Atheophobia

{{Atheism}}{{Bronze}}
'''Atheophobia''' is a term used to describe the fear, distrust, or hatred of atheists or [[atheism]]. Like [[homophobia]] and [[transphobia]], it is largely driven by fear and anger at the loss of [[religious]] [[privilege]], as well as [[dogma]]-based [[bias]]es/[[prejudice]]s.

==Expressions of atheophobia==
Atheophobia expresses itself in the form of generalised attacks on all atheists, [[Jonanism|as if they were of one mind and one will]] (in fact, some conservative atheophobes will often refer to atheists as “the atheis'''t'''”, as if to punctuate the point). Claims about atheists made by atheophobes include such diverse elements as:

* moral inferiority of atheists/atheism<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20091209072533/http://www.carm.org/failure-of-atheism-to-account-for-morality The Failure of Atheism to Account for Morality]</ref><ref>[http://www.conservapedia.com/Atheism_and_morality Conservapedia &mdash; Atheism and Morality]</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20080506020953/http://www.investigatingatheism.info/morality.html University of Cambridge, Investigating Atheism - Atheism and Morality]</ref>
* evilness of atheists<ref name="psalm14">[[RationalWiki:Annotated Bible/Psalm#Psalm 14:1|Psalm 14:1-3, KJV]] &mdash; "The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good. The Lord looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God. They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one."</ref><ref group=note>Yes, we know that "moral inferiority" and "evil" sound extremely similar, and [[Phantom distinction|they are]], but the former doesn't ''necessarily'' imply the latter. The former can simply be describing '''a'''morality (i.e. not caring about good or evil).</ref>
* [[Atheists hate God|atheists have rejected]] [[God]]<ref group=note>There are atheists who were born that way. In fact, technically, ''everyone'' is born as an atheist, as the mind is something of a blank slate at first and needs to be taught about religion in order to believe.</ref> and embrace [[sin]] (or rejected God '''to''' embrace [[sin]])<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20120507174852/http://reasonablefaith.org/defenders-2-podcast/transcript/s4-28#ixzz3IeiO46ER: ''"Ultimately, the reason why a person fails to become a Christian is because he loves darkness rather than light and he wants nothing to do with God."'' ([[William Lane Craig]])</ref><ref group=note>Okay, you got us. (But to be fair, Christians ''really'' need to '''''dramatically''''' revamp their doctrine (i.e. establish a '''very''' clear dividing line (read: ''not'' based on [[No true Scotsman|ad hoc exclusion]]) between mainstream Christianity and [[Christian fundamentalism|raving]] [[Religious Right|lunacy]]) and start actually behaving according to ''proper'' moral standards (read: '''no [[bigotry]] allowed''') in order to help their God live down [[Examples of God personally killing people|his murderously hard-assed and xenophobic phase]].)</ref>
* atheists wish to destroy religion and [[War on Christmas|abolish religious holidays]]<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20071024024840/http://christianity.com/11555977/ Religion Must Be Destroyed, Atheist Alliance Declares]</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20141214031124/http://www.inspiremagazine.org.uk/news?newsaction=view&newsid=4167 New militant atheists want to 'destroy religious faith']</ref><ref>[http://www.silive.com/news/index.ssf/2013/12/post_662.html Staten Island pol decries 'war on Christmas,']</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20120107232017/http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/timstanley/100125810/the-war-on-christmas-is-real-and-the-atheist-barbarians-are-winning-it The War on Christmas is real, and the atheist barbarians are winning it]</ref><ref group=note>To be fair, [[New Atheism|there ''are'']] [[Militant atheism|atheists who]] [[Antitheism|think this way]], but most atheists just don't believe in any god or religion and see no place for religion in ''their own'' lives, without having any desire to take religion away from anyone else.</ref>
