Hello from Spain

[Siberia]

Hi there!

First of all, please excuse my English (i'll do the best i can)
I'm from Spain (EU) and i've recently been interested in atheism in the US (mainly watching videos) and the apparent situation of non believers there seems quite extreme!
I've got family living in Oregon, but being Christians themselves i can't obviously ask them about this topic.

Religion in my country is quite weird (socially speaking) and the main reason to join this forum is so i can learn about other country's view on Atheism, Churches and get actual first hand answers (for example, can you ACTUALLY loose your job for being an Atheist? Really?)

Anyways, i look forward to participate.

Cheers!

[Mermaid]

I love when people excuse their English and then go on to speak perfect English. :)

You should hear how I mangle Spanish. Glad you are here!

[stromboli]

Other than not capitalizing the "I" when referring to yourself, you re doing just fine.

Question: how much of a conflict or dispute- if those are the right words- is going on right now between Islam and Christianity in your country? I used to donate to a Christian mission when I was a Christian, and the messages they sent back sometimes gave the impression there was some hostility going on. Just curious.

[PopeyesPappy]

Hello Spanish EU person that probably speaks (at least writes) English better than I do. Welcome to our little band of heathens.

As far as losing your job here for being an atheist goes the answer is yes. For the most part firing someone based on a religious position would be considered discrimination therefore illegal. I believe there are some exception for that under the law if you work for a faith based organization i.e. church, Catholic school that sort of thing. The reality though is that in most US states an employer doesn't need a reason to fire someone so they can pretty much get rid of anyone they want. 

[Siberia]

In my country I don't think that there is a conflict at all, apart from the usual "all muslims are terrorists" coming from some collectives, and I am under the impression that those respond more to politics than religion.

The Catholic Church is heavily funded by our government (the separation of church and state in some aspects is pretty non existent) and muslims, jews, evangelicals or anything apart from the Roman Catholic Church get close no to official recognition, so i guess they don't feel threatened
(only 3.8% of the population considers themselves from a "religion other than catholic", which includes islam, jews, etc.)

[Siberia]

As far as losing your job here for being an atheist goes the answer is yes. For the most part firing someone based on a religious position would be considered discrimination therefore illegal. I believe there are some exception for that under the law if you work for a faith based organization i.e. church, Catholic school that sort of thing. The reality though is that in most US states an employer doesn't need a reason to fire someone so they can pretty much get rid of anyone they want.

Thanks for the answer!
That sounds really scary, I asked because a heard of some cases but I guess I was hoping it was an exaggeration...
Still don't get how would an employer (or co-worker) find out you don't believe in God.. Is that a common topic?

[PopeyesPappy]

Still don't get how would an employer (or co-worker) find out you don't believe in God.. Is that a common topic?

It isn't a common topic of conversation for me, but for others yes. Social media is another matter. If your boss or even one of your coworkers looks you up on Facebook, and reads your rant about the evils of Christianity... Boom! You're outed.

[SGOS]

It isn't a common topic of conversation for me, but for others yes. Social media is another matter. If your boss or even one of your coworkers looks you up on Facebook, and reads your rant about the evils of Christianity... Boom! You're outed.

"In God we Trust."  We print that on our money.  In our pledge we claim to be, "One nation under God."  Some schools even teach Creationism.  To do otherwise is almost treason.

[Hydra009]

I'm from Spain (EU) and i've recently been interested in atheism in the US (mainly watching videos) and the apparent situation of non believers there seems quite extreme!

It's more antagonistic than I presume it'd be in most other countries.  The US has had both a series of evangelical movements and secularization trends, which has led to two very polarized camps.  And these polar opposites on religious questions are also likely to have very different politics - with evangelical Christians invariably supporting the Republican party and us godless heathens likely to support the Democratic party or a third party.  So we're not just divided by religion, we have almost entirely separate ways of viewing the world, visions for the ideal society, and how government should operate.

Recently, there has been positive news on that front - Christianity is on the decline and unaffiliated rates have shot way up, especially among younger generations.

Religion in my country is quite weird (socially speaking) and the main reason to join this forum is so i can learn about other country's view on Atheism, Churches and get actual first hand answers (for example, can you ACTUALLY loose your job for being an Atheist? Really?)

Yes, it has happened.

That sounds really scary, I asked because a heard of some cases but I guess I was hoping it was an exaggeration...
Still don't get how would an employer (or co-worker) find out you don't believe in God.. Is that a common topic?

Some places say prayers during meetings, though I'd assume that's rare.  And yes, sometimes people brooch the subject directly, though it's far more common for it to come up indirectly ("Are you free Sunday?") and your stance to be deduced from your responses.  And also through looking through your Facebook or Twitter.

[PickelledEggs]

Wecome, @Siberia ! That sucks that you can lose your job for being a nonbeliever.... I hope you feel a little more at home in our little corner of the internet!

[PickelledEggs]

I love when people excuse their English and then go on to speak perfect English. :)

You should hear how I mangle Spanish. Glad you are here!

There was a husband and wife that I met that were visiting from the Ukraine. I was helping them with something at the place I was working at the time and they said "Please excuse me, my english is not so good"

I told them that they have a better grasp of english than most people that have lived their whole lives here and even graduated university. lol It was true though

[Siberia]

Thank you all for taking the time to answer my question.

I'm glad to hear that things are changing, 28 years ago you could go to jail for "blasphemy" and adultery was a crime until 1978 here...

So if we could change, everyone can!

[Hydra009]

Thank you all for taking the time to answer my question.

I'm glad to hear that things are changing, 28 years ago you could go to jail for "blasphemy" and adultery was a crime until 1978 here...

So if we could change, everyone can!

Yeah, things are changing.  There are still some crummy laws on the books (like laws prohibiting atheists from holding public office in some states), but these are unenforceable due to court rulings.  While there's scant de jure discrimination against atheists, there's still de facto discrimination.  Atheists are often viewed negatively and that can lead to some problems with people who are super religious, though this problem varies by state.  The South is far and away the worst about this.  But the good news is that younger generations hold less prejudice against atheists.

[Draconic Aiur]

Hola Amigo! La bienvenida al foro!

[Brian37]

Be sure to barbecue kittens, record your professional soccer match without their permission, and rip the tags off of your mattress.