Liberal Christian vs. Conservative Atheist

[rug]

September 24, 2012

Each of us has many different aspects to our individual identity, and even those we share may be more or less central to us. Perhaps we both consider ourselves environmentalists, but environmentalism is more central to your identity than it is to mine. Or perhaps we both consider ourselves proponents of reproductive rights, but this particular cause is more central to my identity than it is to yours. You get the idea.

I suspect that this is one of the reasons we might expect to see conflict occurring even within groups that agree on a big issue or two. Conflict can come about, in part, because we do not share the same priorities. I might stress the importance of something you find fairly trivial while devoting insufficient attention to something you consider critical.

I found myself pondering the following question recently:

If I had to vote for one of two hypothetical candidates, would I be more likely to vote for a liberal Christian or a conservative atheist?

The liberal Christian would almost certainly be a better fit with my stance on many political issues than the conservative atheist. But of course, the conservative atheist would not be a victim of the sort of superstition afflicting the liberal Christian. So who would I choose if I had to pick one?

http://www.atheistrev.com/2012/09/liberal-christian-vs-conservative.html

[cleanhippie]

1. Are those the labels they self-identify with?

Or is that just who they happen to be and have been labeled as such by the author?

[rug]

2. Liberal and conservative labels are objective. The question presumes the other label is self-id'ed.

Who would you vote for?

[Goblinmonger]

3. Um, I'd vote liberal Christian.

That's not a question to me.

But when the really tough question is asked, a la U of Minn, and people are asked to choose between a believer and an atheist of the same political stance, people vote for the believer.

[rug]

4. So would I.

I don't think it's posible that two candidates would be identical except for belief or nonbelief.

[Goblinmonger]

5. Perhaps

But statistics would indicate that a good number of politicians that declare they are believers actually aren't and are probably not saying they are atheists because of the fall out. And U of M says they would be right. People that voted for them would not do so again. Which is frustrating.

[Angry Dragon]

17. Anything is possible

'I don't think it's posible that two candidates would be identical except for belief or nonbelief.'

Please state your reasons why

[rug]

18. Different state, different age, different gender, different accent, different career,

different voting record, different baseball team, different dog.

How many more do you want?

[cleanhippie]

12. I wouldn't make my decision based on those labels.

But assuming that the standard generally applied to "liberal" and "conservative" remain true, the liberal would get my vote by default.

[dimbear]

6. The liberal Christian. I vote for religious folks all the time, that's what there is.

One more won't hurt.

I suppose when I'm called up for judgment before anti-St. Peter I'll have to answer for it.

[2ndAmForComputers]

7. Which political party each of those hypothetical persons is running as?

[Evoman]

8. Depends on whether either of them wear a top hat and a monocle.

I don't trust politicians that wear them. Especially if they twirl their mustache.

And fucking bow ties. Those are for douchebags. Fuck bow ties.

[jeepnstein]

9. Clothes don't make the man.

[Silent3]

14. Paul Simon was great!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Simon_%28politician%29

[Oregonian]

10. Would you vote for a liberal clown with a red nose, or a conservative mime without makeup?

Equally interesting.

[cbayer]

11. Nicely done summary of the dilemma we all probably face from time to time.

I once supported a candidate for the House because I knew him professionally and felt he would advance some causes within my profession that I was deeply invested and interested in.

As it turns out, he won and became one of the most despicable Republicans currently in the Congress.

I deeply regret having supported him in any way whatsoever, but at the time, my priorities were very clear to me. Although I knew he was a Republican, I made the erroneous assumption that he would be moderate and focus on the issues we shared.

I was absolutely wrong.

[MineralMan]

13. Voting is about political viewpoints, not religion.

Yes, there are conservative atheists. I would not vote for such a person. I vote for people with liberal viewpoints, and do not take their religious beliefs into consideration at all. It is not beliefs, but actions that matter.

[Oregonian]

15. Not only that

But religious or no, our constitution forbids enacting laws on the basis of religion or irreligion. Voting for any "conservative" in this day and age would be tantamount to voting for bigfoot anyway.

[dmallind]

16. Assuming labels even basically correct this is not just obvious, but useless

Since the number of acknowledged atheist national candidates with even a minuscule hope of winning is 1, any of us outside Pete Stark's district already does vote for liberal believers - the vast majority Christian - every single time, and I don't recall any hint of demurral,

Even if we pretend a conservative atheist had a snowball's chance in hell of getting the nomination for a meaningful candidacy, I can't imagine a non-conservative atheist (the vast majority of us, on or off DU) even giving it a second's thought. I sure as hell wouldn't.

Ontology isn't up for vote. Religious freedom hinges on the courts not the legislative or executive branches, thankfully (for now).

While we don't vote for SCOTUS it's possible I'd give it some thought if we did, depending on how conservative the atheist and how theocratic the liberal, but doubt it would be much even then.

[LeftishBrit]

19. The liberal Christian of course

I'm a left-wing atheist; and NO WAY would I vote for a Tory or other right-winger just because they were an atheist. In the UK we do have some Tories who are open atheists, and I wouldn't vote for any of them!

We should defeat the Right, rather than fussing about which church people do or don't go to!

BTW my preferred candidate for Prime Minister is a Labourite who happens to be an atheist (Ed Miliband).

[mr blur]

20. ^^This^^