Most racial arguments that I have heard are Biblical arguments. When there was great controversy around the civil war and during the early 60s a big part of the racist arguments were in fact religious. Slavery is never, not once, condemned in the Bible. The folks that wrote books supporting slavery around that time used the Bible more effectively than those who opposed it for the simple fact that the Bible does support it. The Bible also fosters a us/them whoever is not for us is against us attitude that quickly can take on a raciest bent. Atheist also tend to believe in evolution which treats us all as one species. In light of that, no I don’t believe that atheists are anywhere as racist as religious people.

No because they are more intelligent as a whole.

I have found that most atheists are kind, charitable, less judgemental, and are mostly guided by the Golden Rule. So no, I think they are less racist.

Racism/Tribalism is actually part of the Holy Books. Israel was God's chosen people, and as a result, gentiles were shunned, or even considered abhorrent. In the days of Joshua Israel went into Canaan and slaughtered just about everybody. In the days of Jesus, it was the Samaritans... the Greeks... the Romans.

As Christianity grew, shepherded by Saul, a.k.a. Paul the anti-Semite, it was the Jews. And so it goes down the ages.

Racism has always existed, but religion blessed and sanctified it, while giving cover to those who wish to continue on.

Absolutely not.....At least for me we're not. I believe in equal rites for all humans except for morons like Trump that is.....

I would hope not, but don't know that many atheists. I do live in a more secular community and we're all liberals. Can't imagine atheists being bigots because logic and reason tell us that you cannot rationally judge a "race". You have to take people one on one. Also, being an atheist from a roman catholic family, you learn what discrimination is very early and I try not to inflict that kind of stress on others simply because of their race or sexual orientation.

I would lean toward believing religious people are more racist but most of the people I've known have been religious and also in the South so...

The only people I know who are racist are Christians.

Yes, that's how Trump got elected.

Not in my experience, no. I'm sure there are some out there though.

I have met racist theists, liberal theists and everything in between. I'll let other atheists speak for themselves, but I'm sure the same could be said of our community.

But as the white mom of a multiethnic child, I can say I've found intolerance, if not out right racism to be all too prevalent in all walks of American society.

I've never met a racist non-believer. But, I have met many racist Religious people.

Well, I mean, they CAN be. Religion is kinda separate from other qualities. Not all Religious people are single-minded assholes. I also know that some are. It's a matter of upbringing and experience.

I come from a town where the kkk marched through the streets with signs calling for the death of Oprah when she wanted to come down after hearing our segregation "laws" ended in the late 80's.
We had a bronze plaque on our court house lawn that read "nigger don't let the sun shine on your back in Forsyth county" that was taken down in the late 90's. They passed out kkk and white supremacist recruitment fliers in my highschool.
Basically if you are black and it's dark in my home town, Good luck. At least that's how it was. These days it's not nearly as bad. Just a bunch of old racist white people and their less racist hick spawn.

Now I'm white. I have a Dutch mother and a father who was never around who is half white and half Arab. But I look white.
I consider myself somewhat racist. A recovering racist if you will. Even though my mother was married to a black man in the 70's and is dating another black man now.
Even though I have many minority friends and have dated many dark colored women. I still have subconscious and even conscious racist tendencies.
I'm 24 and I still have these thoughts.
But to answer you're question.
Most of the atheists in my hometown are like me.
Will stand up when someone is being overtly predjuced and try to better themselves.
It's a weird thing. I don't want to be racist. But I am :/

yes sometimes atheists could be more evil than religious people. Especially if they are communist.
some of atheists don't believe in religious rights or in Individual freedom.

Agreed. The most prejudiced people I've met so far are Christians.

Atheists all over the world have a very similar worldview, as do theists. The difference is that theism almost always evokes the idea of superiority, and that transcends to all kinds of hateful layers of thought.

I'm not sure there is a real correlation here. I have met many racist assholes of both theist and atheist leanings. The simple fact is that everyone has their own racial biases built in. No one is the perfect "anti-racist" ideal.

I think without the entitlement of religion, racism doesn't have as firm a hold. There are of course notable exceptions. The typical racist's argument is god intended them to be the superior race.

No. People who have considered religion from a critical point of view have almost certainly used a rational thought process about people of other races.

Religious people in my experiences, usually tend to be racist. But through my experiences I've been assaulted, robbed, had my property stolen and vandalized by African Americans, so it's very hard to have a positive attitude when you've had traumatic and life changing negative experiences from one race only. I was young and just starting out and lived in a neighborhood inhabited by African American, Asian, and Latino families but the two years I lived there I never had any problems with the latter two. It wasn't because I was white, all three races were victims,I had never lived around African Americans before and haven't since and I've been crime free for 40 years. I know a few bad apples,I also know once bitten twice shy.

Let me be more succint. If we are speaking of racism as a Anglo, or eurocentric system of institutionlized oppression. yes

Yes, athiest are. If we are defining racism as a systemic and institutionalized...how can they not.

My energies, when it comes to the question of racism, is to focus on creating safe spaces for people who look like me, to be able to work on the effects of internalized racist oppression and what it does to keep people of color separated and immobilized. When speaking of christianity,etc. this has been one of the most pofound vehicles of supremacism that has been effective in creating harm and disunity among people of color.

Whoa!! 121 comments to date!! Critical thinking pretty much does away with hateful thoughts, thinking you're fucking 'special' or in some way limiting how you view others. IMO