Darren New <dne### [at] sanrrcom> wrote:
> Warp wrote:
> >   Is it true that there are "closet atheists" in many parts of the US?

> Yes. Lots of places, especially in the south (known as the "bible belt") 
> there will be tremendous discrimination against atheists, to the point of 
> being harassed out of town. (I don't know about "many parts," mind. Just the 
> very religious parts.)

> And of course many young adults who are atheist but don't want to cause a 
> problem with their family.

> Of course, most places aren't like that, but when the evangelicals wind up 
> being 75% of the population, you wind up having nobody in authority who will 
> stand up for you, which is really the problem. I.e., when the school board, 
> most of the police force, all the judges, and all the teachers think atheism 
> is a sign of the devil, it's hard for a kid to complain they shouldn't be 
> praying in grade school.

  And nothing is being done about this clear constitutional violation?

  That kind of situation feels somehow foreign to me. Here people are more
or less by default considered atheists, and someone telling they are actually
a christian believer is more an exception than the rule. (Usually people don't
discriminate christians in any way, but they often get questioned a lot. "Why
do you believe that?" etc.)

-- 
                                                          - Warp

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