Even More Bad News for America's Atheists

[GreatOak]

http://www.people-press.org/2014/06/...personal-life/
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/0...n_5492864.html

(RNS) Brace yourself for family backlash if you plan to marry an atheist.

A new Pew Research survey chiefly focused on political polarization also found Americans divided when someone in the family picks a nonbeliever to marry.

Atheists are the most unwanted future relative, by far. Nearly half (49 percent) of Americans say they would be unhappy if a member of their immediate family picked an unbeliever for a spouse.

Those most likely to say they’d be upset:

* 73 percent of people who call themselves “consistently conservative.” * 64 percent of Protestants, including 77 percent of white non-Hispanic evangelical Protestants. * 59 percent among Republicans or those who leaned to the GOP, 18 points higher than unhappy Democrat or Democrat/leaning adults. * 55 percent of Roman Catholics

By contrast, only 9 percent overall said they would be upset by the prospect of a relative wedding a “born again” Christian.

Marriages between Democrats and Republicans were not nearly as divisive.

The number of people who would be upset if a family member married someone of another political party was less than one in 10 overall. And the percentage was similarly low for marrying someone of another race or an immigrant born and raised in another country.

Temperatures did rise a bit over gun ownership and over a lack of a college education.

Overall, only 19 percent said they would be unhappy to have a gun owner in the family. But Democrats and those who leaned blue were more likely to be unhappy (26 percent) than those who favored the GOP (9 percent).

The lack of a college degree in a potential in-law made 14 percent of respondents unhappy but there was little political or social difference among those who held that view. However, the more educated the survey respondent, the higher their disapproval of a diploma-less relative....

“Clearly, an atheist is the least likely to be welcomed into a family,” said Jocelyn Kiley, senior researcher with the Pew Center for the People & the Press. Although 20 percent of Americans said they have no religious identity, “certainly religiosity matters in the United States.”

I knew America didn't like atheists but I'm honestly surprised that half of the country wouldn't date one of us. I'm glad that the vast majority of Americans wouldn't care that I'm a gun owner though, which isn't surprising at all. I know that in my urban millennial bubble most people don't care if you're an atheist or a gun owner so I wonder how long the nation wide distrust of us will last. I'm glad that college education doesn't matter much, even though I have a degree myself.

[vindicatorx]

I knew America didn't like atheists but I'm honestly surprised that half of the country wouldn't date one of us. I'm glad that the vast majority of Americans wouldn't care that I'm a gun owner though, which isn't surprising at all. I know that in my urban millennial bubble most people don't care if you're an atheist or a gun owner so I wonder how long the nation wide distrust of us will last. I'm glad that college education doesn't matter much, even though I have a degree myself.

Mostly ignorance for the most part I have been told what I believe so many times and it is usually so far from the truth it's sad.

[Deleted]

Don't worry american atheists will just call themselves agnostics and have zero issues.

[Reeve]

I read that as 51% of Americans don't care if I'm religious or not.

That's better odds than a lot of people get for a lot of things.

Now, what do Atheists think about marriage to religious people? I know that if/when I find a person is a practicing religious person (meaning going to church at least once a week), it's an immediate turnoff to me, equal in degree to discovering a girl is a smoker. It's not a deal-breaker instantly, but I'd have to REALLY like her.

[Jester Joe]

What the
I mean, I loosely believe in a Religion, but geez, I'm not gonna let what someone else believes stop me from liking them if I do. Unless it affects who they are of course, and I don't mean like slightly, I mean over-zealotry or something.

[GodlyBob]

Don't worry american atheists will just call themselves agnostics and have zero issues.

The same way we tell people we're from "near Canada" when we travel abroad.

[GreatOak]

Mostly ignorance for the most part I have been told what I believe so many times and it is usually so far from the truth it's sad.

I'd met a few people in Jacksonville that thought Atheism = Satan worship

[Underverse]

I read that as 51% of Americans don't care if I'm religious or not.

That's better odds than a lot of people get for a lot of things.

Yeah I thought the same. Actually I am surprised it's only 49% and not higher given our peculiar attachment to religion...

[dashflash890]

Who cares. Most American Athiests I've met in real life and on the forums could careless from what I've seen.

[GreatOak]

I read that as 51% of Americans don't care if I'm religious or not.

That's better odds than a lot of people get for a lot of things.

If you take the glass half full approach it does look better, at least when you consider how fast the country is becoming non-believing

[Spectral]

I can't really get wound up about this. I'm an atheist and I wouldn't date a religious person. I dated multiple religious women in the past, including a three year relationship with an Evangelical Christian that I considered marrying. At this stage in my life (I'm 29 now), I simply wouldn't consider a life partner that was religious, it's too big of a fundamental divide in how we think about the world. I have nothing against religious folks as friends and colleagues, but you should be much pickier about potential partners.

Getting up in arms about a religious person agreeing with that sentiment would be silly on my part.

[dashflash890]

I can't really get wound up about this. I'm an atheist and I wouldn't date a religious person. I dated multiple religious women in the past, including a three year relationship with an Evangelical Christian that I considered marrying. At this stage in my life (I'm 29 now), I simply wouldn't consider a life partner that was religious, it's too big of a fundamental divide in how we think about the world. I have nothing against religious folks as friends and colleagues, but you should be much pickier about potential partners.

When you mean religous do you mean trying to convert you religous or are you counting people that believe in a religion in general.

[Reeve]

I can't really get wound up about this. I'm an atheist and I wouldn't date a religious person. I dated multiple religious women in the past, including a three year relationship with an Evangelical Christian that I considered marrying. At this stage in my life (I'm 29 now), I simply wouldn't consider a life partner that was religious, it's too big of a fundamental divide in how we think about the world. I have nothing against religious folks as friends and colleagues, but you should be much pickier about potential partners.

Getting up in arms about a religious person agreeing with that sentiment would be silly on my part.

Yeah. I consider myself agnostic inasmuch as I don't really care to take a hard stance to say I decisively believe no god can possibly exist, but I feel essentially the same way you do. It's way too big a fundamental divide to simply overcome.

[Mage of Rage]

What is the % of Americans who would be unhappy if a member of their immediate family picked a muslim extremist or child-slave captor or a ghetto thug for a spouse, out of curiosity?

[Conspicuous Cultist]

I feel so oppressed and unloved.

[GreatOak]

The same way we tell people we're from "near Canada" when we travel abroad.

Hehe

Sometimes when I'm in Europe (I go every 2 years to see family in the UK) people will reference Chicago's location as being "south of Canada". I don't know why it's that instead of "northern US".

[vindicatorx]

Now, what do Atheists think about marriage to religious people? I know that if/when I find a person is a practicing religious person (meaning going to church at least once a week), it's an immediate turnoff to me, equal in degree to discovering a girl is a smoker. It's not a deal-breaker instantly, but I'd have to REALLY like her.

I have dated mostly non practicing people and I tend not to bring religion up in general unless I hear some one making a stupid statement. I mean if she wants to go to church that is fine me going with her weekly that is not happening.

[Underverse]

What is the % of Americans who would be unhappy if a member of their immediate family picked a muslim extremist or child-slave captor or a ghetto thug for a spouse, out of curiosity?

Hahaha this is the real comparison to make. Now if the % were lower...then we might have problems...

[vindicatorx]

I'd met a few people in Jacksonville that thought Atheism = Satan worship

I get that one all the time, that or the "Why do you hate god?" I'm like I don't believe one exists so how can I hate him. Then the #1 follow up is "So you believe everything came from nothing?".

[Conspicuous Cultist]

Maybe if I wear a fedora (read:trilby) that'll fix everything.