Is being irreligious or atheist accepted among the American society or do people disgrace it?

34 comments

1. Odds are pretty good we have a higher total of atheists and agnostics than in your country.

   Its rare that I say this, but take a look at reddit….

2. It’s definitely far more common now than previously.

3. I’d say most people in my life are irreligious including me. I’ve never had a problem with it, except growing up when I told my parents I didn’t want to make my confirmation. They were mad and they said I had no choice because I was only 17. Which was weird because my parents themselves never talked about religion or do any religious things that I’ve seen.

4. Most young people don’t claim to have a religion. Being atheist or agnostic is perfectly acceptable in most of the U.S. There are a few small regions populated by religious zealots where an outspoken atheist might have problems, but nobody would know if you didn’t mention it.

5. Some people, as is sadly inevitable, are jackasses about it, but other then them, yeah, from what I’ve seen and believe people would accept that.

6. It’s far more common now than it was even 10 years ago. Younger people are generally less religious. Most people won’t really care what you are as long as you let them live their own lives too.

7. Older generations are more religious. Not sure if that’s true with millennials vs gen z. People online are often dicks about religion or lack thereof, but in real life it doesn’t come up often.

8. I was in Catholic or Lutheran schools from the time my mom finished maternity leave until I left for college. Several cousins have entered the clergy for a bit before ultimately leaving. I live in what’s considered to be a highly religious state. And even I know far more atheists and apathetic agnostics than I do religious people. Sitting here now, I can only think of maybe 5 acquaintances who would identify as religious… and even they are essentially cafeteria Christians who don’t actually attend services very often.

9. I remember when that was considered odd, but not anymore

10. Nobody here asks or cares. I think in The South people do care?

11. About half the people are “Nones,” answer “None” to attending church or religious affiliation. Catholic is the largest single denomination, and in my experience, there are more Cafeteria Catholics and Non practicing Catholics than strict Catholics, who go to church every week and follow the rules. But religious involvement varies a lot by region, more in the South, less in the Northeast. Polls say New Hampshire is the least religious state.

    Lots of churches are run by and for Boomers, and over time, you see them just age out and close. Younger people aren’t usually interested, or even that welcome.

12. Depends on the area but for the most part its accepted with it being very common among the youth.

13. Personally the only person who is bothered by my irreligiosity is my mother. It has never even come up as an issue with anyone else, in part because it just doesn’t come up that much. With close friends I’ll sometimes have “meaning of life” conversations that will touch on religion (or lack thereof) but for the many coworkers and acquaintances I move among in my daily life nobody’s asking me what I believe in or if I go to church on Sundays. Nor do I ask them. It’s just not a problem, and rarely a topic of conversation. I’m aware that some of those people I know are active in a religion and I’m generally happy for them.

    At the same time I don’t want to say that there’s *no* bias against atheism in the US. I’ve seen polls indicating that a large number of Americans would not vote for an atheist for president. I suspect that if I were more vocal about my atheism or derisive about religion I’d have gotten some dirty looks. But personally I’m happy for people to do what’s best for them and religion doesn’t bother me.

14. People don’t really care. I’m atheist and I don’t go around talking about it. Religion has no role in my life and I don’t think about it. I know some people who regularly go to church but the majority of people I know don’t go. I think people should do or believe what they want.

15. It is pretty common. If not atheist than just kind of blandly agnostic.

    Most people don’t really care and if they do it is more of a “well, have you tried out Jesus Christ because it works for me” rather than “I hate you and I hope you burn in hell.”

    There is also a big difference between people that just don’t go to church/mosque/synagogue/etc. and don’t believe compared to the strident new atheist types that think anyone with a religious belief is a foolish moron worshipping a sky daddy fairytale invented by bronze age sheep herders.

16. It’s more widely accepted now than previous years.

17. There is going to be a lot of geographical variation on this one. In some areas being the wrong type of Christian will cause problems for you. But by and large, its way different than it was in the past. I have self identified as an atheist since I was about 12 years old in the mid 90s. It absolutely caused problems with people back then. Even in California. My own mother told me that it was like I straight up joined the KKK (who she was unaware that was a Christian extremist group). I wasn’t racist or in any sort of atheist organization or anything, it was just this was the level of acceptance a lot of people had about it. Among my peers, the evangelical crowd didn’t like it, but it wasn’t some universal response. One of my close friend groups in high school were all Catholics and there was never any issue with me being an atheist with them. For many atheists Catholics have this huge stigma but I have found that they by far caused the least problems for me.

    In the 2000s it wasn’t as bad. But people still took issue with it. But you could definitely tell that people were coming to terms that irreligious people are going to be a thing in society and there is nothing they can do to change that. Some older people took issue with it, but a lot of middle aged and younger people didn’t mind. I knew people who were pretty evangelical in the 90s but were more or less completely over it in the mid-late 2000s and didn’t cause any issue. On a personal level, not some political policy level or anything, I can’t say I had too many bad run ins with religious people or even churches during this time, the vast majority were mostly cool.

