(no subject)
Survey: US trust lowest for atheists
That's a surprising result.
[R]esearchers found that Americans rate atheists below Muslims, recent immigrants, homosexuals and other groups as “sharing their vision of American society.”
Americans are also least willing to let their children marry atheists. “It tells us about how Americans view religion,” said Penny Edgell, an associate sociology professor and the study’s lead researcher. “Many Americans seem to believe some kind of religious faith is central to being a good American and a good person.”
I'm very curious to see what the urban/rural markup was for this study -- traditionally small communities place more importance on religion than disassociated city folk, but if the results were constant across the board, perhaps a quiet revival of "family values" is lurking around the corner. All very interesting, indeed...
EDIT: de-friended post; feel free to read and comment.
First-year pharmacy student Amanda Wawrzynia commented that “I would rather have my kids marry someone of a different religion than someone who has none,” and, when it comes down to brass tacks, I agree with her stance. I've dated everything from Jesus freaks to embittered atheists, and while I loved and respected them all, I would not raise kids with the latter type of person.
Not that it matters much, I suppose; my mother is a devout evangelist, but all three of her kids have drifted off into agnostic territory (although my sister still practices her faith...I don't know how long that will last). Maybe my children will grow up to be atheists. That's fine. But when they're just figuring out how the world works and what their role in it is, I'd like to guide them with my hard-fought beliefs and have their other parent do the same. It's important to believe in something, be it God, Bach, or the almighty dollar.
Expanding this concept further, while I wouldn't necessarily exclude everyone who isn't a lapsed Anglican with an unhealthy devotion to words and music, ideally it'd be someone who has similar philosophical struggles as me that helps steer my future [thank God] kids in the right direction. Atheism can be a brave outlook on the world, but it's not one I'd care to bequeath on the next generation. They can find their own way to atheism, if they so desire.
Amazing, isn't it, how parents figure all that out. As many of you know, I was raised in a ecumenical atmosphere, and had the privilege of personally selecting my flavour of Christianity...but it had to be a Christian flavour, and I doubt Catholicism would have gone over well either. My mother and "father" did not agree on this, but to be honest, I think the fact that I chose my denomination has kept me from making a clean break with the church. I can't subscribe to either of their beliefs, for various reasons, but I can wrestle with my own, and more importantly, the gap between theoretical and practical faith.
Another point worth mentioning is that my definition of "religious faith" is pretty broad. I got slammed for that during the Muslim cartoon debate (and rightly so; what's a debate without reality checks?), but, y'know, if I can swear like a sailor and be a Christian, you can believe in the earth and sun and be religious. There are only two types of atheism I've encountered, the pseudo "There-is-no-god-but-he/she-hates-me-anyway" kind, and the darker, calculated belief in the value of disbelief. Both of those are valid perspectives, certainly, but not conducive to trust.
So, I'd rather trust someone who believes half the world is going to hell than an atheist? I guess so. There is no right answer to this debate, which is why it boils down to faith. There is no right answer to this debate, which is why it boils down to faith. Americans are often negatively shown as acting on their faith, rather than logic, but who has ever successfully used logic to justify their faith?
(Atheists.)
What do y'all think?
*Hush. You're ruining my argument.
That's a surprising result.
[R]esearchers found that Americans rate atheists below Muslims, recent immigrants, homosexuals and other groups as “sharing their vision of American society.”
Americans are also least willing to let their children marry atheists. “It tells us about how Americans view religion,” said Penny Edgell, an associate sociology professor and the study’s lead researcher. “Many Americans seem to believe some kind of religious faith is central to being a good American and a good person.”
I'm very curious to see what the urban/rural markup was for this study -- traditionally small communities place more importance on religion than disassociated city folk, but if the results were constant across the board, perhaps a quiet revival of "family values" is lurking around the corner. All very interesting, indeed...
EDIT: de-friended post; feel free to read and comment.
First-year pharmacy student Amanda Wawrzynia commented that “I would rather have my kids marry someone of a different religion than someone who has none,” and, when it comes down to brass tacks, I agree with her stance. I've dated everything from Jesus freaks to embittered atheists, and while I loved and respected them all, I would not raise kids with the latter type of person.
Not that it matters much, I suppose; my mother is a devout evangelist, but all three of her kids have drifted off into agnostic territory (although my sister still practices her faith...I don't know how long that will last). Maybe my children will grow up to be atheists. That's fine. But when they're just figuring out how the world works and what their role in it is, I'd like to guide them with my hard-fought beliefs and have their other parent do the same. It's important to believe in something, be it God, Bach, or the almighty dollar.
Expanding this concept further, while I wouldn't necessarily exclude everyone who isn't a lapsed Anglican with an unhealthy devotion to words and music, ideally it'd be someone who has similar philosophical struggles as me that helps steer my future [thank God] kids in the right direction. Atheism can be a brave outlook on the world, but it's not one I'd care to bequeath on the next generation. They can find their own way to atheism, if they so desire.
Amazing, isn't it, how parents figure all that out. As many of you know, I was raised in a ecumenical atmosphere, and had the privilege of personally selecting my flavour of Christianity...but it had to be a Christian flavour, and I doubt Catholicism would have gone over well either. My mother and "father" did not agree on this, but to be honest, I think the fact that I chose my denomination has kept me from making a clean break with the church. I can't subscribe to either of their beliefs, for various reasons, but I can wrestle with my own, and more importantly, the gap between theoretical and practical faith.
Another point worth mentioning is that my definition of "religious faith" is pretty broad. I got slammed for that during the Muslim cartoon debate (and rightly so; what's a debate without reality checks?), but, y'know, if I can swear like a sailor and be a Christian, you can believe in the earth and sun and be religious. There are only two types of atheism I've encountered, the pseudo "There-is-no-god-but-he/she-hates-me-anyway" kind, and the darker, calculated belief in the value of disbelief. Both of those are valid perspectives, certainly, but not conducive to trust.
So, I'd rather trust someone who believes half the world is going to hell than an atheist? I guess so. There is no right answer to this debate, which is why it boils down to faith. There is no right answer to this debate, which is why it boils down to faith. Americans are often negatively shown as acting on their faith, rather than logic, but who has ever successfully used logic to justify their faith?
(Atheists.)
What do y'all think?
*Hush. You're ruining my argument.