Collin Boots | Are atheists persecuted in America?
The Devil’s Advocate | Exploring the experience of an American atheist
By Collin Boots · April 10, 2014, 5:52 pm · Updated April 10, 2014, 9:35 pm
Collin Boots is a master’s student studying robotics. His email address is cboots@seas.upenn.edu. Follow him
@LotofTinyRobots
No. Persecution is a very strong word, and I am extremely uncomfortable applying it to atheists in America.
Recently, Saudi Arabia officially declared that all atheist organizations are terrorist groups. According to a 2012 report from the International Humanist and Ethical Union, atheism is a capital offense in at least 13 nations. The report also says the “overwhelming majority of countries fail to respect the rights of atheists and freethinkers” with “laws that deny atheists’ right to exist, revoke their right to citizenship, restrict their right to marry, obstruct their access to public education, prohibit them from holding public office, ... criminalize their criticism of religion and execute them for leaving the religion of their parents.”
What do you think?
That is persecution, and that is why atheists in America shouldn’t claim to be persecuted.
However, a plethora of alternative adjectives present themselves. Without leaving the m’s, I suggest mistrusted, marginalized and misunderstood. Broadening our horizons only slightly brings us to disadvantaged, demonized, and discriminated against.
http://www.thedp.com/article/2014/04/are-atheists-persecuted