According to a new study from the University of Minnesota, Americans rate those who don’t believe in invisible sky people as even less trustworthy than immigrants and gays. Shocking.

American’s [sic] increasing acceptance of religious diversity doesn’t extend to those who don’t believe in a god, according to a national survey by researchers in the University of Minnesota’s department of sociology.

From a telephone sampling of more than 2,000 households, university researchers found that Americans rate atheists below Muslims, recent immigrants, gays and lesbians and other minority groups in “sharing their vision of American society.” Atheists are also the minority group most Americans are least willing to allow their children to marry.

…

Many of the study’s respondents associated atheism with an array of moral indiscretions ranging from criminal behavior to rampant materialism and cultural elitism.

Clearly, the 3% of Americans who identify themselves as atheist are behind all of our problems. Look at all the wars they’ve started. Not to mention the cultural elitism. Damn atheists, think they’re so big.

And what’s with the phrase, “allow their children to marry”?

The study also makes this unexpected discovery:

The researchers also found acceptance or rejection of atheists is related not only to personal religiosity, but also to one’s exposure to diversity, education and political orientation—with more educated, East and West Coast Americans more accepting of atheists than their Midwestern counterparts.

As a devout atheist, I couldn’t be more pleased. Our plan is working. Bring on the rampant materialism!