Bill Donohue: Non-Religious People Need Therapy Since They Die Prematurely And Are Disproportionately Insane | Right Wing Watch

I really like Hemant Mehta's break-down of Donohue's bullshit. Although, I am curious as to the book he says is in the works.

In all of these cases, though, Donohue purposely ignores the elephant in the room: None of these things happen because people are atheists. It has everything to do with the social aspects of it.

Atheism correlates with all those awful things because religious people tend to have things like stronger communities and more hope (albeit false hope) and people to turn to when they’re depressed. Atheists have to essentially fend for themselves or create alternatives that are nowhere near the scope or size of what religions provide.

Similarly, when atheists speak about their beliefs publicly, it’s usually in response to events that make us upset or angry — so we come off as more defensive (i.e. unhappy). Christians, on the other hand, tend to talk about their relationship with God when they’re writing blog posts or books. (These are huge generalizations, of course, but you get the idea.)

So back to the point: Donohue is doing what he does best: Lying to make himself look better. He takes general pieces of information, siphons off all the necessary nuance, and pretends that the evidence suggests atheists are inherently immoral, unhappy, and insane.

Bill Donohue: Non-Religious People Need Therapy Since They Die Prematurely And Are Disproportionately Insane | Right Wing Watch