CreateDebate


Debate Info

6
17
atheists deserve a low mark unfair to atheists
Debate Score:23
Arguments:14
Total Votes:24
More Stats

Argument Ratio

side graph
 
 atheists deserve a low mark (3)
 
 unfair to atheists (11)

Debate Creator

zico20(345) pic



Study not good for atheists

The University of Minnesota did a survey and the results aren't good for atheists. The question asked was "I would disapprove in my child wanted to marry a member of this group....

atheists 47.6

muslim 33.5

african-american 27.2

asian-american 18.5

hispanic 18.5

jews 11.5

conservative christian 6.9

whites 2.3

 

atheists deserve a low mark

Side Score: 6
VS.

unfair to atheists

Side Score: 17
2 points

I fail to see how this is not good for Atheists.

muslim 33.5

jews 11.5

conservative christian 6.9

Combined total = 51.9

atheists 47.6

Atheist is still preferred over religious.

Side: atheists deserve a low mark
Nebeling(1117) Disputed
1 point

You can't add the percentages together like that. There's simply insufficient data in the debate description to calculate how many disapprove of religious in general.

Side: unfair to atheists
Cartman(18192) Disputed
2 points

Sure you can add them. If you talk to 100 people you will hear more responses against a religious group than against Atheists. So, maybe some of those responses come from the same person, you will still hear less against Atheism.

Side: atheists deserve a low mark

I could care less... when I find the right one it will be someone who cares for me regardless and either will have a family that doesn't care or won't care herself.

Side: atheists deserve a low mark
4 points

This says more about the religious than it says about the marital quality of atheists.

Side: unfair to atheists
1 point

True, or whatever bigoted groups that participated. It isn't like it says anything bad about the half black, half Asian crowd, right.

Side: unfair to atheists
1 point

Aw that's really sad. I guess I was primed to be focused on the atheism/theism debate by the name of the debate, but that's equally screwed up.

Side: unfair to atheists
1 point

The Framing of this argument is questionable. This is not poor reflection on atheists or any member of the listed groups.

The study is likely gauging how people feel about these groups and not commenting on the groups themselves. This study could be presented as 'People show bigoted beliefs towards X group'.

For instance African Americans were rated on this list, would this study be a poor reflection on the African Americans or the people who would not approve of their children marrying this group? Or would the study just simply be measuring how people feel and not justifying those feelings?

Have a link to this study?

Side: unfair to atheists
1 point

http://www1.umn.edu/news/news-releases/2006/URRELEASEMIG2816.html

Here is the U of M write up on the study. The study is on public opinion not on any of the listed groups.

"The researchers also found acceptance or rejection of atheists is related not only to personal religiosity, but also to one’s exposure to diversity, education and political orientation—with more educated, East and West Coast Americans more accepting of atheists than their Midwestern counterparts."

So one could conclude that those who ostracize these groups are generally less exposed to diversity as well as less educated than those who accept these groups.

This study is in no way a reflection on the beliefs or ethnicity of the chosen groups but of public opinion. To use this study as a 'proof' of any of the the listed groups to be legitimately ostracized would be committing the fallacy of ad populum.

Not sure how this is bad for any of the listed groups.

Side: unfair to atheists

This isn't surprising when you consider the percentage of Americans who are adherents of one type of religion or another. I personally don't give a shit. I married a Catholic girl. She's now an atheist.

Side: unfair to atheists
3 points

Damn, that is a lot of effort to convert one Catholic. We need something easier. ;)

Side: unfair to atheists
1 point

The thing about surveys like this... People who believe in god want their children to believe too... Or at the very least they want them to have something to believe in. They have more trouble with giving out independence. Atheist don't typically have as huge of a problem with that, although they do have their own issue. Just stating why a survey would turn out this way, it's truly not surprising.

Side: unfair to atheists