Atheists and Christians share many of the core universal values such as compassion and fairness that are at the heart of a just, civil society, a new study suggests. Yet when asked to judge one another, members of the two groups embraced many of the negative stereotypes that fuel the culture wars in the U.S

Why does the U.S. exhibit so many signs of becoming an increasingly polarized nation, where we are willing to apply negative stereotypes to entire groups of people, whether they are atheists or evangelicals, Muslims or blacks? New research suggests some uncomfortable answers: It is easier to judge people we do not know, and inhibitions about expressing prejudice tend to fall away if enough of your peers have the same beliefs.