil bones of a hominid and work from there…. Much of the reconstruction, however, is guesswork. Bones say nothing about the fleshy parts of the nose, lips, or ears. Artists must create something between an ape and a human being; the older the specimen is said to be, the more apelike they make it.... Hairiness is a matter of pure conjecture.<ref>Frank Sherwin, M.A., [http://www.icr.org/index.php?module=articles&action=view&ID=823 "Human Evolution" An Update]</ref><ref>Bert Thompson, P.H.D. and Brad Harrub, P.H.D., [http://www.apologeticspress.org/pdfs/dc-02-safull.pdf 15 Answers to John Rennie and ''Scientific American's'' Nonsense]</ref>}}
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+
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Creation scientists concur with Dr. Pilbeam regarding the speculative nature of the field of paleoanthropology and assert there is no compelling evidence in the field of paleoanthropology for the various theories of human evolution.<ref>
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*[http://creation.com/anthropology-and-apemen-questions-and-answers Anthropology and Apeman Questions and Answers - Creation Ministries International]
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*[http://www.answersingenesis.org/home/area/faq/Anthropology.asp Anthropology and Apeman Questions and Answers - Answers in Genesis]
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*[http://www.apologeticspress.org/articles/127 ''Human Evolution and the “Record of the Rocks”'']</ref>
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==== Evolution and just so stories ====
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[[File:Question-Evolution-Campaign.jpg|thumbnail|200px|right|The [http://creation.com/question-evolution Question evolution! campaign] by [[Creation Ministries International]] is a worldwide campaign which poses 15 questions that evolutionists cannot satisfactorily answer.<ref>[http://creation.com/question-evolution Question evolution! campaign] by [[Creation Ministries International]]</ref> The 15 questions posed to evolutionists can be found [http://creation.com/15-questions HERE] ]]
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The [[Question evolution! campaign]] poses 15 questions for [[evolution]]ists.<ref>[http://creation.com/15-questions 15 questions for evolutionists]</ref>
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Question 12 is:
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{{cquote|Why is evolutionary ‘just-so’ story-telling tolerated? Evolutionists often use flexible story-telling to ‘explain’ observations contrary to evolutionary theory. NAS (USA) member Dr Philip Skell wrote, “Darwinian explanations for such things are often too supple: Natural selection makes humans self-centered and aggressive—except when it makes them altruistic and peaceable. Or natural selection produces virile men who eagerly spread their seed—except when it prefers men who are faithful protectors and providers. When an explanation is so supple that it can explain any behavior, it is difficult to test it experimentally, much less use it as a catalyst for scientific discovery.”<ref>[http://creation.com/15-questions 15 questions for evolutionists]</ref>}}
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For more information please see:
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*[http://creation.com/images/pdfs/tj/j18_3/j18_3_17.pdf ‘Just-so’ stories of sex and family life]
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*[http://creation.com/genesis-unleashed?page=1&fileID=YuKJPlWIP3o Video on Question 12]
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*[http://creation.com/15-questions 15 questions for evolutionists]
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== See also ==
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*[[Views on Atheists|Views on atheists]]
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*[https://digest.bps.org.uk/2016/03/24/distrust-of-atheists-is-deeply-and-culturally-ingrained-even-among-atheists/ Distrust of atheists is "deeply and culturally ingrained" even among atheists], ''Research Digest''
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*[[Atheism and morality]]
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*[http://theconversation.com/how-distrust-of-unbelievers-runs-deep-in-american-history-71776 How distrust of unbelievers runs deep in American history]
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*[[Atheism and historical revisionism]]
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*[https://www.salon.com/2014/07/21/the_numbers_are_in_america_still_distrusts_atheists_and_muslims_partner/ The numbers are in: America still distrusts atheists and Muslims], ''Salon''
 +
*[https://www.npr.org/sections/13.7/2015/08/10/431205042/should-we-distrust-atheists Would Voters Entrust The White House To An Atheist?], NPR
 +
*[https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22477103 Reminders of secular authority reduce believers' distrust of atheists], ''Psychological Science'', 2012
  
