Survey says: Atheists most distrusted minority

Thanks, dude ... or dame.

Setanta-

Would you kindly explain what you mean in post No1941329.I'm always interested in where I have made an error.

I can hardly be expected to just take your word for it.
I don't see what you mean.As you know,I'm stupid,so I can't be expected to understand these things like you can.

Omigod, that's funny......

I think Krekel now has the best avatar ever. Crotchety old Mr Gruff...<giggle>

It's true.
I talked to old Mr. McGruff when I was a child and look how I turned out!

I attened a funeral mass today - I wasn't impressed. I haven't been to a single funeral which didn't have a religious mass.... interesting.

I'm sure my family will have a religious ceremony at my funeral. So what? If it makes them feel better, I don't mind. I won't know anything anyway.

Yeh.
Funerals are for those left behind.
If they happen to be religious then so be it.

[quote="cyphercat"]I think Krekel now has the best avatar ever. Crotchety old Mr Gruff...<giggle>[/quote]I am green with envy, my avatar is blasé

The bus is late today isn't it?

I'm with fresco....american distrust of atheists is not a surprise. Right or wrong, a person's trustworthiness is largely associated with his or her adherence to religious edicts, not social. The fact that my neighbor never breaks the laws defined by society gives me little reason to trust him. To be trustworthy with my secrets, I need to feel that he will place my well-being over his own personal interests. He must be willing to give up some of his own self-interest to preserve my secrets.

Most religions emphasize personal trustworthiness and placing others above oneself. For example, those who claim to be Christians are associated with a very familiar moral code found in the Bible. Other religions also have well-known moral codes they adhere to. But what well-known moral code does an atheist associate himself with? I have no basis for comparison when evaluating whether to trust an atheist, hence my distrust.

Ethics

Ya durn tootin' we like fig newton.

Thing is, isn't ethics partially based upon religious values?

Not if you're not religious they aren't. Most ethical codes are based on shared social norms.

And how exactly do you think these social norms came about? What influenced them? Why, religion, of course.

How far back do you want to go, though? Christianity, for example, is only 2,000 years old -- people were ethical and moral long before that.

I think you could as easily say that most religions are based on shared social norms. (Chicken or egg?)

But there are no ethical codes which everyone universally associates with atheists...that's the problem.

no, actually the problem is religionists have no ethics.

well, doesn't conspicuous consumption count as an ethic "God WANTS you to drive a Cadillac"