* atheists have meaningless or decadent lives<ref>"Atheism and Death" — [http://www.oocities.org/mattperman/atheism.html Matt Perman, oocities]</ref>
* atheists are [[Satanism|Satanists]]<ref name="French">{{cite web |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2017/03/new-atheists-philippines/518175/ |title=The New Atheists of the Philippines |last=French |first=Michael|website=[[The Atlantic]] }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sws.org.ph/swsmain/artcldisppage/?artcsyscode=ART-20151214130743 |title=9% of Catholics sometimes think of leaving the Church}}</ref>{{efn|Again, some atheists ''are'' Satanists, as [[Satanism#Atheistic Satanism|atheistic/non-theistic Satanism]] is a thing (in fact, [[Satanism#Theistic Satanism|theistic Satanism]] is somewhat less common than the non-theistic kind), but mainstream Satanism as an ideology is largely harmless to people who aren't trying to demolish [[separation of church and state]], [[Teach the controversy|force religious nonsense]] [[Wedge Document|into school curriculums]], place religious icons in government buildings,<ref>There have been high-profile cases of the Satanic Temple and Church of Satan countering the erection of Christian icons with icons of demons such as [[Baphomet]]; [https://www.forbes.com/sites/jamesfarrell/2023/12/13/why-a-satanic-holiday-display-at-the-iowa-capitol-building-has-been-allowed-to-stay-up-despite-backlash/amp/ one such instance occurred at the Iowa state capital in late 2023].</ref> or otherwise behaving like [[asshole]]s. [[Psychotic]] [[cult]]y [[Satanic ritual abuse|rape-your-wife, murder-your-dog, eat-your-kids'-hearts "Satanists"]] [https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/HollywoodSatanism like you might see] in [https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ReligiousHorror a religious horror story], while not ''completely'' nonexistent (as anyone with an interest in researching {{wpl|Serial killer|serial killers}} could tell you), are ''exceedingly'' uncommon (because [[Psychopath|stark raving antisocial lunatics]] tend to get locked up, run out of society, or outright lynched 
(especially when they don't form associations of like-minded lunatics — oh, wait, [[Religious Right|that's a perfect description of fundies]])
 and [[Natural selection|generally aren't very successful at siring children]]), and actual Satanists would prefer not to associate with them.}}
* atheists should not be allowed to express their lack of belief<ref name="dangerous_atheism">Knowledge of atheism is [https://web.archive.org/web/20131217120318/http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2008/04/04/its-dangerous-for-children-to-know-atheism-exists-says-illinois-state-legislator alleged to be dangerous to children.]</ref>
* atheists are a corrupting influence<ref name="dangerous_atheism"/>
* atheists are unsuited to responsibility<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5dv-T_nXN1M Here is Newt Gingrich saying exactly that and receiving much applause.]</ref>
* atheists lead lives that are empty and degenerate<ref name="psalm14"/>
* atheists are just college kids wishing to escape personal responsibility<ref>Here is [[Dinesh D'Souza]] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdCvwBDRhvQ lecturing students at the University of Colorado at Boulder].</ref>
* atheists are just going through a “teenage phase”<ref group=note>Because you know, [[Bullshit|atheism is one of those things that you can just phase in and out of]].</ref>
* atheists are [[Sexism|men]] with 'defective' or deceased fathers<ref>http://www.leaderu.com/truth/1truth12.html</ref>

