No. 1 was Paula Abdul with commentary about her appearing to be on Mad Dog 20/20 and Vicodin and in need of Chemical Dependency treatment..
No. 2 is this!:
Sucks to Be Runner-Up: Atheists
The good people of this fine land we call America might be divided politically, but according to one new survey, they stand strong about one thing: Americans hate atheists. That's correct, much more than gays, Muslims, Jews and any other minority or classifying characteristic that's normally hated on, it's atheists that somehow come up as the most disliked.
To this, allow us to ask: Why?
Firstly,we'll start with the caveat of we have zero problem with religion, people practicing their religion and so forth. However, it strikes us as bizarre, even oxymoronic, that those who do believe in a God possess such rancor toward those who choose not to. What does it matter to you? Is there some traumatic experience in your past that makes you loathe those who don't believe in God? Has an atheist Witness ever knocked on your door while the big game was on? Has a born-again atheist yapped in your ear on the train for a half-hour trying to talk you into joining their church?
And come to think of it, hasn't just about every war over the last say, 5,000 years, been sparked by religion in some way, shape or form?
Again, religion is fine. Hating those without one is not.
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I am NOT posting this to start any controversy, but I did write once about how atheists are treated in America and I know people who have never been one may not realize how there is real prejudice.
This article verifies it according to an AOL poll of some sort.
A few ways I have experienced prejudice regarding atheism is when looking for jobs or applying for anything where they ask you what your religion is. If you put "None" there are some who have an automatic negative reaction. An even bigger reaction seems to come from when a person WAS religious and is angry AND Atheist. The Anger is often translated into being negative energy or 'Satan' when it is quite normal after surviving a cult to feel that way.
But then, how many people can you tell you survived a cult without a bigger prejudice and preconceived notion of what kind of person you must be? >=P
So I guess it pays to keep it personal except when discussing it with people that can relate or who are willing to learn like a trusted friend, therapist or clergy person or fellow survivor with similar views..