Are ATHEISTS alienated in our society?

You be the judge. Below is a quiz it is strictly for entertainment purposes, yet is very revealing as well.

1- In 1988 election campaign, George Bush said that he didn't know whether ______________ should be considered as patriots and real citizens.

A) Christians
B) Atheists

2- On Sundays, nearly all major networks air at least one or two ___________ programs.

A) Christian Church
B) Humanist Gatherings

3- Most major newspapers run a special section dedicated solely to ___________.

A) Religion
B) Humanism

4- People such as ___________ receive national airing on major networks to promote their doctrine.

A) Rev. Billy Graham (Christian)
B) Dr. Paul Kurtz (skeptic)

5- News programs always show people thanking ___________.

A) God for saving them from the tornado
B) themselves for taking shelter

6- One can find a ____________ bookstore in almost every community.

A) Christian
B) Secular Humanist

7- Our currency states In ________ We Trust.

A) God
B) No God

8- Nearly all of our elected public officials openly profess to have _____________.

A) Faith in God
B) No faith in God

9- Jurors are asked to take an oath upon _________ before they serve.

A) The Bible
B) The Humanist Manifesto

10- ___________ is a national holiday.

A) The Birth of Jesus.
B) The Birth of Darwin.

11- Our children are asked to recite the pledge, "One nation, ________, "

A) Under God
B) Under No God

12- In most every hotel, you'll find a copy of _________________.

A) The Holy Bible
B) The Humanist Manifesto

13- In the military, you can easily obtain a Conscientious Objector status for ___________ reasons.

A) religious
B) philosophical

14- At several Presidential inaugurations, ______________ has given a short speech.

A) Billy Graham
B) Madalyn Murray O'Hair

15- At most high schools commencement has been opened with __________.

A) prayer and thanks to God
B) brief speeches extolling Humanism

16- At a baseball game, you can always spot someone holding a sign which says something like ____________.

A) John 3:16
B) Origin of The Species, page 34

17- Hospital waiting rooms usually have a Children's copy of ____________.

A) Bible stories
B) Stephen Hawking's "A Brief History Of Time"

18- Many _____________ magazines are featured in newsstands across the country.

A) Christian-centered (Christianity Today, The Christian Science Monitor)
B) Atheist-centered (Atheism Today, The Atheist Science Monitor)

19- Around a certain season of the year people are showered with songs in all shopping malls and centers about the birth of ________________.

A) Jesus
B) Charles Darwin

20- Insurance companies refer to natural disasters as ____________.

A) Acts of God
B) Acts of the Natural Process

21- Most applications often ask what _________ you are.

A) Religion
B) type of atheist

22- ____________ gambling is perfectly legal whereas the opposite is quarantined to a specific area.

A) Religious (bingo halls)
B) Secular (Las Vegas, Atlantic city, Indian reservations)

23- In most states beer and wine can't be sold on Sunday because it is considered a day of _________.

A) worship
B) reason
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24- Each House of Congress (and the military) has their own _____________.

A) Christian chaplains
B) Atheist counselors

25- Prisoners have often been given early paroles if they claim they have found ______________.

A) God & Christianity
B) Atheism

26- Most films always present the hero as _____________.

A) Full of faith against all odds
B) Rational and scientific

27- Alcoholics Anonymous encourages its members they are _____________.

A) weak, out of control and must trust in a "Higher Power"
B) overcomers and must gain the willpower to overcome their addictions

28- During the winter nearly every major network airs programs such as _____________ and ______________.

A) Miracle on 34th Street - It's A Wonderful Life.
B) Reason on 34th Street - It's A Rational Life.

29- Most government offices are closed on ___________ holidays.

A) Religious/Christian-based
B) Atheist/Humanist-based

30- Some of the most popular TV shows in America are and have been _______________ and ________________.

A) Touched By An Angel / Highway To Heaven
B) No Such Things As Angels / Heaven is Imaginary

31- Each year the President lights the National___________ Tree.

A) Christmas
B) Solstice

32- All prisons have a resident ____________.