 
== Notes ==
 
== Notes ==
 
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}
 
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}
  
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[[Category: Atheism]]
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[[Category:Atheism]]

Latest revision as of 15:09, December 31, 2023

The new atheist Sam Harris said concerning the label of atheist, "It's right next to child molester as a designation."(see also: Views on atheists)[1][2]

Concerning distrust of atheists, sociological research indicates that atheists are widely distrusted in both religious cultures and nonreligious cultures.[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 new atheist Sam Harris said concerning the label of atheist, "It's right next to child molester as a designation."(see also: Views on atheists)[1][2]

Furthermore, atheism is often associated with immorality (see: Atheism and morality). In addition, historically atheists have frequently behaved in an immoral manner (see: Atheist population and immorality) and various atheists have committed capital crimes (see: Atheism and Mass Murder and List of atheist shooters and serial killers).

A Quartz website article indicates:

“ Evidence suggests that religion and sexual behavior are often linked. Many major religions, such as Christianity, Judaism, Islam and some traditional religions, promote lifestyles emphasizing fidelity and underscoring the importance of caring for one’s family. And a large body of research suggests that such religions may be especially attractive to people who value such commitments—perhaps precisely because those religions help to reinforce their own lifestyle choices...

Still, knowing the perceived connection between faith and sexual commitment, we suspected that people may see atheists, relative to believers, as less likely to endorse values like monogamy and caring for one’s family—values associated with being sexually committed.

In such people’s minds, sexually uncommitted behavior is linked to several other traits and social behavior, such as opportunism and being impulsive—traits that hardly inspire trust [7]

”

Various atheists have attempted to change the public's perception of atheism and atheists, but their efforts were largely unsuccessful (see: Attempts to positively rebrand atheism).

Science journal article in Nature on distrusts of atheism in countries

The atheist philosopher Peter Singer defends the practice of bestiality (as well as abortion and euthanasia).[8] See: Atheism and bestiality

The Special Broadcasting Service reported:

“ According to a new study published last week in Nature, people all over the world connect immorality with atheism. In fact, the moral prejudice against atheists is so strong that it holds even in countries like the Netherlands, where most people aren’t religious. Even atheists themselves, according to the study, are inclined to see nonbelievers as more wicked than the faithful.,..

“Entrenched moral suspicion of atheists suggests that religion’s powerful influence on moral judgements persists, even among non-believers in secular societies,” the authors wrote.

The study, led by University of Kentucky psychology professor Will Gervais, surveyed more than 3,000 people in 13 countries, including nations with Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Muslim, and non-religious majorities: Australia, China, Czech Republic, Finland, Hong Kong, India, Mauritius, Netherlands, New Zealand, Singapore, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, and the United States. As they had hypothesised, the researchers found a universal suspicion of atheist morality across all 13 countries. “People overall are roughly twice as likely to view extreme immorality as representative of atheists, relative to believers,” they wrote. “Consistent with predictions, extreme intuitive moral distrust of atheists is both globally evident and variable in its magnitude across countries.”

The association was somewhat stronger in more religious countries, but even in very secular countries in the study — Australia, China, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom — people were more likely to associate serial killing with atheism, although the gap was narrower. The survey also asked participants to describe their religious beliefs, which allowed the research team to determine that even atheists connected immoral acts to atheism more often than to religious belief.[9]

”

Journal article: Global evidence of extreme intuitive moral prejudice against atheists

Distrust of atheists: Study indicates antiatheist prejudice is common and atheists are comnonly associated with various negative, steotypical attributes

The abstract of 2019 study related to distrust of atheists entitled Distrust persists after subverting atheist stereotypes published in the peer-reviewed journal Group Processes & Intergroup Relations states:

