Four Reasons Atheists Have to Fight for Their Rights

[backscatter712]

http://www.alternet.org/belief/4-reasons-atheists-have-fight-their-rights

AlterNet / By Greta Christina
4 Reasons Atheists Have to Fight for Their Rights
In the U.S., atheists have laws protecting them. But laws aren't always obeyed, or enforced -- and fighting for legal rights can have dire consequences.

August 6, 2012 | "You atheists are just taking on the mantle of victimhood. There are laws protecting you -- especially the First Amendment. Therefore, you're not really discriminated against. And it's ridiculous for you to claim that you are."

Atheist activists get this one a lot. When we speak out about ways that anti-atheist bigotry plays out, we're told that we're not really oppressed. We're told that, because we have legal protection, because anti-atheist discrimination is illegal, therefore we don't really have any problems, and we're just trying to gain unearned sympathy and win the victim Olympics. (I'd love to hear Bob Costas do the commentary for that!) It's a classic Catch-22: If we speak out about oppression and point to examples of it, we're accused of "playing the victim card," and the oppression becomes invisible. And if we don't speak out about oppression ... then the oppression once again becomes invisible.

If you've ever made this "discrimination against atheists is against the law" argument, I have some really bad news for you. You may want to sit down for this, it may come as a shock:

People sometimes break the law.

...

Standing up for your legal rights sometimes has ugly consequences.

...

Sometimes laws aren't enforced.

...

Not all bigotry is illegal.

[intaglio]

1. There's also an interesting article from the Financial Times

Atheism in America, by Julian Baggini

A now famous University of Minnesota study concluded that Americans ranked atheists lower than Muslims, recent immigrants, gays and lesbians and other minority groups in “sharing their vision of American society”. Nearly 48 per cent said they “would disapprove if my child wanted to marry a member of this group” (many more than the next most unpopular category, Muslims, at 33.5 per cent). No wonder atheist groups talk of modelling their campaigns on the civil rights, gay and women’s liberation movements. It is not that they claim their persecution is on the same level but that they suggest the way forward requires a combination of organising and consciousness-raising. “We want people to realise that some of their best friends are atheists, some of their doctors, and lawyers and fire chiefs and all the rest of them are atheists,” says Dennett.

[Skittles]

2. I'm guessing that those judgemental, ranking assholes consider themselves "Christians"

'nuff said

[cbayer]

4. Excellent article and well worth the read.

I don't think this has been posted as an OP, so you might want to do that.

[cbayer]

3. Nice summary of the things FFRF is working on.