Atheists: One of the Least Trusted Groups in the World

Welcome back to the Values in Action Blog!

Have you ever felt an overwhelming sense of disappointment after reading an obnoxious and incorrect article on the internet?

While researching atheistic values and places for the Values in Action to do service work, when I came across an article titled, "Religious Believers Don't Trust Atheists, Says New Study" by journalist Kim Carollo for ABC news.
According to a recent study by the Public Religion Research Institute, atheists are said to be one of the least trusted groups in America. The research has been published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.
According to the study’s lead author, Will M. Gervais,

"In six separate studies, the researchers asked 770 people – American adults and Canadian college students – a number of questions. In one study, when presented with a description of an untrustworthy person, participants said they believed that description represented atheists and rapists to a similar degree and wasn’t as representative of gays, feminists, Christians, Jews or Muslims." (Carollo, 2011). 

This research also suggested there would never be an atheist president saying, "A recent poll that found that only 45 percent of Americans who responded would vote for an atheist presidential candidate. Those who were polled said atheists least represented their vision of America." (Carollo, 2011).

The most interesting aspect of this article was the explanation on why people believe atheists are so untrustworthy. Ara Norenzayan, another co-author of this research explained, “Outward displays of belief in God may be viewed as a proxy for trustworthiness, particularly by religious believers who think that people behave better if they feel that God is watching them” (As cited in Carollo, 2011).

Moreover, third co-author of the study - Azim Shariff - also says that people tend to trust those who fear a supernatural punishment. So, because atheists do not hold this fear, and "aren't especially vocal, powerful or connected", it is suspected atheists are not moral agents, according to the opinions in this article.

This article shocked me. There seemed to be a lack of evidence to determine whether or not this encompasses America's perception of atheists. And then I dug further, and found a second article on this topic, regarding the same research.
However, this article claimed an even more radical headline:

"Study: Atheists distrusted as much as rapists".

I was in shock while reading this short, yet loaded post by USA Today writer Kimberly Winston. The beginning sentence; "Psychologists at the University of British Columbia and the University of Oregon say that their study demonstrates that anti-atheist prejudice stems from moral distrust, not dislike, of nonbelievers." (Winston, 2011).

Well, PHEW! As long as they still like us, right? No! This article, like the first, provided little explanation on the study itself, which would have helped to better support the very radical claim being made in the headline.
Instead, it provided us with a general overview of how the study went.
"The study asked participants to decide if a fictional driver damaged a parked car and left the scene, then found a wallet and took the money, was the driver more likely to be a teacher, an atheist teacher, or a rapist teacher?" (Winston, 2011).

How do you think the study turned out? You guessed it, the participants (who are said to be from both religious, and non-religious backgrounds) most often chose the atheist teacher. Evidently, this study was supposed to analyze what needs organized religion fulfills in people.

"People find atheists very suspect," Azim Shariff said. "They don't fear God so we should distrust them; they do not have the same moral obligations of others. This is a common refrain against atheists. People fear them as a group." (As cited in Winston's article, 2011).

With articles like these in presenting such erroneous material, it's no wonder so many people are uneducated when it comes to secularists. The essence of what Hamline's Values in Action program is, is just this. The notion that secular students can come together, and do good in the world simply for the betterment of society. To prove to the world that atheists too, can be moral agents, and break down the stigmas that say otherwise. 

On the other side of things...
Chris Stedman, author of the book 'Faitheist: How an Atheist Found Common Ground with the Religious' addressed this issue in an article for the Huffington Post's Religion section.
This article, 'Reflect Atheists in a More Positive Light', urges people to look beyond what atheism doesn't believe, and instead focuses on what secularists are doing for the world.

In this article, Stedman takes three, prominent examples of positive atheistic values shown in the media recently, and salutes them not because they made headlines, "Rather, it was that they showed atheists in a positive light. They demonstrated the reality that most atheists are kind, moral individuals." (Stedman, 2013).

Stedman closes this article by urging the non-religious and religious to build relationships, as many dichotomous groups have done so in the past, and, "Instead of beginning with trying to convert or convince the other, let's start by listening to one another's stories" (Stedman, 2011).

You can read up more on the actual articles, as I've linked them within this post. Feel free to respectfully comment below. 

References:

Carollo, Kim. "Religious Believers Don’t Trust Atheists, Says New Study." ABC News. ABC News Network, 14 Dec. 2011. Web. 01 Oct. 2014. <http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/health/2011/12/14/religious-believers-dont-trust-atheists-says- new-study/>.

Stedman, Chris. "Reflect Atheists in a More Positive Light." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 30 May 2013. Web. 01 Oct. 2014. <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/chris-stedman/reflect-atheists-in-a-more-positive-light_b_3360335.html>.

