1 in 10 still support discrimination against African-Americans on religious grounds

[elmcitymaven 9,712]

One in 10 Americans believe small business owners should be free to refuse to serve or do business with African-Americans on religious grounds, according to a new poll.

A survey released this week by the Public Religion Research Institute finds that strong majorities of Americans reject the idea that businesses should be legally allowed to refuse to serve either African-American, Jewish, gays and lesbians, or atheists, but a small portion of the country still believes you should be able to.

Among the four groups, the survey found the least support for refusing service to African-Americans, but the most for discriminating against gay or lesbian individuals.

Asked if it should be legal to refuse to do business with members of the LGBT community on religious grounds, 16% said yes and 80% said no. Similarly, 15% said it should be legal to refuse service to atheists, with 81% saying it shouldn’t be. The polling found slightly less support for religious beliefs being sufficient to allow a small business owner to refuse to business with Jewish people, 12% said yes and 85% said no. And when it came to African-Americans, 10% said they supported the legal right to refuse service and 87% said they did not. PRRI conducted the survey of more than 1,000 adults via telephone, including cell phone users, and results have a margin of error of 3.1%.

The poll also found that a slight majority of Americans, 54%, believe “the right of religious liberty is being threatened” while 41% say it is not.

The survey found a relatively even three-way split when asking respondents what they thought the most serious problem regarding the role of religion in American society. Three in 10 said “Religion is being removed from public places.” Another 25% said it’s that “government is interfering with the ability of people to freely practice.” And 24% picked “Religious groups are trying to pass laws to force their beliefs on others.” Another 9% picked “the rights of smaller religious groups are not being protected” as their number one concern.

While less common today, supporters of racial segregationists often used religious arguments to advocate their viewpoint before the civil rights movement of the 1960s. Language similar to that often used by marriage equality opponents was regularly used by those opposing interracial marriage and others who sometimes argued different racial groups had been placed on separate continents by God and that served as proof they should not mix.

The issue ended up before the Supreme Court when religious school Bob Jones University argued that its First Amendment protections should allow it to prohibit interracial dating without losing tax benefits. The Supreme Court ultimately ruled that “Government has a fundamental, overriding interest in eradicating racial discrimination in education … which substantially outweighs whatever burden denial of tax benefits places on petitioners’ exercise of their religious beliefs.”

http://www.msnbc.com/politicsnation/1-in-10-americans-still-support-discrimination

[elmcitymaven 9,712]

On the other hand, it appears African-Americans are more popular than atheists and the gays. If you're a gay atheist African-American, you should probably just order everything off Amazon.

[The Nature Boy 4,224]

25% of American polled think the Sun revolves around the earth .

I am shocked it's only 10% i would think 10% would be too stupid to understand or picked the wrong answer. I suspect 10% is low.

On the other hand, it appears African-Americans are more popular than atheists and the gays. If you're a gay atheist African-American, you should probably just order everything off Amazon.

How about a Straight Muslim AA,

[Janelle2002 3,865]

On the other hand, it appears African-Americans are more popular than atheists and the gays. If you're a gay atheist African-American, you should probably just order everything off Amazon.

Don't worry, using religion is just an excuse. There are many who would freely do it without using religion as a front. They should do a poll that asks is it okay to discriminate against, gays, atheist and African Americans for no reason at all. The numbers would go up, tremendously. lol

[We Keep Receipts 9,238]

25% of American polled think the Sun revolves around the earth .

I am shocked it's only 10% i would think 10% would be too stupid to understand or picked the wrong answer. I suspect 10% is low.

How about a Straight Muslim AA,

You rang?

On the other hand, it appears African-Americans are more popular than atheists and the gays. If you're a gay atheist African-American, you should probably just order everything off Amazon.

Got my Amazon Prime account ready, just in case I go somewhere and someone from VJ runs the place I want to shop at.

[The Nature Boy 4,224]

You rang?

Got my Amazon Prime account ready, just in case I go somewhere and someone from VJ runs the place I want to shop at.

Just take the Mrs in. They won't even notice you

[We Keep Receipts 9,238]

Just take the Mrs in. They won't even notice you

I've had that happen once. Went to Weekend's Only when she first got here. The dude walked right up and ignored me, started talking to my wife. Before I could go all angry black guy on him, she introduced me before I straightened him up.

[The Nature Boy 4,224]

I've had that happen once. Went to Weekend's Only when she first got here. The dude walked right up and ignored me, started talking to my wife. Before I could go all angry black guy on him, she introduced me before I straightened him up.

I ain't saying it's right, but I understand

[We Keep Receipts 9,238]

I ain't saying it's right, but I understand

I'm not going to lie, I know dude was entranced by her. Hell, she still catches me off guard from time to time.

[OnMyWayID 1,489]

25% of American polled think the Sun revolves around the earth .

I am shocked it's only 10% i would think 10% would be too stupid to understand or picked the wrong answer. I suspect 10% is low.

Exactly what went through my mind.. I think most of us could create a survey to get 10% of the population to say that Mississippi is a planet, "cheese" rhymes with "purple", and Denny's is a high end restaurant... I wonder why MSNBC choose to point out the group that finished last in the discrimination percentage for the title?

I guess to be fair there is a religious reason to hate on the LBGT community, other religions, and atheists.. Skin color? I'd like to hear the justification.. maybe 10% think it should be OK for a business to discriminate for any reason.. That would have been a nice base question for them to ask.. Might have made the headline a bit more dull.

Here is the actual question from the survey (taken orally):

Do you think that a small business owner in your state should be allowed to refuse to provide products or services to individuals because they are [iNSERT], if it violates their religious beliefs? And should a small business owner in your state be allowed to refuse to provide products or services to individuals because they are [iNSERT], if it violates their religious beliefs?

[spookyturtle 9,465]

Got my Amazon Prime account ready, just in case I go somewhere and someone from VJ runs the place I want to shop at.

Initially I laughed, but then I thought, that would probably be true for some here.

[The Nature Boy 4,224]

MSNBC Headline--10% of Americans think discrimination is OK

FOX--90% of Americans polled say racism is wrong

Same different spin