![]() ![]() Charles Taylor similarly argues that in a democracy, the formation of “internal otherness” 9 and the process of (symbolic) exclusion are “by-product of the need (…) of a high degree of cohesion.” 10Starting from these assumptions, it is crucial to analyze to what extent the atheist has played in the United States this role of a necessary “other”, one of the figures against which Americans have built and reinforced their collective identity throughout the centuries. 7 Therefore, this seemingly paradoxical and intriguing situation invites a deeper study of the status and perception of atheists, not only in contemporary American society, but also more generally in the history of the United States, in order to better understand how and why non-believers have come to be such a disliked minority, thought of by some as legitimate “outsiders”.ģPenny Edgell explains that in a society, “the creation of ‘other’ is always necessary for the creation of identity and solidarity” 8. Indeed, in American society, where the right to “believe and disbelieve” is strictly guaranteed by the 1 st Amendment, 6 non-believers only represent a small minority – about 5% - of the population. 5 Yet, in today’s United States, such a popular distrust towards atheism seems at first sight surprising. John Locke argued that non-believers could not be accepted as legitimate members of the political community, since “promises, covenants, and oaths, which are the bonds of human society, can have no hold upon an atheist ”, while Voltaire similarly refused to tolerate unbelievers, arguing that their lack of belief in God was a threat to society. PlatoandThomas of Aquinasboth pleaded for the banishment - if not for the execution - of those who overtly refused to recognize a deity.The Enlightenment philosophers often considered unbelief as one of the exceptions to the religious tolerance they defended. ![]() ![]() As they do not consider themselves accountable to any higher power and do not believe in divine punishment after life, atheists have been stigmatized and rejected as immoral in various times and places. Therefore, it appears that in today’s United States non-believers are a disliked minority, one that occupies – at least symbolically - a marginal place within American society.ĢThe distrust towards atheism is of course not uncommon in history. 4 In 2007, more than half of the respondents (53%) had an unfavorable perception of atheists (35% for Muslims and 27% for Mormons). Indeed, two surveys from the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Lifeshow for instance that atheists are the only (ir)religious group that regularly gathers a majority of negative opinion. His assertion may appear exaggerated and provocative, but looking at various polls on public opinion and religion in the United States, it seems that Americans’ general perception of non-believers 3 confirms to some extent Huntington’s analysis. The Harvard political scientist explained that the United States was historically a nation of “Christians” and “believers”, and that therefore atheists could « legitimately see themselves as strangers » in American society. ” 2Such was the title of an article written by Samuel Huntington and published in the Wall Street Journal in 2004. 1“Atheists are outsiders in the United States. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |