Atheists, Rapists Cannot Be Trusted, Believers Say->
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avishere
avishere writes "“Where there are religious majorities — that is, in most of the world — atheists are among the least trusted people,” says the author of a recent study by the University of British Columbia (titled Do You Believe in Atheists? Distrust is Central to Anti-Atheist Prejudice), among the first of its kind to explore the social psychological processes underlying anti-atheist sentiments. Shockingly, in one of the studies with a more liberal target sample, participants read a description of an untrustworthy man who pretended to leave insurance information after backing his car into a parked vehicle “and were asked to say whether it was more likely the man was either a Christian, Muslim, rapist or an atheist.” The result? People were far more likely to say he was either an atheist or a rapist and not part of a religious group. “It’s pretty shocking that we get the same magnitude of distrust towards atheists simply because they don’t believe [in God],” said one of the researchers, who is himself an atheist. “With rapists, they’re distrusted because they rape people. Atheists are viewed as sort of a moral wild card.” The saving grace? A forthcoming set of studies suggests prejudice against atheists can be reduced if people are reminded of other non-religious behaviour-monitoring authorities, such as the police, judges and the courts."
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