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Permalink Reply by Steve Higgs on February 24, 2012 at 5:45pm

As a Canadian and from a rather small & religious town, I agree with Shawn, I've made no effort to hide my opinions and I've really not faced any discrimination personally.

I'm not sure if it's a Canadian "accept others" thing (i.e. gay marriage etc), an age thing (I'm 25), or simply coincidence that I have not found myself on this topic with someone like that. But to date I've discussed with others who do believe, as well as other atheists, and I've never felt any disrespect either way.

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Permalink Reply by Joseph F on February 25, 2012 at 1:14pm

I live in the middle of the Bible belt in the US, and I honestly haven't experienced any real prejudice or discrimination. Most of my family is religious, and, while I think that they would rather I believed in God, I don't feel like they treat me any differently because I don't. Pretty much all of my parents' friends are people who they know from church, and all of them who I've met have been really nice to me. I'm actually a little insulted that there are so many people in my life who apparently think I'm going to Hell, but who don't seem to be all that concerned with it.

Granted, I don't go broadcasting that I'm an atheist to random strangers in super markets, but everyone who knows me knows that I don't believe in God, and I don't feel that any of them treat me all that different than they would otherwise.

There were a couple of instances where religious people who I knew from high school denied my friend requests on Facebook, and I suspected that it may be due to my being an atheist. That's really the worst that I've experienced though, and I can't even be sure that my atheism even had anything to do with it.

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Permalink Reply by Sam Mac on February 27, 2012 at 5:19pm

I'd like to get into this more later. Unfortunately I am browsing this on my iPhone while waiting to see a doctor in good ol xenophobic PEI Canada. This is the same doctor that told my mom that her mental problems are caused by demons that had used her lousy atheist son as a conduit to get all up in her head. He isn't a bad guy he's just fucking delusional and borderline dangerous.

Also we were the last province to have Sunday shopping and this is the only province that doesn't provide access to abortions.

And yet I don't hesitate when saying I'm an atheist even with all of the shitty situations it brings me here.

What I'm trying to say is yeah we have religious nutters and goddam do I
miss Ontario.

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Permalink Reply by Joseph F on February 28, 2012 at 5:23pm

Why are you seeing a doctor who thinks that mental problems are caused by demons? Are there not other doctors in Canada?

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