==Historical examples==
{{hatnote|This list is not meant to be comprehensive, or it'd rival [[the Bible]] in length.}}
*[[Poland]], 1689 — {{wpl|Kazimierz Łyszczyński}} is tortured and beheaded for atheism. His corpse was burned and his ashes weren't buried. A man who owed him money brought him before court for writing "and therefore, there is no God" in the margin of a book. Prosecutors later discovered that he wrote a 265-page treatise called ''De non existentia Dei'', where he argued that God is a construct of the human mind, and it was the primary cause of sentencing him to death. He tried to claim this had only been first presenting atheist arguments to refute them later, but this wasn't believed. The manuscript was destroyed; only five quotations from the work survived in court documents.<ref>[http://www.racjonalista.pl/kk.php/s,5202 Racjonalista: Kazimierz Łyszczyński 1634-1689] (in Polish)</ref>

*[[Scotland]], 1698 — {{wpl|Thomas Aikenhead}} is executed for reading a book about atheism at Edinburgh University.

*[[England]], 1880 — {{wpl|Charles Bradlaugh}} is elected to [[House of Commons|Parliament]], but as an atheist is barred from taking his seat as he wishes to affirm rather than swear to God, as is required. Eventually he wins the argument, getting a law passed that allows MPs to affirm.

*[[Nazi Germany]] — [[Adolf Hitler]] banned left-wing atheist and [[freethought]] groups and regularly spoke against the "atheistic" or "godless movement."<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20170929011513/https://www.thoughtco.com/hitler-on-secularism-atheism-248197 Hitler on Secularism, Atheism], about.com</ref> Indeed, Nazi Germany is a depressingly common example, with [[Reductio ad Hitlerum]] (wrongly, and thus ironically) used against atheists to associate them with Nazism. That being said, it was more because Hitler hated communism rather than anything else. Atheists that were members of the Nazi party (such as {{wpl|Martin Bormann||)}} could still get great careers under the Nazi regime. According to propaganda officer Goebbels, [[Nazism#Religion in Nazism|Hitler hated Christianity as well and sought to eradicate it]], though what he intended to replace it with isn't entirely clear. So Hitler has no place on either side of the spectrum. The SS oath denounced atheism as well, and the organization forbade atheists from joining.<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20140620034836/http://www.patheos.com/blogs/wwjtd/2014/06/part-of-the-ss-soldiers-oath-in-nazi-germany-was-to-say-atheists-are-not-one-of-us/</ref>

*[[Cold War]] era [[USA]] — The [[Red-baiting|association of atheism with "godless communism"]] became popular during the [[Red Scare]].<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20111112211444/http://video.pbs.org/video/2164451381 Rev. Billy Graham and Dwight Eisenhower team up to fight "godless communism"], PBS Frontline: A Merging of Faith and Patriotism</ref>{{efn|This may go a long way towards explaining the current [[Religious Right|batshit insanity]] afflicting the [[Republican Party]] and [[Fun:Jesusland|the southern United States]]. (The other half of the explanation is [[Lost Cause of the South|butthurt over not being allowed to literally own black people]].){{citation needed}}}}

==Modern day==
Atheists are oppressed in many parts of the world; this can range from losing work to, in seven countries, [[capital punishment]] ([[Afghanistan]], [[Iran]], [[Maldives]], {{wpl|Mauritania||,}} [[Pakistan]], [[Saudi Arabia]], and [[Sudan]]).<ref>[http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/12/10/us-religion-atheists-idUSBRE8B900520121210 Atheists around world suffer persecution, discrimination: report]</ref>

===United States===

Although atheists are banned from holding office in six US states, those provisions are not enforceable.<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20140713014159/http://www.patheos.com/blogs/wwjtd/2014/07/yes-i-can-hold-public-office-as-an-atheist/</ref> A Myspace atheist group with 35000 members was deleted for causing offense &mdash; just by existing.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20080212155508/http://scienceblogs.com/dispatches/2008/01/myspace_deletes_atheist_group.php MySpace deletes atheist group], [[Ed Brayton]]</ref>

No admitted or confirmed atheist has ever been [[President of the United States]], although some wingnut racists have claimed that Obama is an atheist.<ref>http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/jun/24/bill-maher-obama-hes-drop-dead-atheist/</ref> Some other presidents have been rather secular throughout their lives or seem to have "lost their faith" at some point, and a handful even omitted the (optional) phrase "so help me God" from the oath of office. While all this is fine basis for speculation, it is virtually impossible to ever conclusively prove anything about the privately held religious beliefs<ref group=note>Or lack thereof.</ref> of all Presidents, much less the dead ones. Considering atheophobia, however, a President who ''is'' indeed atheist would do well<ref group=note>Politically, at least.</ref> to "stay in the closet" about it. In Congress, there have only been two Representatives who have proclaimed themselves as atheists, [[Democrat]] Pete Stark and Democrat [[Barney Frank]].<ref>http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/19/atheists-in-congress_n_3944108.html</ref><ref group=note>We wish we could be surprised that neither of them are [[Republican Party|Republicans]], but we can't.</ref> Stark kept his seat for 40 consecutive years.

However, a 2011 op-ed in [[The New York Times]] claimed that atheists had been overtaken in unpopularity by the [[Tea Party movement|Tea Party]], oddly enough,<ref>[http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/17/opinion/crashing-the-tea-party.html?_r=1 "Crashing the Tea Party",] David Cambell and Robert Putnam</ref> considering all their anti-atheist rhetoric.

According to a 2014 survey by the Pew Research Center, the public has about equivalent negative feelings towards atheists and [[Muslims]].<ref>http://www.pewforum.org/2014/07/16/how-americans-feel-about-religious-groups/</ref><ref group=note>We're not sure whether or not we need to point out that this was 13 years after [[9/11]].</ref>

===Europe===

In the United Kingdom, religion isn't as much of an issue. The [[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom|Prime Minister]] immediately after [[World War Two]], Clement Attlee, was an [[agnostic]]. Jim Callaghan, Prime Minister before Thatcher, was an atheist. Until they lost their jobs in the 2015 election, the Deputy Prime Minister (Nick Clegg<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20080511202732/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/faith/article3074541.ece</ref>) and Leader of the Opposition (Ed Miliband<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20101002102917/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/ed-miliband/8032163/Ed-Miliband-I-dont-believe-in-God.html</ref>) were atheists,<ref group=note>They are still atheists, but not in their positions of power anymore; no, religion or atheism was not a campaign issue.</ref> leaving two of the three main political parties led by atheists.

In the rest of Western and Central Europe, atheism is also far more acceptable. An outright majority of people living in [[Czechia]] are believed to be atheists based on a Eurobarometer poll. The same poll puts figures in the 20s-40s in other countries such as [[France]], [[Netherlands]], and [[Germany]]. There are vocal religious groups, however; although many stereotype France as almost militantly [[secular]], protests against the passage of a [[gay marriage]] law demonstrate during 2012 that [[Catholicism]] and other conservative brands of Christianity still hold sway with many people.<ref>https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-20382699</ref><ref group=note>And humanity still suffers for that.</ref>

Eastern Europe is much more religious, even in areas formerly part of the [[Soviet]] bloc. Atheism is high in some countries, including [[Estonia]] and Czechia, but low in others, such as Poland.

In [[Russia]], a 2013 law against "insulting religious feelings" can make you jailed for just saying "There is no God" and calling the Bible a "collection of Jewish fairy tales".<ref>[https://www.rferl.org/a/russian-man-could-be-jailed-for-saying-god-doesnt-exist/27585757.html Russian Man Could Be Jailed For Saying God Doesn't Exist]. ''Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty''.</ref>

===Middle East and North Africa===
Essentially everywhere. A recent example was that of Alber Saber, a 27-year old [[Egyptian]] atheist who ran the Egyptian Atheists Facebook page, with a link to the notorious film ''[[Innocence of Muslims]]''. This was discovered by a Muslim friend, who then got in a physical and verbal confrontation with Saber that spilled outside. Upon learning what had occurred, a mob formed threatening his life. Saber's mother called police, who instead of protecting him, arrested Saber on the charge of "insulting religion". After learning why he was in jail, a fellow inmate attacked Saber with a knife, slashing his neck.<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20120920004619/http://blog.newhumanist.org.uk/2012/09/egyptian-atheist-faces-prison-for.html</ref> He was convicted and sentenced to three years in prison,<ref>http://english.alarabiya.net/articles/2012/12/12/254705.html</ref> but fled Egypt after being freed on bail for an appeal.<ref>http://www.dailynewsegypt.com/2013/01/27/alber-saber-brotherhood-will-drive-the-people-to-secularism/</ref>

A far luckier case was that of {{wpl|Rahaf Mohammed||,}} a [[Saudi]] atheist who managed to weasel herself away from her family's control at the age of eighteen, initially seeking asylum in Australia, but was later aided by Canadian authorities, who quickly took her in upon being referred to her case. As Saudi [[shariah]] law stipulates that women are legally considered minors for life {{wpl|Wali (Islamic legal guardian)|in need of "protection"|,}} Rahaf must obtain permission from her legal guardians before travelling freely for even something as trivial as conducting official business, obtaining employment, concluding a marriage contract, or undergoing certain medical procedures. On top of that, she renounced Islam, which, if she were successfully deported back to her home country, would have landed her a [[death sentence]], as [[apostasy]] is a capital offence in Saudi Arabia.<ref group=note>It should go without saying that what women ''actually'' need protection from is [[Fundamentalism|fundamentalist]] [https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ControlFreak control freaks] who have convinced themselves that treating women like ''actual human beings'' is [[Fiqh|haram]]. (…What, [[Islamophobia|did you think we were going to say "Islam"]]? We're [[RationalWiki]], not [[Reddit]]. We don't ''hate'' religion here; we just think it's a bit absurd. Indeed, religion would be harmless or even beneficial on its own; [[Atheism#Why even argue with theists?|the trouble starts]] when [[Fundamentalism|it's granted greater importance]] than [[human rights]], [[common sense]], the [[scientific consensus]], or [[Rationalism|actually going to]] [[Empiricism|the trouble of]] [[Scientific method|objectively evaluating reality]].)</ref> Following international pressure and a successful [[Twitter]] campaign, she was granted asylum in Canada, where she now resides.<ref>[https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-46844431 "Rahaf al-Qunun: Saudi teen granted asylum in Canada".] BBC News. 11 January 2019.</ref> Unsurprisingly, Mohammed received death threats from Muslims who did not take kindly to what they view as a treasonous act of [[blasphemy]], and even a smear campaign in the good old KSA where she is portrayed as a degenerate drug addict through spurious [[conspiracy theories]] alleging a "Canadian attempt at stirring up civil strife".<ref>[https://thinkprogress.org/saudi-arabia-press-spinning-rahaf-al-qunun-asylum-canada-a1822dc99588/ "Here's how the Saudi press has been smearing the teen who fled her family".] ThinkProgress. 3 February 2019.</ref> Mohammed's family also disowned her as a "mentally unstable daughter who has displayed insulting and disgraceful behavior"; not that Rahaf would mind, though she did express concern for her sisters' welfare in an interview, fearing [[Honor killings|further reprisals from her parents towards the other siblings]].<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SbiIpfs97tI Rahaf Mohammed's New Life After Fleeing Abusive Family In Saudi Arabia]</ref> Her subsequent career as an adult model – [[Breast|boob]] {{wpl|Breast augmentation|job}} and all – and a link to her profile on the adult-oriented content subscription service {{wpl|OnlyFans}} might give her critics even more of an incentive to bash and threaten her, however.<ref>[https://www.instagram.com/rahafcaofficial/ Rahaf Mohammed] on [[Instagram]]</ref>

