Do Atheists have religious rights?

[DetlefK]

Originally, I wanted to write something about the SCOTUS-decision, about atheist companies eventually forcing their employees to work on Sundays and Christmas. But then a deeper question came to my mind:

Atheism is the absence of religion. Do laws intended for practitioners of religion also encompass atheists? Religion has a spiritual basis and a cultural basis. Would the cultural basis of Atheism being focused on religion be enough for legal protection?

[djean111]

1. Eventually, the way things are going in the USA, atheists may need legal protection

from "practitioners of religion". They won't get it, though.
Kinda silly to think atheists will force people to work on Sundays and Christmas. People work on Sundays and Christmas NOW. Depends on the company and the type of work.
I don't think in terms of atheist companies, really. Only religious companies seem to think that sort of thing is important enough to force everyone to their will.

[cbayer]

5. What do you imagine atheists will need legal protection from?

[edhopper]

13. Discrimination from

fundies.
Similar to protection for LGBT from religious discrimination.

[gwheezie]

2. I'm an atheist

I have worked every Christmas for years so a Christian can be off. I work Easter as well. I've been an atheist a long time, I know the culture in this country reflects Christian myths. It doesn't bother me as long as I can get the national atheist holiday off, the day after Christmas sales.
Lots of stores are opening on Christmas these days, fast food places, hotels, mass transit etc

[cbayer]

6. I worked every Saturday for a year because I was the only non-Jew in a group of observant jews who

were responsible for a specific job.

It didn't bother me and I was glad to make the accommodation. They were very happy to let me have days off that didn't mean much to them.

[gwheezie]

7. I work for a catholic healthcare system

I actually like working Christian holidays. It's quieter. Patients are very appreciative. We throw a party at work. It's nice. I can usually work a deal to get a day off I really want.

[cbayer]

9. Sometimes making accommodations for others is just the right thing to do.

It feels good and if one has any belief in karma or "paying it forward", the benefits might be outstanding.

But doing it with resentment just "because" is probably not good for your health, to say nothing of your work based relationships.

[No Vested Interest]

11. Many Jews in our area volunteer their services on Christmas Day

so that Christians can be free to celebrate their holiday/holyday.

[longship]

3. Jefferson thought so.

And he and Madison wrote the thing.

The legitimate powers of government extend to such acts only as are injurious to others. But it does me no injury for my neighbor to say there are twenty gods, or no god. It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg.

Thomas Jefferson, Notes on the State of Virginia, 1781-82 (capitalization of the word god is retained per the original).

[cbayer]

4. Interesting, some recent court decisions have indicated that the answer is yes.

There is, however, quite a bit of disagreement within the organized atheist community on this matter. While some are challenging the courts by demanding that they be given the same rights as religious groups (and in some cases winning), there are others that bet apoplectic at any suggestion that there is a similarity between theism and atheism.

Where do you stand?

[DetlefK]

8. About the same.

Let's take race as an example: People can be categorized along their race. This means, we need a rule for this disparity. A hypothetical human without the attribute "race" would be outside of that legislation. On the other hand, race can be defined as an attribute and as the lack of an attribute.

Similarly, atheism could be categorized as a religion with the attributes "lack of higher power", "lack of spiritual teachings", "lack of clergy", "lack of sacred subjects/objects", "lack of clergy".

[cbayer]

10. Race is a really good example, as it is clearly become muddled and unclear

particulalry in this country.

So many people are not clearly one thing or another.

I would like to see the same thing happen when it comes to religion. Of course there will always be hard care people on both extremes, but wouldn't it be nice if we could just see that most people are or are not "spiritual" to some extent and leave it at that?

And there is the fact that some atheists and atheist groups are adopting religious traditions and language, like having sunday meetings, using standardized texts and tunes, having leaders that function as clergy and particular rituals. What about the current push for humanists to be included as clergy in the military?

I know this makes some people uncomfortable and the sense I get is that it does so because it is mimicking a system that they detest for various reasons.

But it is happening.

[Iggo]

12. If anyone does, then everyone does.

That's how rights are supposed to work.

[cbayer]

14. Religious rights or civil rights?

I think non-believers are entitled to the same rights as everyone else, but I wouldn't call them "religious" rights.

[mr blur]

15. There should BE no "laws intended for practitioners of religion"

Practitioners of religion should be subject to the same laws as the rest of us.
Anything else is religious privilege - is that not ruled out by your Constitution?

[cbayer]

16. I think he is referring to the part of the constitution that refers to

free exercise of religion.

That specifically addresses freedom of religion and there are laws in place to protect that.

It's a constitutional right here, no a privilege.

The UK has no such 1st amendment rights in terms of freedom from religion or of religion. That's why you have so much religious crap going on in your education system.