Atheists identified as America's most distrusted minority

Recent study on public opinion of atheism (conducted right here at the good ol' U of M!)

"Edgell also argues that today’s atheists play the role that Catholics, Jews and communists have played in the past—they offer a symbolic moral boundary to membership in American society. “It seems most Americans believe that diversity is fine, as long as every one shares a common ‘core’ of values that make them trustworthy—and in America, that ‘core’ has historically been religious,” says Edgell. Many of the study’s respondents associated atheism with an array of moral indiscretions ranging from criminal behavior to rampant materialism and cultural elitism."

Also, here's a link to a story about statistics showing that evangelicals and Catholics support torture at a significantly higher level than those who are secular.

To quote the previous article on atheism:

'“Americans believe they share more than rules and procedures with their fellow citizens—they share an understanding of right and wrong,” she said. “Our findings seem to rest on a view of atheists as self-interested individuals who are not concerned with the common good.”'

So...torture supports the common good...?