By Julia Hahn, Columnist

America is supposed to be a country that is known for tolerating all kinds of religious freedoms.  Isn’t that what its makings were based on in the first place? The Pilgrims ventured out of England and settled in the New World to escape religious prosecution. Then why is it that almost 400 years later, people are repeating that same mistake?

You can find evidence of this almost anywhere you go: school, the mall, the media; practically anywhere. People find it amusing nowadays to just completely reject religion all together and be an atheist. Hey it’s the new cool thing to do. I am not at all saying that being atheist or agnostic is a bad thing; it’s a free country and you can believe whatever you want. As long as you have good reason to believe in what you do, more power to you.

It’s just when people who reject religion and its followers do it in an extremely rude fashion that I have a problem. When in a philosophy class or an actual religion class, if I discuss my view on the Bible or God with a Christian background people will literally attack me. I even once got a remark, verbatim, “Why are you being so stupid? Don’t you realize that God doesn’t exist?” Despite the fact that the remark was completely uncalled for and just plain rude, why do my classmates feel the need to attack my beliefs? I do not sit in class and say, “Why are you being so stupid? Don’t you realize that there is an entire book and nearly thousands of years of recorded history to prove you wrong?” I don’t, because I’m respectful of other people’s beliefs. A good percentage of atheists do not have much reasoning behind their declaration of atheism; they just want to be against organized religion. If you’re going to stand for something at least have some kind of idea what you’re standing for.

Another aspect of religious intolerance is the fact that it does not go both ways at all. It is completely culturally acceptable for a person to bash someone else for having a religion, but once someone starts insulting an atheist it becomes completely uncalled for. Why is that? Is it because American media, and a majority of its people, are only in favor of what is popular at the time? So it would seem.

The government has even gotten on this bash-organized-religion bandwagon with regards to the Pledge of Allegiance. The Pledge of Allegiance is a phrase that has been engrained into children for so many years; it’s something that has a special place in many Americans hearts. Changing it now would just seem a little superfluous to the atheist favoritism nowadays. If America and its people are going to make claims for being accepting of all types of people regardless of religious affiliation, sexual orientation, race, or gender, then it should truly be that way.