ABSTRACT
The most commonly discussed instances of de-viance discussed in textbooks are behavioral, but holding and expressing deviant beliefs can get the individual in trouble as readily as engaging in what is considered unacceptable or wrongful acts. Hence, what’s referred to as “cognitive deviance” is as important as unconventional behavior that manifests itself in actual behavior (Perrin, 2007). Not all expressions of belief lead to specific actions; even the mere expression of those beliefs is likely to result in negative reactions from audiences. Is atheism deviant? Indeed it is! In the United States, year after year, polls indicate that 80 to 90 percent of the population believes in God. A substantial proportion of theists feel that someone who doesn’t believe in God is not a moral person and “might not be fully trustworthy,” hence, might vote for a self-admitted atheistic political candidate, for instance, for president. But there is good news and bad news for our nonbelieving presidential aspirant. Interestingly enough, according to a Gallup poll taken in July, 2012, 54 percent of the U.S. public said that they would vote for a self-proclaimed atheist presidential candidate; 43 percent said that they would not. In 1958, only 18 percent proclaimed that they would vote for an unbeliever-an enormous change in more than a half century. Times have changed, true, and the chances of success for an atheist politician are looking up. But consider the matter the other way around: If you’re a political candidate and you give up on nearly half of your potential voters, you’ll never get elected. And among all the categories the poll asked about, respondents were least supportive of the atheist; Muslims received 58 percent positive responses, and gays and lesbians, 68 percent. Democrats were more supportive of atheist politicians (58%) than the Republicans were (48%), and the young respondents aged eighteen to twenty-nine (70%) more than the older ones, aged sixty-five and over (40%). As much as atheism has stuck a toe in the water of the mainstream, many segments of American society-evangelical Christians and Orthodox Jews-still don’t trust the unbeliever. And, more generally, beliefs and notions of right and wrong, and what ideas are right and wrong, vary by social category and historical time period. And political ideas make up a major constellation of our belief system. The fact is, in
the United States, among the more conventional voters, a professed atheist has virtually no chance of winning a presidential election and, other things being equal, atheism has very little moral traction with believers.
