High School Atheists

[thesummerqueen]

School here in America is a bit of a hot-button topic for me. There are a lot of things I feel schools could do, but don't, or should do, but won't. Each of them probably deserves its own thread.

But this one irritates the fuck out of me because it's so simple, and it's a matter of fairness. If you're going to let a bunch of douchebags (and yeah, they were douchebags up where I used to live) gather around the school flag pole with students in the mornings to pray, you can give the atheist students an empty class room for a couple hours.

It's four pages, so it's long, but I think it should be read. All of the Americans should know (and the rest of the world to an extent too) that it's not just adults who face ostracizing, abandonment or hate. School isn't supposed to be a diploma farm. It ought to be giving you tools with which to face life. The only tool you're teaching here is that if you don't believe what the majority does, you'll be denied priviliges.

And how un-American is that?

http://www.alternet.org/belief/150006/hi...ck_/%20%20

[ozgoat]

It ought to be giving you tools with which to face life. The only tool you're teaching here is that if you don't believe what the majority does, you'll be denied priviliges.

And how un-American is that?

"But the powerful resistance these groups have encountered makes the need for them all too clear. The reality is that atheists are the most distrusted and disliked of all minority groups -- more than blacks, Hispanics, Jews, Muslims, immigrants, and gays and lesbians -- and polls show that Americans are less likely to vote for an atheist than they are for a person in any other minority or marginalized category.

I don't know if it is "un-American" or not! As a non-American, I've always believed that America is very conformist in the main and very religious/Christian along with it.

A nation that supported the slavery of and segregation of black people for so long(both allied to Christianity) is carrying a lot of bigotry and bias baggage. Christianity can be seen to be crumbling before its very own eyes everywhere, including USA, and they will maintain the defense of their mumbo jumbo right to the very last person.

Bias and bigotry towards atheists and atheism is little different to that foisted upon black people and other minorities by Christians, but atheism is a direct threat and challenges their ridiculous beliefs and the wealth and power of so many is at risk with the growth of atheism.

It's interesting that schools appear to be anti-atheism, because seats of learning is where students begin to seriously challenge the beliefs of religion. So to teach students open-mindedness and acceptance on one hand and to practice bias and bigotry on the other, must be somewhat confusing for them!

[Jax]

Reminds me of my school where muslims pray and we are not allowed to look at them even when they sit their ass down right in front of you. And if we do, they make a huge fucking deal out of it. Good thing the principal shoved them all in this room.

(The percentages of "no" votes for president.)
Catholic: 4% (1937: 30%)
Black: 5% (1958: 63%, 1987: 21%)
Jewish: 6% (1937: 47%)
Baptist: 6%
Woman: 8%
Mormon: 17%
Muslim: 38%
Gay: 37% (1978: 74%)
Atheist: 48%
Wow, I seriously never knew that nearly half of Americans can be so hateful towards atheism, since here in Australia atheism is steadily growing.
http://atheism.about.com/od/atheistbigot...urveys.htm

[fr0d0]

Sounds very American to me... if you don't worship the god of capitalism you're screwed too ..it's training for life!

[ozgoat]

Reminds me of my school where muslims pray and we are not allowed to look at them even when they sit their ass down right in front of you. And if we do, they make a huge fucking deal out of it. Good thing the principal shoved them all in this room.

(The percentages of "no" votes for president.)
Catholic: 4% (1937: 30%)
Black: 5% (1958: 63%, 1987: 21%)
Jewish: 6% (1937: 47%)
Baptist: 6%
Woman: 8%
Mormon: 17%
Muslim: 38%
Gay: 37% (1978: 74%)
Atheist: 48%
Wow, I seriously never knew that nearly half of Americans can be so hateful towards atheism, since here in Australia atheism is steadily growing.
http://atheism.about.com/od/atheistbigot...urveys.htm

I wonder what the US results would be for a female atheist presidential candidate?

[Rhizomorph13]

...who was a gay black muslim?

[everythingafter]

But this one irritates the fuck out of me because it's so simple, and it's a matter of fairness. If you're going to let a bunch of douchebags (and yeah, they were douchebags up where I used to live) gather around the school flag pole with students in the mornings to pray, you can give the atheist students an empty class room for a couple hours.

I see and hear so many instances of illegally supporting religion in the local school that I cover up here for the newspaper, it's ridiculous: prayers before games (or after or both), Christian music playing during pregame warm-ups before basketball games, etc., prayer prior to public meeting of local government bodies The thing is, Christianity is so entrenched here that no one cares and no one seems to see a problem with it ... other than the four unbelievers in the county (exaggeration, obviously, but you get the picture). Three of whom work with me. lol

Even when I was a believer in high school, I had no desire and felt there wasn't much of a point in gathering around a pole to pray. It always seemed like more a status symbol kind of thing rather than an attempt to do any good. But, of course, the gatherers' notion of "good" would be to spread the gospel to the ends of the Earth. You know, not any real tangible, helping-our-country-be-a-better-place kind of good.

---

Sounds very American to me... if you don't worship the god of capitalism you're screwed too ..it's training for life!

However cheeky that last part was supposed to be, Frodo, allowing one religious group of people to gather on a public school site and not allowing another secular group to meet is an unAmerican as it gets. As it turns out, it seems believers (which would be many, many school officials in the nation and probably all of them in the county in which I live) are terrified of that word, "atheist," and they should be since their position is completely indefensible. The intellectually honest believers know it, and at least have the guts to say that in the face off all the evidence against their fairy tales, that faith is all they have left.

[Minimalist]

school officials in the nation and probably all of them in the county in which I live) are terrified of that word, "atheist,"

Or....they don't want to have some fucking preacher denouncing them to the community for having allowed it. They need not be "believers" for this. Merely craven cowards.

[ozgoat]

Sounds very American to me... if you don't worship the god of capitalism you're screwed too ..it's training for life!

However cheeky that last part was supposed to be, Frodo, allowing one religious group of people to gather on a public school site and not allowing another secular group to meet is an unAmerican as it gets. As it turns out, it seems believers (which would be many, many school officials in the nation and probably all of them in the county in which I live) are terrified of that word, "atheist," and they should be since their position is completely indefensible. The intellectually honest believers know it, and at least have the guts to say that in the face off all the evidence against their fairy tales, that faith is all they have left.

I'll list "un-American" along with "Internationally Unconstitutional" and no doubt an abuse of Human Rights and Free Speech, whereby people should be allowed to gather to practice or discuss their belief or non-belief freely and without bias from others. I can just imagine what would happen if secularists tried to prevent Christians gathering to meet, as has happened with atheists.

[Violet]

...who was a gay black muslim?

I'll raise you a bisexual transexual atheist woman with a russian accent.