    In the 2010s, there was the rise of new atheism and specifically atheist influencers and organizations who ended up being toxic as hell. The stigma went from “you are not part of the dominate religion” to “you people are fucking jerks”. All of the toxicity I had I experienced in this era was from other atheists who made a point to be in these organized groups that ended up being a constant pissing match and grifter nerds trying to establish a pecking order. A lot of irreligious people were really turned off by these groups, and the mentality quickly shifted to the idea that not being religious is not the basis for your social groups. There was an active atheist group in my region that was notoriously full of mean spirited people. They were total assholes to me. I had to point out to a group of mixed company that there was only about 25-30 members within their group while there was probably 60,000 irreligious people in our city and that they represent an absolutely tiny percentage of people and were the irreligious version of organized Whackos.

    As far as generations go. Its not so much a problem with Gen Z, Millennial and probably most of Gen X. It might be an issue with evangelicals within those cohorts, and maybe some people in some areas, but by and large its not going to cause you problems.

18. Why would you even want to discuss it, other than with close friends? I don’t think the majority cares

19. I’m used to the shocked look in peoples face when I tell them I’m not religious. I live in a state where it’s socially acceptable to push Christianity upon people. I know it’s immature, but I simply respond with “hail Satan” when people start getting pushy. I don’t believe in Satan but I know they do. They’ll usually turn into the pikachu face meme.

20. Being irreligious is acceptable in most urban areas, and I suspect it’s acceptable everywhere where you don’t go around telling people “THERE IS NO GOD!”

    That is, the vast majority of us have very much have a “live and let live” attitude towards others, towards their religious beliefs (or lack thereof), and towards how other people live their lives.

    And we have a number of laws which prevent probing questions about religiosity in the work place (basically you can’t ask people their beliefs in a job interview), and there are laws which prevent discrimination based on religious belief in housing and the like.

21. The vast majority of people don’t care whether or not someone is religious.

22. This is one of those things that vary a lot, not only among generations, but depending on the state, and even depending on if you’re in a different part of the same state.

23. It depends where you live. When I was an atheist living in the south and southwest, I definitely didn’t advertise it. But I didn’t hide it either. And when people would learn I was atheist they always did that annoying thing and attempted to convert me. That was especially the case with mormons and creationists in AZ and UT, evangelicals in TX and LA, and Jehovahs back east. Catholics and Protestants for the most part could give a fuck, unless it’s your great aunt or your nana, and she’s super catholic and grew up in the 50s, and you haven’t seen her since the last family holiday, and everyone else knows and has accepted you’re an atheist, but there’s nana cornering you to tell you “Father’s been asking about you” and “why haven’t you been to confession.” Nanas never stop trying.

    But city dwellers generally care far less about your religious beliefs. It’s the rural parts of the nation where an atheist is most likely to get unkind words.

24. At least for michigan, religion doesn’t come up really at work except for with work friends. That said, I would not tell my co workers I’m an athiest, for one because I think religion should be kept personal, and also because I don’t want people to silently judge me.

25. I think most tasteful, polite people aren’t going to make a big deal about it.

    The problem starts when either side tries to act like their belief is superior and they need the other person to feel the same.

26. It depends where in the country but in the Bay Area, I never have had any issues.

    When I lived in Idaho, some Evangelical Christians had issues with it but I also dated a woman for about a year that was an evangelical. She was fine with it but many of her family and friends did not approve of me.

    However, when comparing the other countries I’ve lived in (Spain, South Korea) or have a passport (Ireland), the U.S. is by far the most religious.

27. From my experience, nobody really cares much. A lot of great answers have already been said but I also want to tack on I think the reason you see a bunch of maps that make the U.S look overly religious float around like [this](https://www.reddit.com/r/MapPorn/comments/uq721h/percentage_of_population_absolutely_certain_god/) is that a lot of Americans believe in God, but don’t really follow the religion so to speak. A lot of my friends are that way, they’re more of Christian in the manner of they believe in God but don’t go to church, don’t read the bible and things of that nature. The primary reason they do this rather than go full-out atheist or agnostic is because they don’t want to live their life thinking nothing happens after death since it’s depressing to them.

28. Most people who care are conservative Protestant Christians. Most of us aren’t that.

29. This is going to vary widely depending on where in the country you live.

30. In my experience, religion is largely not talked about. A lot of people claim to be religious, and if you ask them, they’ll tell you they are, but I don’t think I know a single person under the age of sixty that goes to church or practices with any regularity.

31. Where I live being religious is seen as weird and atheist is the norm.

32. Where I live, I suspect many people are. Several of my friends and family are. One of my fiends is very active in his church but he never tries to convert me. We will jokes sometimes that I’m a heathen or a heretic. He is also super into science so doesn’t believe the earth is only 5,000 years old or that evolution is fake.

    In my daily life it doesn’t come up much other that I hear that church attendance has been falling and are only really crowded for Easter and Christsmas. I feel many older people use church like a social club.

33. It’s the leading religion these days in the major metros.

34. I don’t think so, at least not where I’m at. I’m religious and most of my friends are atheists, as long as there is common respect for freedom of conscience there are no problems. We are probably the least religious part of the US, though, so the religious here feel less comfortable shoving religion down peoples throats and atheists feel less defensive, leading to less conflict overall.