===Asia===
31-year-old Indonesian atheist Alexander Aan, in a case very similar to Saber's, was beaten by a mob after posting to his Facebook wall "God does not exist". Rather than protecting him, he was arrested by police for [[blasphemy]] and lying on a job application, where he claimed to be a Muslim.<ref>http://www.thedailybeast.com/cheats/2012/01/21/indonesian-atheist-attacked-arrested.html</ref> [[Indonesia]] requires all citizens to identify as either Muslim, Protestant, Catholic, [[Buddhist]], [[Hindu]], or [[Confucian]] &mdash; atheist is not an option.<ref group=note>Many, ''many'' other religions are also not on that list, such as [[Bahá'í]], [[Judaism|Jew]], [[Shinto]], [[Mormon]], [[Wicca]]n, [[Taoism|Taoist]], literally any [[pagan]] religion, and far too many others to list… In short, Indonesia fails pretty hard at providing [[freedom of religion]].</ref> Worse, they were victims of a [[Suharto family|Suhartist]] genocide in 1965 and 1966 &mdash; a genocide that, according to Geoffrey B. Robinson, "Western powers [...] facilitated widespread violence including mass killings, and helped to consolidate the political power of the army," satisfying the [[Chomsky rule]]. Similarly, Egypt requires citizens to identify as either Muslim, Christian, or [[Jewish]],<ref group=note>That's even ''less'' freedom of religion than Indonesia!</ref> and other Muslim countries also have such restrictions. Convicted of blasphemy, Aan served 18 months of a 2.5 year jail sentence before being released on "licence" on 27 January 2014.<ref>http://www.centerforinquiry.net/blogs/entry/alexander_aan_released_from_prison/</ref>

On August 2017, when several Malaysian government officials had discovered that there was a group of atheists in Kuala Lumpur, they had began calling for the execution of any of them who were former Muslims, and asserting that atheists are not (and don’t deserve to be) Malaysian citizens ([[Religious Right|sound familiar]]?)<ref group=note>In Islam, it is a capital offense to [[Apostasy|deconvert]].</ref><ref>http://www.atheistrepublic.com/news/shariah-law-malaysia-slap-human-rights-call-dark-ages</ref>

In Bangladesh, several atheists have been murdered by Muslim fanatics,<ref>{{cite news |date=12 August 2009 |title=Proper probe into death of Humayun Azad demanded |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140819084047/http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=101061 |newspaper=Daily Star}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Knife attack kills Bangladesh blogger Washiqur Rahman|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-32112433|accessdate=31 March 2015|work=[[BBC]] News|date=30 March 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Bangladesh blogger hacked to death by masked assailants|url=http://www.irishtimes.com/news/world/asia-pacific/bangladesh-blogger-hacked-to-death-by-masked-assailants-1.2209412|accessdate=12 May 2015|work=Irish Times|date=12 March 2015}}</ref> and others forced into exile due to threats (sometimes of vigilante violence, but also prosecution over "[[Blasphemy|insulting religion]]"), like [[Taslima Nasrin]].<ref>{{cite book |author=Margaret Bald |date=2006 |title=Literature Suppressed on Religious Grounds |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SMiqYHR6xkMC&pg=PA177 |publisher=Infobase Publishing |page=177 |isbn=978-0-8160-7148-7}}</ref> The Islamic militant group Jamaat-ul-Mujihadeen Bangladesh published a list of people they dislike, atheists included, with death threats.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/sep/23/militant-group-publishes-hit-list-of-bloggers-activists-and-writers|title=Militant group publishes global hitlist of bloggers, activists and writers|first=Jason|last=Burke|date=23 September 2015|publisher=|accessdate=3 December 2016|via=The Guardian}}</ref> Other atheists have survived murder attempts as well.<ref>{{cite news |title = Youth hacked injured at Mirpur |url=http://archive.thedailystar.net/beta2/news/youth-hacked-injured-at-mirpur/ |newspaper=The Daily Star |accessdate = 20 April 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=15 January 2013 |title='Militant atheist' blogger stabbed in Bangladesh |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141217122945/http://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/militant-atheist-blogger-stabbed-in-bangladesh/article1-989966.aspx |newspaper=Hindustan Times |agency=Agence France-Presse |accessdate=27 January 2014}}</ref>