“ Antiatheist prejudice appears to be common. This prejudice may stem from distrust. However, the factors influencing distrust are not fully understood. The current research identified common stereotypes about atheists, tested the intuitiveness of those stereotypes, and determined whether distrust toward atheists depends more on the label “atheist” or the attributes atheists are thought to possess... Overall, the results of these studies indicate that atheists and Christians are explicitly and implicitly associated with different attributes and that, even when atheists possess stereotypically Christian attributes, Christians trust atheists significantly less than other Christians. These findings suggest that antiatheist prejudice is relatively insensitive to individual differences of the target.[10] ”

UK study finds atheists widely distrusted - even among themselves

See also: Views on atheists and Atheism and deception

In 2015, the Christian Post reported in a story entitled Atheists Widely Distrusted, Even Among Themselves, UK Study Finds:

“ Distrust of atheists is "deeply and culturally ingrained" among people, and even many atheists are not able to trust each other, according to a new study carried out by the psychology department at Nottingham Trent University in England.

Published in the International Journal for The Psychology of Religion, the study, "The Robustness of Anti-Atheist Prejudice as Measured by Way of Cognitive Errors," was conducted with 100 participants from the U.K. ....

The study shows that "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."[4]

”

The Independent reports about the participants of the study:

“ Professor Leah Giddings and Thomas Dunn led the study with 100 online participants from the United Kingdom, 70 of whom were women and whose average age was 21.

A total of 43 per cent of the contributors were atheist, 33 per cent were Christian and the remainder belonged to other faiths.[5]

”

Theodore Beale says about atheists not trusting other atheists: "The reason most atheists trust fellow atheists less than anyone else is because they recognize their own lack of integrity and morality."[11]

University of Minnesota study indicates that American dislike of atheists grew

A 2016 press release of a University of Minnesota study on atheists reported:

“ Survey data collected in 2014 shows that, compared to data collected in 2003, Americans have sharpened their negative views of atheists...

The findings of this most recent survey support the argument that atheists are persistent cultural outsiders in the United States because they are perceived to have rejected cultural values and practices understood as essential to private morality, civic virtue, and national identity. Moreover, any refusal to embrace a religious identity of any type is troubling for a large portion of Americans.[12]

”

The atheist Dan Arel reported:

“ In 2014, Pew Research found that atheists ranked down at the bottom of the list, only 1 point above Muslims as the least trusted religious demographic in the United States...

Now, according to a new study released by University of Minnesota sociologists shows that today, atheists are the most disliked.

The study compared a previous 2003 study with the new study, originally conducted in 2014, and found that Americans have only sharpened their dislike for atheists and religious nones.[13]

”

According the American atheist author Kevin Davis, atheism has an "unshakeable stigma".[14]

2011 poll: Americans and Canadians distrust atheists as much as rapists

See also: Atheism and rape and Atheism and social outcasts and American atheism and Canada and irreligion

Studies and web traffic data appear to indicate that women in the Western World tend to be more religious than men.[15] See: Atheism and women

On December 10, 2011, USA Today reported in a story entitled Study: Atheists distrusted as much as rapists:

“ The study, conducted among 350 Americans adults and 420 Canadian college students, asked participants to decide if a fictional driver damaged a parked car and left the scene, then found a wallet and took the money, was the driver more likely to be a teacher, an atheist teacher, or a rapist teacher?

The participants, who were from religious and nonreligious backgrounds, most often chose the atheist teacher.

The study is part of an attempt to understand what needs religion fulfills in people. Among the conclusions is a sense of trust in others.

"People find atheists very suspect," Shariff said. "They don't fear God so we should distrust them; they do not have the same moral obligations of others. This is a common refrain against atheists. People fear them as a group."[3]

”

In 2011, The Atlantic published the article Study of the Day: Religious People Distrust Atheists as Much as Rapists

See also:

2015 poll: Canadians' view of atheists

See also: Views on atheists

A 2015 poll of 3,041 Canadians conducted by Angus Reid Institute and Dr. Reginald Bibby of the University of Lethbridge found that 27% of Canadians had an unfavorable view of atheists while 27% of Canadians had an favorable view of atheists (the remainder were neutral).[16]

Barna Group studies related to atheism and morality

Barna Group study on behavior of atheists vs. evangelical Christians

Richard Deem wrote:

“ A random sample of 1003 adults were surveyed in May, 2008 by The Barna Group for their participation in a number of negative behaviors within the previous week. The results showed that there were vast differences in the behaviors of evangelicals compared to agnostics/atheists.

