Thread:User talk:WaitingforGodot/Trying to prevent RationalWiki judging Christianity too harshly/reply (44)

Well, I was surprised when I read this, we in the UK are warned that we shouldn’t generalise about the United States. I know the USA is a vast country and there are big differences between different states and different areas. When people in the UK ask me about atheism in the USA I always tell them atheists are mostly treated OK in the more liberal areas but in other areas like the Bible belt especially rural parts of the Bible belt atheists can face big problems. Here I read a United States citizen who says she’s an academic generalising that, atheists don’t face severe discrimination. Frankly the situation is patchy, what happens to most American atheists is I’m sure Not as bad as what happened to Damon Fowler, see Damon Fowler and the Abuse of Church/State Plaintiffs. I’ll quote from the text above:-
 * 1) Fowler has been hounded, pilloried, and ostracized by his community.
 * 2) One of Fowler’s teachers has publicly demeaned him.
 * 3) Fowler has been physically threatened. Students have threatened to “jump him” at graduation practice, and he has received multiple threats of bodily harm, and even death threats.
 * 4) Fowler’s parents have cut off his financial support, kicked him out of the house, and thrown his belongings onto the front porch.

That last part is the most disgusting part of the whole thing. His own parents, for crying out loud. '''Unfortunately, this is not at all an unusual situation. In fact it is absolutely the norm for those who dare to speak out against Christian supremacy in similar cases and it has been for more than half a century.''' Should I believe an anecdotal report from some alleged academic with an agenda or should I believe the printed text above? At risk that the academic will try and brand me an ignorant upstart I agree with the text. Atheists who stand up for their rights in the USA can face serious harassment, even persecution.