I see multiple folks posting about how they've been abused, sometimes more than once in a day, for being openly atheist. Even in my very conservative (most conservative electorate in Oz) and deeply religious community this does not happen to me. Is this because Australians are more laid back, or simply because I'm a big lad and the abusers are cowards?
I don't advertise it... My neighbors have asked me to join them at their churches and I have politely declined. We take care of and help each other here in this neighborhood so I don't think they would have a mindset that I'm evil somehow. I think if I were yelling it at the local pub or arguing with others when I hear them express their beliefs, it might be different.
We had an openly Atheist Prime Minister here in Australia and 30.1% of Australians claimed "No religion" in the 2016 census beating every other religion. Most of the people here that are religious still know better than to try and shove it down someone else's throat. We are a very live and let live country.
Our New Zealand Prime Minister now is openly Atheist, I believe she was brought up Christian, but became Atheist when she learned that religion did not fit with her strong belief of gay rights etc,
I had a look at the latest available NZ census which was 2013, all i could find. 42% of Kiwis claim to have no religion, and about 10% were undecided or didn't answer the question or claimed to be of the Jedi religon lol.
And I think most of the Christians round here are Samoan or Tongan immigrants.
I know there is only 4mil of us, though still a large number of non religious
I'm in a conservative area in the United States. I have not been " abused" for my lack of faith. I have been met with surprise, and the old "you poor man what terrible things happened to you?" comments, but never abuse. I think people in this area would feel freer to attack me if I was not a therapist, if I was younger, and if I was female.
Your average American believer clings very, very tightly to his fables, and his bigotry is further enabled by the communal appetite writ large for mob mentality.
I totally agree with this. A gang of believers could be dangerous.
I think Aussies are more laid back, same with us Kiwis. Americans seem very intense on their religion. I didn't realize it was so bad until I got to this website. To put it simply.
Fortunately the tide is changing, and now at an accelerated rate. Seventy years ago Christianity of one sort or another was so ingrained in the culture as to be synonymous with culture.
Australia is more laid back And I don't think we have any such things as 'bible belts' either.
Toowoomba does a fair impersonation of one.
Ah yes Toowoomba That's not all that far away from Bjelke- Peterson country