Why So Many Haters?

[hhappyduck]

Why do so many people hate Athiests? I mean, I don't understand. Ever since I truly became an Athiest, it has been a question I can't seem to answer. I've been to even the most radical church (don't ask why, it's a long personal story), and I still can't wrap my head around it. To anyone who can help explain this to me, I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks!

[knot]

i think you need to replace <people> with <theists>

Well, basically it's about conservation of mental energy and taking the path of least resistance. Humans love to be intellectually lazy whenever possible. People would rather believe a psychopathic god created everything instead of having to understand quantum physics.

So naturally people get pissed when you try and dispel their illusions and force them to think

[brimstoneSalad]

It's mainly cultural backlash, since religion is in its death throes in the West.

However, this has been around for a long time too. People always look for scapegoats; some disenfranchised class of others to blame their problems on. After World War II, when it become unacceptable to be antisemitic (as it should be), a large portion of the culture started turning on Atheism.
It's been turned up to eleven recently, because of the economic recession (the more troubles people have, the more they want to blame it on somebody), and the fact of New Atheism biting back.
Theists generally think Atheists should shut up and hate themselves for lacking faith, and be searching for religion with insecurity. They see atheism as a bad thing, and even the ones who accept people's rights to be atheist are disgusted when Atheists advocate the 'condition'.

They see it in the way many of us we might see pro-ana or fat-positive. Advocating unhealthy lifestyles is disturbing, because they're objectively wrong in many ways.

The overweight or anorexic don't need to hate themselves as people, but they should aspire to be more healthy and correct the condition they suffer from, and shouldn't encourage people to be fat or anorexic or congratulate themselves on the 'achievement'.
Theists see atheism the same way.

[hhappyduck]

Oh! Now I get it! It's just so frustrating because I'm trying to become an eagle scout before my 18the birthday on Saturday, and it's really hard because on my application, it's going to ask for a "religious official" as a reference.

[Viking Redbeard]

Hi there!

In England I've never really felt hated because I was an atheist. In my experience, where I'm from, there are more atheists that theists, and the theists I've met have been of the week tea let's say a prayer before dinner and later we can all watch Songs of Praise and have a jolly good time variety. They generally keep it to themselves.

When I lived in Louisiana, though, I learned pretty quick that folks don't necessarily take kindly to atheists. In fact I was once verbally ejected from the group of people I was sitting with in a cafe after admitting (having been pressed) that I was an atheist. I wouldn't say they were bad people, necessarily, but the impression I got was that they equated atheism with all sorts of other things such as moral nihilism (i.e. Don't believe in God? Oh, so I guess you think it's morally okay to be out there raping and killing for personal gain) and a kind of cold dead otherness (i.e. Don't believe in God? Oh, so I guess everything for you is scientific and mechanical, and you don't experience any of the wonder or beauty of creation. What a joyless existence you must have.) So a lot of it is based on the misconceptions that theists have absorbed at some point, from the parents or community.

Like I said, in England it's not like this, but, yeah, I've experienced this.

Good luck with your application.

[brimstoneSalad]

Can you tell us more about your experience in Louisiana? What do you mean by verbally ejected?

[Viking Redbeard]

Ah, well, I was sitting in the cafe with these folks I didn't know too well, and they started talking about atheism in the terms I've described above. In the end they asked me which church I went to and I told them (DUN-DUN-DAAAH) that I didn't go to church because I was an atheist. Then some of them started saying things, not to me but to each other, like 'I don't think could ever be real friends with an atheist' and 'I'm not sure I'd like to have an atheist roomie' (it was university). Obviously, I felt pretty alienated. They didn't actually tell me to leave, but it was clear I wasn't welcome.

Another time - and I know these stories sound cliche - I met a girl outside class, and she asked me where I was from. I said England, and her response was, 'Oh, so you're part of the seven headed serpent then.' Not a question. I replied, 'Erm, sorry?' to which she replied, 'You know, the seven headed serpent? From the bible?' to which the confused look on my face prompted her to ask, 'How many times have you read the bible?' and I replied, 'I haven't, all the way through' (I hadn't read it at that time). She then grimaced as if I'd just said something perverted, and walked away from me without another word.

There are other stories. I have to say, most people I met were super cool, and I even became friends with a bloke who was training to be a preacher. But, yeah, Louisiana. Interesting place...

[brimstoneSalad]

Ah, I see. I would have been surprised if they actually asked you to leave.

That definitely sounds intentional, though; making you feel uncomfortable until you left. Any reason you didn't call them on it?

Seven headed serpent... crazy people. Red states...

[Viking Redbeard]

Well, tbh, I was too surprised to call them out on it. You know how sometimes when you're treated badly you only realise it later on and think, 'Hang on a minute, what he said was out of order, I should've called him out.'

I wonder if anyone else has similar stories. I've heard people sometimes have a hard time when they come out as an atheist to their fundamentalist families, although I've never been through anything like that.

[Viking Redbeard]

Oh, and I never did follow up on what that girl meant by the 'seven headed serpent'. Anyone have any ideas?