Godless Atheists as Scapegoats: Atheists are Scapegoats for the Christian Right
Minorities as Scapegoats: Attacks on minorities are frequently not about minorities themselves, but something else: they are scapegoats for something larger, usually something perceived to be a conspiracy against all that is right and proper. Jews and gays, for example, have been scapegoats for reactionary hatred of modernity. Atheists can be scapegoats for fear of modernity as well, but more specifically for a fear of the loss of religious traditions and religious privilege. Godless Atheists are Scapegoats for the Loss of Christian Privilege: One of the most important changes in the modern world is the erosion of unjustified privileges male, white, heterosexual, and Christian. America s Christian Right can t stand the fact that they are no longer treated as politically, socially, or culturally special and they usually blame atheists for this. They ignore the overall growth of religious pluralism in America and complain about atheists who are simply standing up to demand basic equality
