I grew up in a strongly Christian home, and I think it was kind of ingrained in my mind that atheists were bad people. Have you ever felt that your religious view has prevented you from say, getting a job, getting a promotion, or earning new friends?
Dave Hitt
www
No, although I do have a little concern that a prospective employer may remove me from consideration after reading my blogs, podcasts, etc. But the only way to prevent that would be to remain silent, and that is too contrary to my nature to even consider.
If someone dislikes me because I’m an atheist they have very little imagination. There are so many, much better reasons to dislike me they’re taking the easy way out.
George Ricker
www
Not really. I long ago adopted the stance that anyone who could not accept me because of my atheism probably wasn’t worth my time or energy anyway.
Eric_PK
I’m in a relatively unchurched state, so things are fairly good here.
However, I don’t discuss religion with friends or especially with co-workers. It’s still considered fairly taboo to point out – at least publicly – how whacked out a lot of religous beliefs are (for example, if you point out that a certain popular sect has as a point of canon the ritual cannibalism of a zombie…).
But no, for the most part I don’t feel shunned. I don’t really enjoy the company of most heavily religious people anyway.
SmartLX
How you’re treated as a declared atheist depends very much on where you are and who you associate with. Here in Australia I’ve had very few negative reactions, but online I’ve been attacked quite viciously by some. It makes me glad I’m not in the same city as these people, let alone workplace or social group.
logicel
I would say to the best of my knowledge no. But then again, I have always made it a point once I left my own religious home at the age of eighteen, to live in the most secular environments that I can locate. At present, I am living in the very secular country, France. When I lived in America, I stayed on the coasts. The times that I have been in religious areas of America, it was very psychologically stressful for me. In general, very religious people who are vocal about their beliefs and filter everything through religion are alienating and appear very odd to me.
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