In most of the places where I’ve lived, I have not felt oppressed as a consequence of being an atheist, although this may be related to the fact that I am not particularly community spirited to begin with. However, I did feel oppressed while I was attending Brandeis University, an officially non-sectarian Jewish school. The pervasive sense that Judaism was the in-group on campus, and that one was expected to identify with other Jews above others regardless of what else you might or might not have in common, was a major affront to my sensibilities, and I started associating with online atheist communities in response.
It may be worth noting that what I found oppressive was not being surrounded by people who had different spiritual beliefs than mine, and took issue with mine, but being surrounded by people who expected allegiance to a social group I had no attachment to. It would have been okay for me to be an atheist, as long as I was a Jewish atheist, but although I am Ashkenazic on my mother’s side I neither have nor want any attachment to Jewish culture.
In most of the places where I’ve lived, I have not felt oppressed as a consequence of being an atheist, although this may be related to the fact that I am not particularly community spirited to begin with. However, I did feel oppressed while I was attending Brandeis University, an officially non-sectarian Jewish school. The pervasive sense that Judaism was the in-group on campus, and that one was expected to identify with other Jews above others regardless of what else you might or might not have in common, was a major affront to my sensibilities, and I started associating with online atheist communities in response.
It may be worth noting that what I found oppressive was not being surrounded by people who had different spiritual beliefs than mine, and took issue with mine, but being surrounded by people who expected allegiance to a social group I had no attachment to. It would have been okay for me to be an atheist, as long as I was a Jewish atheist, but although I am Ashkenazic on my mother’s side I neither have nor want any attachment to Jewish culture.