Religious Hypocrisy | Always Question Authority

. . . [A large] share of the American public (19 percent) spurns organized religion in favor of a nondefined skepticism about faith. . . .

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Most polls suggest that atheists are among the most disliked groups in the U.S. One study last year asked participants whether a fictional hit-and-run driver was more likely to be an atheist or a rapist. A majority chose atheist. In 2006, another study found that Americans rated atheists as less likely to agree with their vision of America than Muslims, Hispanics, or homosexuals. “Wherever there are religious majorities, atheists are among the least trusted people,” said University of British Columbia sociologist Will M. Gervais.

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I am sure some of you have heard the hilarious story of the head of the Russian Orthodox Church patriarch Kirilli I that has been all over the blog world. But just in case you missed it, here it is.

What happened was that the church’s website published what seemed like a routine public relations photo of the patriarch with some person.

Alert Russian bloggers noted that the patriarch, who had just delivered a sermon on the virtues of an ascetic lifestyle, was wearing a Breguet wristwatch that costs around $30,000. That story resulted in a subtle change in the website with the original photo being replaced by another in which the offending watch no longer appeared.