A) Chaplain
B) Atheist philosopher/counselor

33- After every major disaster the President calls for a National Day of _________.

A) Prayer
B) Action

34- A certain part of the US is called the _______ Belt.

A) Bible
B) Humanist Manifesto

35- _________ toys can easily be found in toy stores.

A) Noah's Ark
B) Evolution

 

Are these not natural biproducts of a free and [r]epublican society that is majorly Christian/Theist?

However, public places such as prisons, schools, and congress should not be influenced by religion, (viz the 1st amendment).

 

Indeed, thus the humor.

However, the public institutions are governed by this type of theocratic bullshit as well.

 

No - and if they are then they are just as much self-pitying as the next "repressed minority".

Atheism is seriously not a minority belief system - there may be more Christians but the difference is only marginal, it's not as if atheists would find it particularly difficult to form their own "God Free" zones in society is it.

Another thing, atheism being a relatively new way of thinking, and it being an absence of belief in a way then there is less to write about. Think about it from a writer's point of view - it is simply much easier to write about a well-established theistic viewpoint than atheism.

Yet another thing - theism is part of our CULTURE and this is seperate from it being part of our psyche. Think about it when it says on the dollar bill "In God We Trust" it doesn't mean it as a pledge of faith, it's a quote from a historical figure (or whatever it is).

Blessings

Sebbi

 

Are you a member of the Rush Limbaugh Institute?

Over 80% of the world believe in "God" of some sorts. All we ask is the separation of church and state (in every form). I don't care if you worship trees, those who don't need not to find "In Trees We Trust" on our currency or any other institution of the State.

What do you consider "new"? Atheism has been around for centuries, if not millennia and has ALWAYS been a minority, but I have a wonderful feeling that will change on down the line when the myths are finally dismissed by the general public and walls of institutional authority collapse! PRAISE BOG!

The old "cultural" argument, eh? Well, SLAVERY was a part of culture at one time. White Nationalism was essentially part of our culture. Religion is a part of ALL cultures, but just as slavery, nationalism and other institutions built upon myths, hierarchy and authoritarianism, it too needs to be challenged by any and all means necessary. Authority must be questioned.

AS FOR ME PERSONALLY:
The mind can never be free as long as something is there to restrict the expansion of it. Authoritarianism is a social convention to maintain the order of some who believe themselves "right" and believe they have the "moral duty" to impose their perceptions of the "true way" upon everyone else. But, freedom and responsibility are the inalienable rights of human beings and whether it takes a massive collapse in a short period of time, a worldwide natural disaster, a nuclear war, or 10,000 years of social progress, religion will fall. It must.

Personally, I would love to see no belief in "Gods", but I am not so naive as to believe this will happen (at least in my lifetime). I do, however, respect your right to worship whatever you want as long as it is CONSENSUAL (you choose to do it) and NON-COERCIVE to anyone else--including State-sponsorship in ANY form.

 

Do you actually expect children to be able to understand a book by Stephen Hawkings?

"21- Most applications often ask what _________ you are.
A) Religion
B) type of atheist"
Then just write Athiest if they ask what you do/n't believe.

29- Most government offices are closed on ___________ holidays.
A) Religious/Christian-based
B) Atheist/Humanist-based
The etymology of the word "holiday":
[Middle English holidai, holy day, from Old English hlig dæg : hlig, holy; see holy + dæg, day; see day.]
Definitions:

1. A day free from work that one may spend at leisure, especially a day on which custom or the law dictates a halting of general business activity to commemorate or celebrate a particular event.
2. A religious feast day; a holy day.

--Dictionary.com


30- Some of the most popular TV shows in America are and have been _______________ and ________________.
A) Touched By An Angel / Highway To Heaven
B) No Such Things As Angels / Heaven is Imaginary


Yes, and I'm going to make comments about how my beloved Silent Films are alienated and subject of prejudice because most of the population isn't interested in them. By the way, are there really any athiest-leaning shows like that? I can't think of any.

 

First of all, it was a joke. Secondly, do you expect them to understand The Bible? Hell, most Christian ADULTS don't understand it. Christians can't even agree on it. 40,000 denominations...shit.

