Religion
In reply to the discussion: If someone publicly claims to be an adherent to a religion, [View all]Lordquinton
(7,886 posts)Someone acting terribly gets seen as terribly, they slap a Christian(tm) label on themselves and everyone's perception of them raises. Put an Atheist label on them and they are terrible.
Take two prominent examples of their respective groups. Richard Dawkins and Pope Francis. Dawkins is outspoken and nuanced in his beliefs (not used in the religious god meaning of the word, because some people get confused when that word is used) but on a limited platform he is easily taken out of context and people love to hate on him. He is villainized regardless of the works he's done.
Francis has openly encouraged violence against people who insult his beliefs. He has also encouraged child abuse, calling it "Beautiful" He has traveled the world fighting marriage equality, and actively fights against women's rights. He is seen as a great person because he washed someone's feet once and drives a reasonable car.
just my take on it.