Western tolerance traditions historically exempted atheists from its protections
Evidence
In many majority-Muslim countries such as Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, and Iran, open declaration of atheism is a punishable crime under Islamic “apostasy” laws, although these laws are seldom applied, given how exceedingly rarely atheists in those countries go public. What is less commonly known, however, is that antipathy toward atheists has deep historical roots even in Western democracies that inherited Enlightenment ideals of social tolerance. The quote that opens this section comes from the Letter Concerning Toleration, an essay instrumental in establishing America’s separation of church and state. In it, Locke preaches religious tolerance, then ironically singles out atheists as the only group that does not deserve tolerance or legal protection. — Norenzayan, Ara, Big gods - how religion transformed…, 233
Categorization
Category: Contrarian or Surprising Claims
- XREF: Locke’s exemption of atheists parallels the reader’s claim that Watkins’ regime weaponizes public apostasy display — both hinge on the trustworthiness signal that belief sends.