Bernie Sanders disappoints some atheists with his ‘very strong religious’ feelings

[rug]

Kimberly Winston | February 4, 2016

(RNS) Presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders dashed the hopes of some atheists when he declared he had “very strong religious and spiritual feelings” at a Democratic town hall.

“It’s a guiding principle in my life, absolutely, it is,” Sanders said Wednesday (Feb. 3) when a New Hampshire voter asked him about his faith. “Everybody practices religion in a different way. To me, I would not be here tonight, I would not be running for president of the United States, if I did not have very strong religious and spiritual feelings.”

The statement came a week after the Vermont senator told The Washington Post he is “not active in any organized religion” but believes in God. That statement prompted a number of pundits — atheist and otherwise — to describe Sanders as the first “none” to run for president, referring to people who have no religious preference.

“Sanders defines God in a very different way than the way most Americans do, and in fact, a way that would be compatible with nontheistic humanists,” Roy Speckhardt, executive director of the American Humanist Association, told The Huffington Post after Sanders’ interview with The Washington Post appeared.

http://www.religionnews.com/2016/02/04/bernie-sanders-disappoints-atheists-strong-religious-feelings/

[Kalidurga]

1. HOW COULD HE BETRAY US?

angst is hilarious.

I am not religious myself. But, it's not really a thing with me to have to make sure everyone is equally unreligious.

[SusanCalvin]

2. Not the way he defined it.

I'm an atheist, and I got no problem with what he said.

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

3. Good old 'some'. Covering the spectrum from 1 in 7.5 billion all the way to (7.5 billion -1).

Yeah, 'some' folks always feel any way about any issue.

He's got enough black marks against him already in trying to get elected, I think we can wait for our first atheist president just like we can wait for our first female president.

[safeinOhio]

4. I'm good with that as long as

he puts Humans above god or gods.

[Goblinmonger]

5. Doesn't disappoint me.

I was shocked he said as much as he did. It surprised me not at all that he had to walk back from what he said given how our society still views atheists. I get it. I don't know which of his statements reflects the real him, but given how it played out, I would imagine the first thing he said was closer to the truth and then his people realized the ramification of it so he modified.

Or not. Whatever. He has my vote regardless.

[whatthehey]

6. Meh. Not unexpected

When over half the population would never consider voting for an atheist it will be a generation at least before anybody should expect any other answer from a meaningful candidate. Color me neither surprised nor disappointed.

[Leontius]

7. When I thought he was saying he's an atheist I thought he was telling the truth.

Now that he says he's not I think he's lying. Okay now we know.

[edhopper]

8. So "some"

turns out to be one blogger.
And even she used it for effect to explain what she felt he means.

In other words, no story.

But damn those atheist, they ruin everything.

[MisterP]

9. a certain Family-connected pol can welcome these purists in under the "not secular enough" banner