Atheist discrimination

I wrote a few months ago explaining why I feel it necessary to maintain anonymity online in relating my job security to my lack of religious belief. Given our high unpopularity, examples of discrimination based on one's non-religion abound. In the news is a bill now being put forward in Arkansas to clear the state's constitution of clear discrimination against nonbelievers. Their state constitution (along with other states, including with South Carolina's) explicitly forbids people who don't believe in God from being a civil servant.

South Carolina's state constitution, article six, section two reads:

SECTION 2. Person denying existence of Supreme Being not to hold office.

No person who denies the existence of the Supreme Being shall hold any office under this Constitution.

Of course this is blatantly unconstitutional, and Herb Silverman fought to make it officially so, but still it exists in the constitution as written because of the cowardice of state representatives who won't fight to end such discrimination for fear of being labeled an "atheist sympathizer" or something. If only SC state representatives had the courage of AK Rep. Richard Carroll of North Little Rock (Green Party).

One of the most amazing things about this to me is the complete lack of sympathy that atheists get from believers about such discrimination, because believers don't have a true concept of "freedom of religion" -- they think it just means, "You get to pick a religion to believe in," but not, "You can pick any religion or none at all..." But if we all fight for true freedom of religion, then we're all better off in the end.

Some are trying to put an end to atheophobia. My aims are less lofty: just get people to recognize that it exists and that it is wrong.