The paradox of acceptance vs rejection in secular settings

[genkaus]

I don't know how many of you read the NYT. But an interesting article came out recently, suggesting that foreigners are more comfortable around people of religion than atheists.

In particular, in college. Link:

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/03/educat...mbers.html

Among some interesting quotes:

“Here, people are more religious, even if they’re not Muslim, and I am comfortable with that,” said Ms. Alhamad, an undergraduate in civil engineering, as several other Muslim women gathered in the student center nodded in agreement. “I’m more comfortable talking to a Christian than an atheist.”

Correctly or not, many of them say they believe that they are more accepted than they would be at secular schools.

“I like the fact that there’s faith, even if it’s not my faith, and I feel my faith is respected,” said Maha Haroon, a pre-med undergraduate at Creighton University in Omaha, who was born in Pakistan and grew up in the United States. “I don’t have to leave my faith at home when I come to school.”

And often, they are asked why they attend a Catholic school.

“I tell people the atmosphere is very warm and supportive,” Ms. Issa said. “I feel accepted here, and that’s what matters.”

In the end, should we care that the Cathols are doing something right? ARE they doing something right? It seems to me a contentious issue. On one hand, they're religious. Eww. On the other, the fact that they are embraced, respected, and seemingly live a more satisfied life in a religiously conservative setting....it's unsettling.

It means, for these kind of people, a perfect society is reached not by appealing to secular liberal values, but secular conservative values. This is a very important distinction I'm making here. And it rests on the fact that these Muslim women feel rejected by secular liberal values. This is very striking because it's the exact opposite of why these secular liberal values exist. On the other hand, what about secular conservative values? It's a concept that makes no sense. But it's clearly in play in these Catholic universities, is it not?

Can secular conservative values help the atheist movement? Aboukabary yallah, we can have a more comforting, respectable, conservative yet secular academic arena for more Muslims and slowly embrace them into atheism. The key is seeing that some cultures actually find liberal values offensive and inhospitable.

So, conservative, tight-assed theists find themselves more comfortable in the company of other conservative tight-assed theists than liberal atheists? Wow, that's not expected at all.

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I feel I do. Because we are not intolerant and close-minded. We accept people, and as we are all fundamentally humanists, we want the well-being of society that only pluralism can provide.

"We"? The fact that you'd put all atheists and humanists in one category shows that you know nothing about "us".