I have to say one thing here. I hate the “undereducated midwest” and “middle america” comments I see on this page. Yes, there are some conservative issues in the midwest, but you are making the same sweeping generalizations about a group of people…the very same mistakes that we get so mad about when religious freaks make them.

I get the same thing when I tell people I live in Lancaster, PA. People think I drive a buggy and go to barn raisings, which is absolutely not the case. The city of Lancaster is very cosmopolitan and very politically liberal.

However, it would not be inaccurate to say that on average people from the Midwest are less educated, more religious, and less accepting of diversity. But the thing to remember is that averages eliminate detail.

I grew up in and continue to live in Kansas, often marked as one of the most conservative and politically religious, but trust me it’s nearly as bad as you might think. Just like other places, our government has been filled with freaks. In reality, our public schools are some of the best and well funded in the nation, with a graduation percentage far higher than the coasts–not to mention strong programs in the arts and sciences, which gave me a great foundation for going on to be both a professional artist and a computer scientist. I’m an open-minded atheist, being gay is fine by me. Visit Lawrence Kansas sometime, there’s plenty of gay folks here, a top university and wonderful music scene.

I agree. I also don’t care if the religious types trust me or not. However, the overall idea that those who don’t believe in god are bad somehow spills over into what I said before, that those who espouse religion are immediately characterized as good. This becomes a problem, for example, when politicians have to pretend to be religious to get elected. An atheist couldn’t get elected dog-catcher. And if you thump the bible, you are considered to be a good person. I think George Bush is a case in point. He was a boozing, coke-snorting goof-off in his younger years. This sort of behavior in one’s past has been devastating to other political careers. (Think Clinton’s failure to inhale.) Bush wanted to get into politics and (likely Rove) devised a very clever scheme to get him borned again, and “poof” all is forgiven. I personally don’t believe he is religious at all.

You say we don’t have laws against “blasphemy” in the US. I am very thankful that we do have that freedom. However, religion plays heavily into our laws. We make things illegal which are really “sins”: prostitution, gambling, drugs. Certainly these cause social harm, but what about alcohol and cigarettes. Or what about laws and amendments banning same-sex marriage? This harms no one, benefits a bunch a people and is only an issue because the bible says so.

I think that many folks are very naive about atheism. (I find it weird to say “I am an atheist.” I just don’t believe in fairy tales and I don’t need to label myself as “something”, other than perhaps rational.) Religious types often are not exposed to diverse social situations (as the study suggested) and like many perceptions of the “other”, atheists are demonized purely out of ignorance and the rigid thinking that religion fosters.

Sure. I tolerate my religious neighbors, and I love them, in the “love thy neighbor” sense. But I don’t trust them. Their religious beliefs in metaphysical things are, in my book, a serious mental health problem. I can “love” people with mental health problems, but I can’t trust them.

I only expect the same from them by the way, i.e. don’t trust my heathen ass if you don’t feel like it, tell me I’ll burn in hell if it makes you feel better, but do leave me the hell alone after that.

One thing I like about the US of A (versus where I grew up) is that I can still say the above without laws about “blasphemy” coming into play.