Yeah, you got me on the "holiday", but I didn't know any other word to use at the time. Good research, by the way. I admire that.

And, once again, you are right. Most people aren't entertained unless it is some "faith-centered" hero, but that is all social-conditioning. Most vegetoid slugs in the general public don't appreciate science or skepticism because they don't understand it.

Although, I am happy to see shows like P&T's BULLSHIT and MythBusters doing well in the ratings. Shows promise. Although, they are not very detailed or scientific, they get to the point, which is what you need in today's fast-lane society.

 

Mythbusters is a badass show...

i get payed double on holidays so i work them regardless

 

i remember when this girl who sat next to me found out i was atheist. she flipped out and couldnt accept the fact that i didnt believe in god. i left my assignment book there when i went to another part of the room for a project and i come back to find it saying believe in god or believe in jesus written on every fucking page. and i was asked about my religion for a few weeks after that incident and they all asked if iwas a satanist or something. im tired of people not knowing how to be tolerant of other peoples religion, i dont tell every christian i meet to stop believing in god. just annoys me

 

They always say they feel sorry for me

 

The problem is that the theists don't see this at all. They actually cannot fathom that the culture is so lopsided against atheism. Until you are on the outside looking in you can't see it.

It's just like with homosexuals. Everyone says "They have rights, why do they bitch so much". The entire fabric of this culture is so biased against gays, it's not even funny. I only see this because I am an atheist and see how it is towards us as well.

If it weren't so frighteningly blatant, it would really be funny.

But it is, and it's not.

 

35- _________ toys can easily be found in toy stores.

A) Noah's Ark
B) Evolution

how would an evolution toy work, exactly?

 

If atheism is so unaccepted, why does every education system in the nation teach evolution theory to our kids? It is odd behaviour for a society that is anti-atheist. If the founders, builders, and current leadership is mainly made up of theists, then it follows that theistic views will be superfluous. In court, the defence, 'the devil made me do it.', and ' it was God's will.' are not valid defenses. Faith is a persons right, and any nation built upon the values of a specific faith will show its roots in all areas. To 'Trust in God, but tie up your horse.' is a good rule. In free societies, all views are allowed, and at times each one can claim it is being discriminated against. It is clear to me that in recent years in this society, atheists have had a much easier go of it than Moslems, Hindus, or Sikhs, have.
The courtroom practice of swearing on the Bible has always been a puzzle to me, since to an atheist, swearing an oath on a Bible would be meaningless, and therefore have no influence on the persons choice to be honest, and for a true Christian, there should be no need to swear an oath on the Bible, since their belief would necessitate being honest anyway, oath or not.
If atheists are alienated, then I can only guess that it must be another one of God's little funnies.

 

Evolution is the naturalistic perspective, that is why it is taught in public schools. I might point out that not all Christians believe in the literal interpretation of genesis. Even fewer of the innumerable other religions believe in Genesis and accept naturalistic explainations over particular mythic historic texts.
A lot of the founders were transcendentalists and not traditional theists.
The court system is based on rationality and that which can be proven, therefore silly mystic defenses are not accepted on the basis of lack of evidence rather than to maintain a seperation of church and state.

However, it is a republic, and the people rule. If atheists were the majority, I would expect the same amount of influence as theists currently have.

 

Maybe they would be like Transformers...that would be cool!

 

Evolution Toys...my own line!!

Hey, I want a patent. Anyone want in?

 

current technology will not suffice

 

wait....they could be like those small plastic things where you put them in water and they get bigger, only as they get bigger they takeon a different shape!!! Like a small cell turns into a sheep or something

 

I'm in!

 

hahaha... nice list, libertine.
over the top (in good fun, i'm sure) at times, but all quite true.

hahahaha...... that's gold



i once got into a conversation about religion with my boss, a really sweet lady, and she asked me if i was christian - i said, "no, actually i'm agnostic." she looked at me for a moment, sort of puzzled, and finally said, "gee, you're a bit young to be an agnostic, aren't you?"

i have no idea what that means.

lol

love,