More Americans willing to vote for an atheist president

[cbayer]

http://www.religionnews.com/2014/05/20/americans-willing-vote-atheist-president/

Cathy Lynn Grossman | May 20, 2014


Amy Davis Roth’s homemade ceramic line called “Surlyramics” is shown during The Amazing Meeting convention on July 13, 2012, in Las Vegas. Surlyramics specializes in homemade pendants, many of which highlight the idea of atheism and the atheist scarlet “A.” Religion News Service photo by Ronda Churchill

WASHINGTON (RNS) Atheists are still the most mistrusted group in the U.S., and a godless politician is still the least likely candidate to win votes in a presidential election.

But atheist leader Todd Stiefel is celebrating “a lot of hope” in the fine print of a new Pew Research survey on political leanings.

True, 53 percent of Americans said they are least likely to choose a candidate who doesn’t believe in God, according to a survey conducted in April. But in 2007, that number was 63 percent.

And those who said a candidate’s lack of belief didn’t matter to their vote rose, from 32 percent in 2007 to 41 percent today.

more at link

[rug]

1. I won't if s/he's endorsed by CPAC.

[AtheistCrusader]

3. +1

[cbayer]

6. Would the religious beliefs of a candidate be a factor for you in your voting choice?

[AtheistCrusader]

7. Yes, but only with cause.

There are some religious beliefs that might give me pause, sure. We're talking about the person with the authority to launch our nuclear arsenal here. If such a person held beliefs that embraced oblivion, that's a problem.

Bush thought he had a mandate from god to essentially mug and rape Iraq. So any candidates from his quarter will also give me pause. That quarter overlaps with conservatism though, so i'd be 'pausing' anyway on a philosophical basis.

(I'd also consider some non-religious philosophies outside conservatism/liberalism differentiators as factors as well. Probably wouldn't vote for a nihilist, for instance.)

But as a principle, for all religions, no.

[cbayer]

8. Beliefs that embraced oblivion?

Would that be a religious belief?

Bush had religious beliefs that definitely drove him, or at least gave him some excuse to be a warmongering aggressor.

So, I would agree that that would be a critical factor.

But what if there were two similar candidates and one had a religious affiliation and the other didn't. Would the person's being religious or non-religious be a factor for you?

[AtheistCrusader]

9. As long as it did not impart any overt political interference, no.

It would not be a factor by itself. And not in either direction. I'm not going to get all excited and vote for an atheist just because he or she is an atheist.

On the oblivion thing, there is a strain of evangelicalism that welcomes the events portrayed in revelations, such as rapture, tribulation, etc. But that is a small subset of Christians, in my estimate. Not mainstream.

As Maher describes is: “I was just saying what the President of Iran and the President of America have in common is that they both are a little too comfortable with the idea of the world coming to an end.”.

I would define the former president as within that camp, as Maher did.

[cbayer]

10. I will take your word for it, but, iirc, you have previously taken

then position that a person can not have beliefs without those beliefs influencing their behavior, particularly when it came to political positions.

But I may have misunderstood.

I don't think the current president of the US embraces revelation, the rapture and tribulation, but I find Mr. Maher's positions on religion rather bigoted. I can't find that quote (perhaps you were just paraphrasing) but I assume it was during the Bush era. Even so, as bad as Bush was, I don't think he is really into that end-times stuff.

[AtheistCrusader]

12. It was during the Bush era. It was in response to Hitchens, who was actually defending bush at the

time. An instance where I disagreed with Hitchens. The president of Iran did some terrible things to his people during the later election, but Iran didn't invade and destroy another nation over trumped-up nothingness.

So I don't think Hitchens defense of Bush as a lesser evil here holds water.
It was in this interview, but it's in the bit that is chopped out, because the person who posted it to youtube is supporting Hitchens.

I would cite the current President as a person with religious beliefs that keeps politics and religion separate. I had no reservations voting for him, even against a hypothetical conservative atheist. As Rug mentioned, a CPAC endorsement for an atheist candidate would be a huge warning flag.

Danger Will Robinson!

[hrmjustin]

13. I knew I never liked Hitchens.

[AtheistCrusader]

16. He was VERY pro-war.

Deplorable.

[hrmjustin]

17. Yes he seemed to eager for war.

[cbayer]

11. Lol, found the quote in an article about how Hitchens reacted and how he defended W.

http://newsbusters.org/node/7190

[AtheistCrusader]

15. Yeah, I can't find the full interview on youtube anymore.

It was an interesting moment. On the one hand, I enjoyed the takedown of the idea of a mob-like audience, even though I happened to agree with the mob's choice on position at that moment, but on the other hand, I deplored Hitchen's defense of Bush, and that was consistent. He was in favor of invading Iraq in 2002. A strong proponent.

That's why I disagree with him so much on political policy, and, in fact, I'd cite that as an example of an atheist that can come to terrible political conclusions anyway.

[cbayer]

4. Exactly. My priorities about a candidate generally do not

include anything about their personal/private beliefs or lack or beliefs.

[trotsky]

2. Hooray!

A majority still hates us, but it's a smaller majority at least!

[hrmjustin]

5. If I agree with their policies then I coukd care less about their lack of religious beliefs.

[okasha]

14. I don't care what any elected official

believes or doesn't believe in terms of religion.

All I want is a genuine liberal who is competent on the job from Day 1.