In the “The God Delusion”, the over-bearing and overly pompous Richard Dawkins claims more than once that atheists are the most discriminated against minority in the United States. 

Say what? The infamous atheist probably based his conclusion on this survey by the University of Minnesota that reached the same conclusion, but I am pretty skeptical to say the least and reject the notion that an Englishman can accurately portray the amount of discrimination in the states.

I’m pretty open about my my religious affiliation (none). You would think that as an agnostic woman in the United States, I would be discriminated against everywhere across the country due to my religious affiliation or lack thereof, but that isn’t the case at all. ??I will admit that I’ve had to tell off the occasional over-eager Christian on a bus or a Jehovah’s Witness at the door, but I have yet to be actively discriminated against as a result of my lack of enthusiasm for the Christian God. I have never been called names for my agnosticism, I have never suffered from religious persecution, and I have never feared for my life or health because of my beliefs.

With the exception of the bible belt, which is actually a much more insignificant percentage of the population than we give it credit for, I am confident that this is the norm for most atheists, agnostics, or other Americans who do not believe in a Christian God.

Muslims, on the other hand, are probably having a much harder time than the non-believers, as are gays and lesbians throughout many parts of the country. ??It is ridiculous for Richard Dawkins to compare the discrimination of an atheist to a gay or lesbian.

Do  Atheists in the United States cower in high schools across the country in fear of bullies? I really and truly doubt it. ??How many hate crimes happen as a result of Atheism? From what I could find on a cursory Internet search- zero. On the other hand, in 2008, there were 1,617 hate crimes against gays and lesbians in the United States alone. ?The 2007 statistics for gays and lesbians did not look pretty for the community either.

This is not to say that Atheists are always popular or that their beliefs are as well-respected everywhere, but I definitely take issue with Richard Dawkin’s claims that atheists are the most discriminated minority in the US.