When I started admitting I was an atheist, I had a ton of people coming up to me and saying "Me too, but don't you dare tell anyone." a request I happily oblige, because it can be positively dangerous to be an atheist in some places in the south. Not that all such people were worried about physical violence. Most just don't want to be fired, or have to endure lots of foul looks and insulting questions.
If you've ever doubted if atheists have any real claim to discrimination, read the terrific comments in this thread on Pharyngula. Feelings range widely, from the joy of "coming out" expressed above to the very real danger to family life and career:
Do I think I could have 'hid it' from my wife? No, probably not. But knowing the torment and pain that I've gone through (and the fact that divorce *still* may be in the relatively near term future for me, a fact that would have been inconceivable say, two years ago), I would have tried a lot harder than I did.
In my case, the truth did not set me free.
I have previously pointed out the similarity between "outing" of atheists and of homosexuals, as well as debated the values of the various terms that might be applied. I don't think any put it quite as well as this one, however:
Ultimately, it doesn't matter what we call ourselves. But since Atheist seems to be the most emotionally potent label, that's the one I use now.
I rarely like to write posts that simply point to other posts, but there is more here than I can distill or adequately amplify. Definitely check it out.
- jack*
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