The E Word

 So here is an article about the second Pew poll on religious beliefs in America.  The second one was done in August of 08, because people were so righteously indignant about the answers in the first one.  It seems Americans are a generous, multi-cultural loving people;  much to the chagrin of those few loud mouths among us who aren't.  One of the main concerns in the first poll was that people were too stupid to understand the questions they were being asked.  For instance, many identified as athiests, yet those same people also said they believed in god.  Huh?  So this go round, it looks like they asked people to identify as athiests or as "people with no religious faith".   And then they asked everyone if athiests or "people with no religious faith" could get to heaven.  Check out the graphic in the article.  It appears to me to show the word 'athiest' itself carries an inherent negativity to it.  More "people with no religious faith" get into heaven than "athiests".    I wonder if this poll had been conducted in the 1840's if more "northern europeans" would get in than "irish" or more "coloreds" would get in than "niggers" (or was it the other way around back then?)  And I wonder if we athiests should simply stop using our own 'n' word, and go with "I'm a person of no religious faith."  It appears our status would improve significantly and immediately.... For those of us interested in our status improving...