Atheism: teaching a taboo

"McCormick is teaching the first atheism class ever offered at Sacramento State. And the topic, he said, makes some uncomfortable, even hateful.
"Some recent polls show that atheists are the most reviled people in American society, even more than homosexuals and minority groups… That all suggests that we've got some irrational and dangerous commitments surrounding the topic of God," McCormick said.

[...]

He took the initiative to write the proposal for his new atheism class, even though he says he did get "a few raised eyebrows" along the way. Philosophy Chair Thomas Pyne, a colleague and a church-goer, said "I was for it (the class)...it's certainly a live issue right now."

The State Hornet, 9/19/07

He also has his own blog here: Atheism: Proving The Negative

In a sense I would say that all scientific roads lead to Atheism by undermining traditional religious views and constantly offering a materialistic view, but I think that a course like this can be good to stop the demonizing that exists some places.

Religion affects behaviour

"After the Baylor Religion Survey, American Piety in the 21st Century, was released last September, two sociology professors were intrigued by the findings and decided to write a new book, Who is Your God?

[...]

Some people interviewed had very strong religious beliefs, but when they were asked to speak about it, they weren't very eloquent Froese said. Those who didn't care much about religion could eloquently express their opinion. [...] Another interesting discovery was that beliefs matter and have a clear, distinct role in other aspects of people's lives. For example, those who have a concrete vision of God also have a very concrete understanding of right and wrong, making them more prone to respect authorities. They are more likely to support the death penalty and the war in Iraq.
People who have an abstract concept of God tend to decide for themselves the difference between good and evil.
"These seemingly abstract theological beliefs have a real world manifest in the sense that they affect behavior," Froese said. "Based on their beliefs is how they act."
The more highly educated a person is, Dougherty said, the more likely that person will see God as distant. He added that people who seek higher education don't see God as engaged in their lives. They want to take action themselves and not depend on God to solve problems. [...] "Baylor University is an example of educated people with Ph. Ds. who also view God as an engaged God," Dougherty said."

The Baylor Lariat, Sept. 25, 2007

That religion affects behaviour is quite obvious, but further, this means that religion is politics, and that there's no such thing as religion being merely a private matter. Well, not anymore than being Republican or Communist. It is a view that you hold that affects your surroundings, and your surroundings may have legitimate reservations to the effects of your views.