Winston, Kimberly. "Study: Atheists Distrusted as Much as Rapists." (n.d.): n. pag. USA Today News. USA Today, 10 Dec. 2011. Web. 1 Oct. 2014. <http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/religion/story/2011-12-10/religion- atheism/51777612/1>.

Have Atheists found their path to Spirituality?

While catching up on some reading recently, I came across an article titled "Atheism has finally found its spiritual leader". I must admit, I was very intrigued. (To read article, click here.)

“I am just trying to redirect our global conversation. I am not trying to change atheism.” A statement made by Sam Harris, when asked about his new ideas about atheists being spiritual, as proposed in his new book "Waking Up".

 The article, written by Tom Roston, is essentially an extensive book review for the new work titled, "Waking Up:  A Guide to Spirituality without Religion" by Sam Harris. Harris is an author and neuroscientist, as well as one of the four horsemen of new-atheism, "...along with Hitchens, Dawkins, and philosopher Daniel Dennett" (Roston).

From this resume alone, it is never surprising when Harris comes out with works flashing titles such as, 'The End of Faith' and 'Letter to a Christian Nation'. 
However, in his new book 'Waking Up', Harris takes on an entirely different scene; spirituality.

While I am always open to new thoughts and opinions when discussing religion - especially those that entertain ideas in category of secular thought - the notion that atheists are expected to be bound by spirituality seemed to introduce a certain dilemma among militant and hard-headed atheists everywhere. Roston addresses this in his article by saying,

"Waking Up could be called a self-help book for atheists. Not that Harris would want us to do that; he doesn’t run with the touchy-feely crowd. Nevertheless, he’s writing for an audience...that needs some gentle guidance. We’re talking about a group of people who are primarily skeptics, fiercely individualistic, and mostly non-joiners—those who identify themselves by what they don’t believe in. This is not a crowd that easily rallies around any person or precept." (As read in Roston) 

Sam Harris proposes to his readers methods to attain 'a rational form of spirituality': he suggests atheists meditate. Harris notes here that some of his fellow atheists have referred to spirituality as a sign of mental illness, which he then combats by arguing, "This is a problem, because millions of people have had experiences for which spiritual and mystical seem the only terms available" (Roston).
Harris refers to spirituality as "cutting through the illusion of the self. The inner “I” that we think is so special...disciplined, meditative introspection is a key tool to unpacking the originator of our thoughts" (Roston).

I feel as if reading this article allowed me to dive right into the conversation Harris has sparked, with secular voices from all different viewpoints jumping in. The review unpacks comments from minds of militant atheists (like Richard Dawkins); evolutionary biologists (like Jerry Coyne), and even 'faitheists' (like Chris Stedman).

Coyne remarks 'positively' on the new book by saying, "The book will surely anger or confuse those people who think Sam has gone soft on religion, but take my word for it, there’s not an iota of sympathy for the divine." (Roston).

Chris Stedman - author of the book 'Faitheist: How an Atheist Found Common Ground with the Religious', posted a response to this book in his article, "Can atheists be spiritual? Sam Harris reignites long-running debate" Although Stedman remains objective throughout this article, he quotes other atheists who have something to say about secular spirituality.

Adam Lee - atheist activist - argues for the cause of this spirituality by saying,

“Spirituality is just another term for the human feelings of awe and wonder, which are common to atheists and the religious alike,” Lee said in a recent interview. “Historically, religion claimed to be the sole source of these feelings, but atheists know we can also feel them from simply contemplating the mystery and vastness of the cosmos and the strange beauty of the world in which we find ourselves. The natural world is at least as good a source of transcendent bliss as any religious belief.” (As read in Stedman).

Truthfully, after reading through these articles, and understanding the meaning behind the all-encompassing word, 'spirituality', I have to say I was comforted by some of these ideas being presented. I do consider myself to be an atheist, and I also consider myself to be spiritual.

In the words of Chris Stedman in describing spirituality as an appreciation for the world's beauty and wonder, "I experience that same awe when I see people of different beliefs coming together across lines of religious difference to recognize that we are all human — that we all love and hurt."

How do you feel about the ideas this book proposes? Would you consider yourself to be spiritual in the ways Harris, Stedman and others have explained it here?

Sofia White
Values in Action

Commenting below is welcomed, as long as the responses are formed in a respectful way. 

References

Roston, Tom. "Atheism Has Finally Found Its Spiritual Leader." Quartz. N.p., 15 Sept. 2014. Web. 13 Oct. 2014 <http://qz.com/265152/atheism-has-finally-found-its-spiritual-leader/>.

Stedman, Chris. "Can Atheists Be Spiritual? Sam Harris Reignites Long-running Debate - Faitheist." Faitheist. RNS: Religion, News, Service, 30 Jan. 2014. Web. 20 Oct. 2014. <http://chrisstedman.religionnews.com/2014/01/30/can- atheists-spiritual-sam-harris-reignites-long-running-debate/>.