These results show that atheists/agnostics participate in morally questionable behaviors to a much greater degree than evangelical Christians - an average of nearly five times the frequency![17]

”

Barna Group study related to atheist beliefs about behaviors

The Barna Group found that atheists and agnostics in America were more likely, than theists in America, to look upon the following behaviors as morally acceptable: illegal drug use; excessive drinking; sexual relationships outside of marriage; abortion; cohabitating with someone of opposite sex outside of marriage; obscene language; gambling; pornography and obscene sexual behavior; and engaging in homosexuality/bisexuality.[18]

Given the many diseases associated with homosexuality, the biblical prohibition against homosexuality is quite arguably one of the many examples where the Bible exhibited knowledge that was ahead of its time. See also: Atheism and sexual immorality

Nordic Psychology journal article on public's perception of atheists

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".[19]

Atheism and historical revisionism

See: Atheism and historical revisionism

Atheism and morality

The perverse and cruel atheist Marquis de Sade in prison, 18th century line engraving.

See also: Atheism and morality

Not possessing a religious basis for morality, which can provide a basis for objective morality, atheists are fundamentally incapable of having a coherent system of morality.[20]

For example, atheists have been the biggest mass murderers in history (see: Atheism and mass murder). Dr. R. J. Rummel's mid estimate regarding the loss of life due to atheistic communism is that communism caused the death of approximately 110,286,000 people between 1917 and 1987.[21]

See also:

Atheist organizations and scandals

See: Atheist organizations and scandals

Atheism and theft crimes

See: Atheism and theft crimes

Atheist mass shooters and serial killers

See also

External links

Notes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 NEWSWEEK Poll: 90% Believe in God, Newsweek 2007
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Roberts, Jessica, et al. (June 19, 2007). "Interview with an atheist". News21. Retrieved on July 30, 2014.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Study: Atheists distrusted as much as rapists
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Atheists Widely Distrusted, Even Among Themselves, UK Study Finds, Christian Post, 2015
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Anti-atheist distrust ‘deeply and culturally ingrained’, study finds, The Independent, 2015
  6. ↑ Edgell, Gerteis & Hartmann 2006
  7. ↑ Intense prejudice exists against atheists in the US by By Jaimie Arona Krems & Jordan W. Moon, December 28, 2019, Quartz website
  8. ↑
  9. ↑ Everyone’s suspicious of atheists — even other atheists, The Special Broadcasting Service, 2017
  10. ↑ Distrust persists after subverting atheist stereotypes by Richard C. Grove, Ayla Rubenstein, and Heather K. Terrell, Group Processes & Intergroup Relations, Volume 23, Issue 7, https://doi.org/10.1177/1368430219874103
  11. ↑ Fun with atheists, Theodore Beale/Vox Day
  12. ↑ Atheists Remain Most Disliked Religious Minority in the US
  13. ↑ Study: Atheists remain the most disliked religious minority in the U.S.
  14. ↑ An Atheist Walks into a Christian Meeting about Atheism by Kevin Davis
  15. ↑ Multiple references:
  16. ↑ A God? That's complicated. Canadians hanging on to personal faith as organized religion declines: poll , National Post, 2015
  17. ↑ Atheism Doesn't Lead to Immoral Behavior - Or Does It? by Richard Deem
  18. ↑ Practical outcomes replace biblical principles as the moral standard, Barna Group
  19. ↑ 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
  20. ↑ Paul Copan
  21. ↑ Rummel, R. J. (November 1993). "How many did communist regimes murder?" University of Hawaii website; Freedom, Democracy, Peace; Power, Democide, and War. Retrieved July 19, 2014.
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