Essay on Atheism, the Hidden Prejudice

What is atheism? Why would someone be an atheist? Why do people fear and dislike atheism? Simply stated, atheism is the lack of belief in a god or gods. Granted, atheists are each individuals and undoubtedly each of them prescribe [to] many different philosophies on life, politics and morality as do Christians. However, though atheists may choose to gather collectively for whatever purpose, unlike Christianity, atheism is not a belief system. An individual who identifies himself as an atheist is merely stating that he does not believe in [the existence of] god or gods. Atheism, as indicated by its name, is the opposite of theism which is belief in at least one god; to include polytheism (belief in many or more than one god) and monotheism

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to

Initially, the author supports his ideas using the arguments that we need to handle innumerous types of prejudice daily. He cites himself as example of one who had experienced prejudice for being homosexual and Jew. He knows how prejudice works and how it is present in the society in many different ways. However, there are several other reflections the author uses to sustain his points of view other than his own experiences. For instance, one of the reasons for his explanation about the exacerbate prejudice in the United States is the fact that one is free to

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”

The first part of that amendment is the result of the Founding Fathers’ experience with the long history of religious strife in Europe such as the French Wars of Religion, the Thirty Years’ War, and the Crusades. They realized that religious disagreement can be counterproductive and create setbacks in politics. It would be even worse if one religious group was favored. So, they ensured that the federal government cannot interfere in the citizen's personal

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the

The first Amendment of the United States Constitution says; “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”[1] Our fore fathers felt that this statement was plain enough for all to understand, however quite often the United States government deems it necessary to make laws to better define those rights that are stated in the Constitution. Today the framers would be both encouraged and discouraged by our modern interpretation the First Amendment the United States

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances".

"No man shall be compelled to frequent or support any religious worship, place, or ministry whatsoever, nor shall be enforced, restrained, molested, or burthened in his body or goods, nor shall otherwise suffer, on account of his religious opinions or belief; but that all men shall be free to profess, and by argument to maintain, their opinions in matters of religion, and that the same shall in no wise diminish, enlarge, or affect their civil capacities."

It states that the government cannot establish an official religion, which means that there is a separation between the church and the state. This implies that there may not be any laws made based off any religion. Without this, there is a possibility of becoming a theocracy.

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.”

In a region where Christianity and Catholicism is the dominant religion, people that do not affiliate themselves with religion, such as atheists or agnostics, are often frowned upon by the followers of God. Many people don’t realize that the discrimination of these people in America is very real and is a serious issue. All over the states, thousands of people are being looked down on by their acquaintances solely due to their lack of religious beliefs. This shouldn’t have to be an issue in the “land of the free”. People need to be more aware of the growing concern about the treatment of non-religious people in America.

The article called Religion, Meaning and Prejudice was written by Bruce Hunsberger and Lynne M. Jackson and published in 2005. The purpose of this article is to analyze the links between religion and prejudice that have been interpreted to suggest that religion can both reduce and exacerbate prejudice and to provide an analysis of religion as a meaning system that illustrates how religion can affect intergroup attitudes. The target population the article is geared towards other psychologists. The article begins with the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City and the Pentagon in Washington D.C. on September 11, 2001 and how people were affected while trying to understand what happened that day. The role of religion- based

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances." (Bill of Rights)

Atheism has been around for thousands of years. In 1959, a woman named Madalyn filed