Discrimination agianst atheists.

[BrianSoddingBoru4]

From what I can tell, Boru either lives in Saudi Arabia or Mississippi.

Heh. No, I live in New Zealand, but the above all happened in Belfast, NI.

Denied employment: For years, I worked as a musician, and quite a few pubs and fetes take religion as a factor in hiring. For example, I couldn't work at any venues on the Antrim Road (a Catholic enclave) or the Shankhill (a Protestant one).

Denied housing: My wife and I put in offers - well above asking - on three different properties and lost on all of them. We came to find out that the estate agent had been instructed to sell to Presbyterians only. We were eventually able to buy one of the homes through an anonymous proxy.

Windows broken: Happened every July, rocks and paving stones accompanied by shouts of 'Godless Cunts!!'

Bike Vandalised: I had a Darwin fish on the petrol tank, someone prised it off and gouged a cross in its place.

On the other hand, I was never offered physical violence. I'm a fair big fella and have been told I look pretty intimidating.

Boru

---

So while I've not been discriminated against, I don't advertise it either.

You're clearly more sensible than I was. I've never hesitated to tell those who asked that I'm an atheist.

Boru

[pineapplebunnybounce]

All nonmuslims are discriminated against where I grew up. So yes, I guess I've been discriminated against.

I'm not gonna say how though, that'll take forever, I was there for 16 years.

[Neo-Scholastic]

From what I can tell, Boru either lives in Saudi Arabia or Mississippi.

Or he delights in pissing people off.

[BrianSoddingBoru4]

Or he delights in pissing people off.

Actually, I'm a sweetheart of a fella. I'm a HUGE supporter of religious freedom and work with a charity associated with our local Methodist church.

But you'd need to understand the situation in Belfast. You don't NEED to piss anyone off to be the victim of religious violence. People there get beaten, maimed and crippled for walking in the wrong neighbourhood. Not for shoutings slogans, or carrying banners, or otherwise inciting or pissing anyone off. For walking.

This is a city where 6-year old girls were spat on by grown men, because they had to walk to school through a Protestant enclave.

This is the city where militant Catholics - endorsed by the local church - invented the use of hammer drills on knees to cripple people.

There's a saying among the militant Protestant element: 'God help a red-haired man in the Shankhill. No one else is going to.'

So, before you intimate that the (relatively mild) religious persecution I used to deal with is the result of my delighting in pissing people off, maybe you should get up off the parlimentary side of your arse and learn something about the world.

Boru

[Bad Writer]

Being in the US Air Force, it's considered very unprofessional for anyone to discuss their religious beliefs in the work environment. That being said, it's an unspoken rule that only discussion of Christian beliefs gets a pass, as the majority of the military Chaplains are Christian, and their presence is accepted without argument at every major function in order for them to give the mandatory invocation. As being an atheist isn't exactly employment suicide, it's certainly not discussed openly the same way Christianity can be. No persecution for me, as I'm not one to advertise my position to my superiors. (The most my supervisor knows is that I'm an Ex-Mormon, which is interesting because he's a practicing member himself, and that's as far as that will go.)

[wwjs]

Or he delights in pissing people off.

I doubt that he does but even if he did, what happened to him was not justified in any way (I'm talking about attacks since you would probably defend denying housing/employment).

[Jackalope]

I served in the U.S. Army during the 80's and 90's. Under one command, those that didn't go to chapel on Sunday were often given extra duty. I don't know how widespread the practice was, or at what level of command it came from. It certainly wasn't universal.

[Fidel_Castronaut]

I'm from England where being an atheist is as normal as fish and chips.

I've been insulted for being an atheist, by a Sikh religious leader actually, and I've been viewed as being odd for being one too by the same people.

But being discriminated against for being an atheist? I don't think I have, no.

[Lemonvariable72]

Being in canada it seems to be reasonable here then other places, i did have to deal my grandmother telling me im goibg to hell