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Comment by memebox3v | Hacker News Reader

In the uk its a non thing. 50% of my friends are atheists. Its such a non issue that it hardly ever comes up. The first time i had a problem is when i couldnt have a church wedding because I couldnt morally profess a belief in a christian god. My mum in law was very very unhappy. In fact ive felt socially threatened amongst my developer friends when I have been inable to say that I am atheist (I think in a certain sense God is the world and in another sense it also silly to make a claim for or against god, since I believe its impossible to say anything for certain). That opinion gets me ridiculed!

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So you're agnostic.

As an American, I honestly haven't run into this. I am religious, and most of my coworkers are religious, but we have had an atheist and an agnostic in our group (we're all developers) and it really didn't seem to matter. Religion rarely comes up in a professional setting, and it didn't come up when we did things outside of work as friends.

As long as you aren't aggressive against that which you don't believe, there really shouldn't be any problems. Most of the problems I run into are from atheists and agnostics picking a fight with theists. Treat others with respect and you'll get it in return.

Are you saying that the most reviled, despised, and shamed group in America "picks fights" against the juggernaut of believers? The mere act of stating we're a non-believer is considered militant. Attending a gathering of other non-believers is considered aggressive and obnoxious. Why would that be?

Treat others with respect? Do atheists get any respect from the religious? From our own government? Is it respectful to get religion (theistic or not) and god shoved down my throat everywhere I turn?

Where do you live? Not the US, surely. I don't recognize the America you're describing at all. Christianity is probably one of the most tolerant religions on the planet. Christians regularly turn the other cheek and love to "live and let live". They only get aggressive when people try to interfere with their ability to practice their religion.

If you haven't noticed, there's a war against christianity in the US. Nativity scenes being shut down. Not being able to pray in school. The constant attacks from popular culture and the media. Atheists tend to be especially vocal about the fact that they shouldn't have to see, think or hear anything even tangentially related to Christianity (although they have no problem with Islam. Go figure.) Christians see this as an attack on their ability to practice their religion.

Oh you...Where are atheists lining up to protest nativity scenes at churches? No one gives a fart about Christianity being practiced, until it infringes on other rights. Nativity scenes? Nothing wrong with them as long as other religions can partake as well. Christians don't tend to like Satanist scenes though.

Christians in America are however attacking abortion rights. They also attack marriage rights, gay rights, transgender rights, help for the poor, human rights, and basically everything that Jesus was for. To claim that the majority of Americans are practicing anything Jesus stood for is quite frankly silly. No one has said kids can't pray in school, what's been said is that you can't force prayer in school unless it's a religious school,in which case religion rules.

This silly "Attack on Christianity" ginned up by Fox News and the religious right is absurd in a country where the vast majority of the country proclaims to be Christian.

Regarding the tolerance to Christianity check out https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Letter_to_a_Christian_Nation

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