@ moderator

Comment 3 by Moderator :

Moderators' message PLEASE do not derail this thread onto left/right wing politics! It is about atheism, not how to run an economy.

Thank you!

The Moderators

Allow me to disagree here, being an Atheist in USA is very much a political subject as was quoted by S. Harris in the article and as Nunbeliever so very well described. USA has no real "democracy" and that has polarized everything in 2 camps: The "yay" and the "nay". The moment an issue is defended by one party, the other party turns it down and that's the main issue with Atheism and secularity in general: it's undefended ! Bi-Partisan "democracy" is not about defending ideas... It's about being popular, and like it or not but "American Jesus" is a very popular fellow.

Myself, being Canadian and travelling a lot in the US, I have been in many situations like Mr Purdy is describing. When I have to reveal (that's the correct word) that I do not believe in god, I get people on the defensive right away, looking at me weird and asking stuff like: " But then what do you believe in?" NOTHING, lol I honestly think that most American (the one I have to deal with, anyway) are not so much shocked by having to deal with an "atheist" as to having to deal with someone who is open and unashamed of it...

Thinking about it, telling a believer that we are atheist is a "polite" way of telling them they're "dumb" or "deluded" or at least "VERY badly informed" but you know what : WE'RE RIGHT !