Atheists are a stark minority in the predominantly-Catholic [[Philippines]], only numbering about 43,000 according to one statistic.<ref name="PSAGovPH-2020Census-Religion">{{Cite web |last=Mapa |first=Dennis S. |date=February 22, 2023 |title=Religious Affiliation in the Philippines (2020 Census of Population and Housing) |url=https://psa.gov.ph/content/religious-affiliation-philippines-2020-census-population-and-housing |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230310184554/https://psa.gov.ph/content/religious-affiliation-philippines-2020-census-population-and-housing |archive-date=March 10, 2023 |access-date=March 12, 2023 |website=Philippine Statistics Authority}}</ref> However, while atheists are less likely to be burned to a stake for their heresy, shades of atheophobia still persist in the country due to religion being deeply embedded in Filipino culture, where the faithful stigmatise and demonise irreligious folk as scandalous freaks or even "satanists".<ref name="French"/> Such atheophobic mentality is perpetuated by popular media, like in an episode of the popular radio drama ''Barangay Love Stories'' recounting a story of a letter sender who claimed to be an atheist who used to live a hedonistic lifestyle, until she had an epiphany after a serious car accident caused by [[Alcoholism|drunk driving]] ''of her own doing'' and a breast cancer diagnosis, with her friend successfully swaying her to becoming a [[Evangelicalism|born-again Christian]].{{efn|Given the apparent evangelical affiliation of GMA Network's bigwigs, this isn't surprising. The network aired episodes of the ''[[700 Club|700 Club Asia]]'' as well as a number of other evangelical-driven screeds at least at one point in their history.}} The letter sender thereby insinuated that irreligious people live a life without inner peace due to their lack of religious belief.<ref name="barangay">{{Cite web |date=2025-04-14 |title=Barangay Love Stories - #BLSBlessingInDisguise |url=https://archive.org/details/blsblessingindisguise |access-date=2025-04-16 |publisher=GMA Network |via=Internet Archive}}</ref> That being said, there is a growing anti-religious sentiment in the country, due in part to [[Rodrigo Duterte]]'s much-publicised bombastic remarks against local clergy<ref>{{cite web |url=https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/789059/duterte-vows-to-expose-church-abuses |title= Duterte vows to expose Church abuses}}</ref> and allegations of corruption by church officials.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/865123/duterte-catholic-church-full-of-shit |title=Duterte: Catholic Church 'full of shit}}</ref> Interestingly enough, the 1982 religious drama film ''{{wpl|Himala}}'' (transl. ''Miracle'') gained iconic status within the country despite its message being critical of blind faith and religious fanaticism, with its [[faith healer]] protagonist 
[[Frozen|Queen]]
 Elsa boldly proclaiming to the crowd "There are no miracles!".<ref name="Philippine Daily Inquirer page 1">(2008-10-27). [https://web.archive.org/web/20081027221030/http://showbizandstyle.inquirer.net/entertainment/entertainment/view/20081027-168599/Himala-in-CNN-film-poll "Himala in CNN film poll"]. Inquirer.net .Retrieved on March 28, 2011.</ref>

===Oceania===
Atheism is considerably more accepted in Australia and New Zealand than in the United States, with the number of non-religious people in both countries increasing recently. The Australian Bureau of Statistics census from 2016 reported that 29.6% of Australians followed no religion, compared to 22.3% in 2011,<ref>{{cite web|title=Census of Population and Housing: Reflecting Australia - Stories from the Census, 2016 : Religion in Australia|url=http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Lookup/by%20Subject/2071.0~2016~Main%20Features~Religion%20Data%20Summary~25|publisher=Australian Bureau of Statistics|accessdate=20 July 2019|deadurl=yes|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20170710020910/http://abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Lookup/by%20Subject/2071.0~2016~Main%20Features~Religion%20Data%20Summary~25|archivedate=10 July 2017|df=dmy-all}}</ref> while the New Zealand 2013 census reported 41.9% of people being in this category, more than double the figure of 20.2% reported in the 1991 census. <ref>{{cite web|title=Diverse Communities – Exploring the Migrant and Refugee Experience in New Zealand|url=http://www.msd.govt.nz/documents/about-msd-and-our-work/publications-resources/research/diverse-communities-migrant-experience/migrant-experience-report.pdf|publisher=Ministry of Social Development|accessdate=7 January 2013}}</ref> The proportion more than doubled in two decades, reaching 41.9% in the 2013 census.<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20171206034521/http://archive.stats.govt.nz/Census/2013-census/profile-and-summary-reports/quickstats-culture-identity/religion.aspx</ref> [[Julia Gillard]], the first female Prime Minister of Australia, is (and was) a self-declared atheist.

