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Are atheist as racist as religious people?

In my life I have found that more prejudice and racism has come from Christian people. Ironically I was told to not be "unequally yoked together with non-believers." Well, those are the very people who treated me as an equal human being.

Thoughts?

Rideauxb 7 Oct 5
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121 comments (76 - 100)

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Probably on a percentage basis.

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I think to be atheist is maybe to be a freer thinker, possibly more acceptant of other belief systems because they don't threaten us - I would never ever put down someone else's defence system against a cruel world - if it helps to believe in something that eases the pain of humanity - I'm all for it - sometimes I wish I had that simplicity myself & yes I share your last sentiment - and I was brought up to make my own mind up freely about what my spirituality would be.

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racism I've come to discover is more of a geopolitical issue than anything else because I've lived in towns where there are no black people and no racists but then I've lived in towns where there were no black people in a bunch of racist and vice a versa and can also say it would be more along the grounds of how you were raised but I lived in a small Backwoods codone town where there were no black people + 50 y Del righties

didn't even know comment even posted since my tablet shut down in the middle of the message and just wanted to finish it at least and really don't know where I was going with that but I just want to say that everybody needs to quit judging each other based on the content of Vitamin D in our skin we all make bad decisions we all do stupid shit but to say one is more likely to do it based on the color of their skin I'd preposterous. also whenever anybody ever debates me on this whole color thing and to where we come from and who we are I simply end it with this we are all descendants of the African ape and sometimes its funny when it ticks people off to find out we're all from Africa

2

Yes, that's how Trump got elected.

1

First, I need to understand what is meant by 'racist." Personally, as a AA womun who has lived in a supremacist institutionalized/systemic racist system, I think some, many, a few, most atheist can and are just as racist as some, many, a few, most religious persons.

Yes, race does define and should define. The humyn race consists of many a diversity of people ad difference is good and should be valued.

Again, I say there must be an honest and realistic understanding of what racism is and how it expresses itself and exists in this society. Personally, I have met very few truly good spiritual, humynistic people and too many who profess to be Christian, godly [whatever that is] etc. and vey bad and evil

We are not the same and should not be. We are all different. We are not all racist...I, as a womun of African heritage, am prejudice about many things and work everyday to distinguish between realistic prejudices [those that are beneficial to my survival in a supremacist, racist institutionalized/systemic culture] and those that are just down right unrealistic so that they will not have such an unhealthy impact on my life and the life of others. but I try not to get into discussions on racism unless there has been a clear cut understanding of what it is.

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In my experience they generally are not. But that's not to say that they were not racist at one point in their lives, but at least they have the capacity for logic that furthers their thinking and reasoning. That pretty much takes care of racist ideas.

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There's no direct relationship between belief and racism, or lack of belief and lack of racism. Unfortunately, there are racist atheists.

It happens that there is some coincidence between socially insular people and religiosity, at least in the United States. Being socially insular is a good way to foster racism because the socially insular only want to associate with others like themselves, and skin color, national origin, and all the rest are easy and common ways to identify someone else as different than yourself.

We as non-believers should resist the impulse to be socially insular, in my opinion, and that includes preferring to be only around other non-religious people. I'd rather see a lot of non-religious people with religious friends, behaving morally and generously and being good friends, good neighbors, and good citizens, quietly confident in their non-theism. There's no better way I can think of to demonstrate to the religious people in the world that you don't need God to be good.

0

While attending local non-believer get togethers, I have unfortunately heard some white people make gross generalizations about other ethnicites. Including the statement "if black people would just stop playing the victim and move on they would be a lot better off."

1

It feels more that racism is geographic in nature to me. I live in the deep South of the U.S. Here it is prevalent around every corner. It is also very conservative, and there is a church around every corner. In my little town there are more churches than fast food places.

I think it is more on your location in this old world. If I lived in the U.K. I don't think it would be nearly at all. And I'm sure many U.K. folk are religious. Good question by the way.

