2008 Woodie Awards
Religion does not have a monopoly on values
Patrick Boyle
Issue date: 4/13/06 Section: Opinion
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Thomas Jefferson, one of our founding fathers and the third president of this country, once insisted that we should "Question with boldness even the existence of a God; because, if there be one, he must more approve of the homage of reason, than that of blindfolded fear."
Truer words have never been spoken.
However, if a University of Minnesota Department of Sociology survey conducted in March is any indication, most Americans would be inclined to hear the above and conclude that Thomas Jefferson was not a good American and did not share their values.
This poll showed that atheists rate far below all other minorities, including recent immigrants, homosexuals and American Muslims, in terms of acceptance.
Respondents were least likely to conclude that atheists "share their vision of American society" and were also largely unwilling to accept their son or daughter marrying an atheist.
How interesting that the increased tolerance for minority groups this nation has seen in recent decades does not extend to the skeptical, the disbelievers and the antitheists.
And how unfortunate that we continue to live in a society where belief in a supreme being is synonymous with morality and "American values."
Whatever values these survey respondents are referring to, I fail to see how belief in a deity fits in at all.
In fact, considering that the values outlined in the United States Constitution (to me, the holiest of documents) are secular ones, it would seem that this distrust, and even disgust, toward atheists is remarkably un-American.
It is also profoundly troubling.
Imagine if, rather than an atheist, the respondents had said they didn't want their son or daughter marrying a Jew. Such a mindset would not be acceptable.
The same should be true in this case. Hating someone for being a non-believer is no less offensive than hating someone for belonging to a different religion, and it's about time the same level of outrage applied.
Truer words have never been spoken.
However, if a University of Minnesota Department of Sociology survey conducted in March is any indication, most Americans would be inclined to hear the above and conclude that Thomas Jefferson was not a good American and did not share their values.
This poll showed that atheists rate far below all other minorities, including recent immigrants, homosexuals and American Muslims, in terms of acceptance.
Respondents were least likely to conclude that atheists "share their vision of American society" and were also largely unwilling to accept their son or daughter marrying an atheist.
How interesting that the increased tolerance for minority groups this nation has seen in recent decades does not extend to the skeptical, the disbelievers and the antitheists.
And how unfortunate that we continue to live in a society where belief in a supreme being is synonymous with morality and "American values."
Whatever values these survey respondents are referring to, I fail to see how belief in a deity fits in at all.
In fact, considering that the values outlined in the United States Constitution (to me, the holiest of documents) are secular ones, it would seem that this distrust, and even disgust, toward atheists is remarkably un-American.
It is also profoundly troubling.
Imagine if, rather than an atheist, the respondents had said they didn't want their son or daughter marrying a Jew. Such a mindset would not be acceptable.
The same should be true in this case. Hating someone for being a non-believer is no less offensive than hating someone for belonging to a different religion, and it's about time the same level of outrage applied.
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