==In atheists we distrust==
Some [[psychology|psychological]] research suggests that atheophobia tends to be driven by distrust more than other factors. Whereas [[discrimination]] against [[gay]]s, for example, tends to arise from disgust, atheists are distrusted in a fashion similar to criminals such as [[rape|rapists]].<ref>Gervais, W. M., Shariff, A. F., & Norenzayan, A. (2011, November 7). [https://web.archive.org/web/20111203030125/http://www2.psych.ubc.ca/%7Ewill/Gervais%20et%20al-%20Atheist%20Distrust.pdf Do You Believe in Atheists? Distrust Is Central to Anti-Atheist Prejudice.] ''Journal of Personality and Social Psychology''. Advance online publication. ([http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111130100220.htm Press release])</ref> Further demonstrating this, people who are [[priming|shown a stimulus]] involving secular authorities such as the police show reduced distrust in atheists when asked to make judgments about them.<ref>Will M. Gervais and Ara Norenzayan. [https://web.archive.org/web/20120111112823/http://www2.psych.ubc.ca/~will/Gervais%20Norenzayan-%20Gods%20&%20Governments-PsychScience.pdf Reminders of Secular Authority Reduce Believers' Distrust in Atheists.] ''Psychological Science'' 23(5) 483–491</ref>

==Some noted 'atheophobes'==
*[[Alex Jones]]: Christian conspiracy loon, claims that atheists are behind the [[New World Order]] and are working with Satanic forces to destroy traditional American [[family values]] and Christianity.
*[[Mark Dice]]: As above.
*[[Pat Robertson]]
*{{wpl|Steve Harvey||}}
*[[John Kasich]]
*[[Sheik Feiz Muhammad]]: [[Lebanon|Lebanese]]-[[Australia]]n Muslim preacher, regularly describes atheists as 'dirt' during sermons and advocates the [[death penalty]] for non-believers.
*David J. Stewart of the [[Jesus Is Savior]] ministry.
*{{wpl|Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki|Datuk Dr. Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki}}: Malaysia’s Deputy Minister of Islamic Affairs, who went after an atheist group in Malaysia in early August of 2017.<ref>http://www.atheistrepublic.com/news/malaysia-world-watching</ref>

==See also==
*[[Homophobia]]
*[[Transphobia]]
*[[Islamophobia]]
*[[Antisemitism]]
*[[Anti-Catholicism]]
*[[Christophobia]]
*[[Xenophobia]]

==External links==
*[https://h2g2.com/edited_entry/A44196906 Atheophobia at H2G2]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20110606085547/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9hTnmZkHnTE Steve Harvey disparages atheists].
*[http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/HollywoodAtheist Hollywood Atheist], TV Tropes
*Penny Edgell, Joseph Gerteis, Douglas Hartmann. [https://web.archive.org/web/20100331092832/http://www.soc.umn.edu/~hartmann/files/atheist%20as%20the%20other.pdf Atheists As “Other”: Moral Boundaries and Cultural Membership in American Society.] ''American Sociological Review'', 2006, vol. 771 (April:211–234).
*[http://dspace.zsr.wfu.edu/jspui/bitstream/10339/14661/2/Foust_Thesis.pdf An Alien in a Christian World: Intolerance, Coping, and Negotiating Identity Among Atheists in the United States], Christine H. Foust, Wake Forest University

==Notes==
{{reflist|group=note|2}}

==References==
{{reflist|2|90%}}

[[Category:Atheism]]
[[Category:Atheophobia| ]]
[[Category:Fundamentalism]]
[[Category:Religious discrimination]]
[[Category:Social justice]]

Categories: Atheism, Atheophobia, Fundamentalism, Religious discrimination, Social justice