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My experience is that atheists are much less racist ON AVERAGE. Bad apples still exist. But seems to be much fewer.

Religion is the motivating factor for many people's racism, so it isn't surprising.

0

Can't say... racism is hard to put in stats.

2

The only people I know who are racist are Christians.

ditto

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I don't know really, I don't know why I am commenting as I know of no polls about this - I know that I was taught not to be racist by my parents who lived in the East end of London where most of the first immigrants came as a starting off place. My father was not a believer and my mother had a personal god who could whop anybody elses' god,I was taught at an early age that we are all equal citizens regardless of any differences and my mother would tell me whoever knocks at the door to let them in, But this was the 1950's and we were dependent upon nurses coming over from the Carribean to work in the understaffed NHS. Our population was depleted due to the war and I was one of the baby boomers

2

I would lean toward believing religious people are more racist but most of the people I've known have been religious and also in the South so...

0

I think it might depend also where in the country you live. I've known some truly accepting religious people over the years who are so open and accepting you would be surprised. I've also known non religious people who have been so closed off it was scary.

Churches, groups, political parties all seem to collect a majority of certain types according to how the leaders conduct and portray themselves so I'm not entirely sure it has to do with religion specifically or just how people in groups work. Crowd mentality is complicated and can vary according to how strict or loose views are throughout.

AmyLF Level 7 Feb 20, 2018
1

I think there's a strain of libertarian Ayn-Rand-Fan atheists who are at least comfortable with racism. They don't think, for example, that the government should tell businesses that they must serve black customers (Rand Paul expressed sympathy with that view, but later backtracked).

Otherwise, atheists include a wide variety of people - the only thing we necessarily have in common is that we don't believe in something that others do.

People who like Ayn Rand just don't think. Period. XD

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0

I like to think it's a matter of upbringing. We, as Atheists or Agnostics, tend to cast off some or all of the norms that we were raised with, and I guess I lump religion and racism into the same bag of beliefs that we pick up from our background.

0

I would say Atheists are prone to all the other human failings, but for most of the religious ones.

1

People arrive at "truth" by many roads, but I have found that the search itself stretches the brain, so I think agnostics/atheists may be a significant % of Mensans. Early SciFi interest could suggest a flexibility of mind that can jump in and out of the box and find solutions. Math is a surprisingly painless way to develop that flexibility (among others), and tends to lead away from painful circular religious arguments. But I've been wrong before.

1

There is good bad in everything

But some worse than others.

1

Based on my experience I would say theists (with notable exceptions) are generally more racist then atheists. I think this is a result of two possible factors. Number one I think is out-group homogeneity effect. I have played a major role in freeing a few theists from their world of superstition to a world view based on reality. To my surprise, two of them (while thanking me for and detailing their benefits of no longer being burdened by religion) noted that their life was now much better because, in addition to no longer fearing burining in hell forever and being able to evaluate the world with facts not fiction, they no longer feared anybody that was not a member of their church. Yes. Both of those I am talking about specified now accepting with equal footing people of a different race as they no longer considered other races inferior or worthy of fearing. Number two factor could be the correlation (I am not necessarily claiming causality) of intelligence, religious, and racism. There are many studies that demonstrate increased intelligence generally yields decreased theism. There are also studies that demonstrate increased intelligence generally yields decreased racism. (Separate studies)

0

I’m a white guy that was born and raised in Detroit. Being often the only white kid in class or in the whole school and yeah I was often made fun of and called names but nothing too bad. I realized I was an atheist at 18 and although I don’t believe in a god, who’s morals are questionable at best lol, I began to realize that religion does promote hate in certain areas. I personally believe everyone is different but that good. We can learn from each other and move the human race forward.

1

Whoa!! 121 comments to date!! Critical thinking pretty much does away with hateful thoughts, thinking you're fucking 'special' or in some way limiting how you view others. IMO

0

Racism/any-ism has nothing to do with whether one is a Believer or Atheist.

Each is just a singular belief in a subset of other beliefs, and they have no causal connection.

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