As an atheist, I'm encouraged by the public's newfound realization

[Rex_Goodheart]

that it's stupid for an aspiring politician to attend a stupid church!

Come senators, congressmen
Please heed the call
Don't stand in the doorway
Don't block up the hall
For he that gets hurt
Will be he who has stalled
There's a battle outside
And it is ragin'.
It'll soon shake your windows
And rattle your walls
For the times they are a-changin'.

[gatorboy]

1. Don't be too encouraged. It apparently is only a problem when it's a (black) Democrat. n/t

Pro-Republican (white) churches seem to get a free pass when it comes to controversy.

[Drachasor]

2. As an atheist I am more disturbed the charicature the media has made of Wright

Without reasoned discourse we're doomed.

[Rex_Goodheart]

3. Wright is a clown

His video speaks for itself. The media has rightly attacked his content, but I'm disappointed that they haven't made an issue of his buffoonish delivery.

[Drachasor]

5. You ignore the vast, vast majority of his life when you say that

[jwirr]

8. You sound like some of the people who go to my church. If you do

not worship like they do you are not a good guy. No hallelujahs, no opinions, etc. You are also ignoring the difference between the role the black church has played in lives of their communities from the very beginning. My white church is basically a Sunday go to meeting church - most black churches are the center of life in their communities.

[beezlebum]

9. "His video speaks for itself. The media has rightly attacked his content"

What content? the media REMOVED the content and obscured and manipulated the context.

YOU'RE a klown.

your willful ignorance and rampant racism plastered all over DU speaks for itself.

[ihelpu2see]

Great quote from a Dylan song. I keep making the point that as an atheist elected official

who attends church most Sundays with my wife, am I not fit for elected office because week in week out I here the Deacon or Priest say that there should be prayer in public schools or that we should practice emotional torture of our children by teaching them poorly on sexual health issues. The former, obviously UnConstitutional and the latter shows The Church does not care for its parishioners. But we don't here how all organized religions spew misinformation and sometimes hate (hate of those who don't believe, hate of those who are gay, and yes hate of those who might have a different god) every weekend....

[demokatgurrl]

20. GOOD GOD! An Atheist elected official??? Here, in the US?

I don't know what to say. Were I not a fellow atheist, heck I'd say, god bless ya.

[Drachasor]

26. They exist in relatively minor political positions

Don't worry, we're still reviled nationally! :)

[ihelpu2see]

27. Yup! Board of finance... nt

[fasttense]

4. They aren't upset cause Obama goes to a stupid church,

The right wing idiots are upset cause a black man dare express his anger. When ignorant white men like Robertson express their anger, it's A OK. But god forbid a blackman say something angry. It's just a bunch of silly white men shocked over someone expressing anger at the country.

[gatorboy]

7. Someone gets it! Ding Ding!

[redqueen]

10. Exactly.

Has nothing to do with religion...

[Hippo_Tron]

12. Yup, you have to be blind not to see a double standard

[beezlebum]

and unfortunately

a few other idiots bought into right wing racist "outrage," all to put their fellow dem down.

it had NOTHING to do with "church" "religion" or "spirituality" and the "rejection" of it; it was about race. period.

[roguevalley]

21. bingo

[snooper2]

6. Amen!

lol

I hope in my lifetime a high level politician is in a debate, one who stands on the stage and says you can believe in whatever mystical creature you want. I tend to lean towards reality....

[SammyWinstonJack]

11. ...

:thumbsup:

[Arugula Latte]

13. Now wouldn't THAT be a wonderful day in U.S. politics?

I won't hold my breath, though.

The closest we've gotten is Pete Stark (D-Calif.) who did remark publicly that he was an atheist (or non-believer -- can't remember the exact word he used.)

[Not the Only One]

24. Stark claims to be a "Unitarian who does not believe in a supreme being."

He's a man of courage.

I hold a secret hope that Obama will ponder the things his Mom believed about there being no supreme being and converts back to atheism. His whole message is secular humanism-- telling people who are real to not wait on something that is not real to make the world a better place. It's a beautiful message, and he could present it as an atheist to America.

[mythyc]

31. suddenly reminded me of that Simpsons episode

where Maude Flanders dies and Bart is hanging out with Rod and Todd trying to make them feel better by playing their Christian "conversion" game, when he thinks he gets a hit and says "Yeai I got one!" but Rod (or Todd? I can never tell) replies, "no, you only clipped him and made him a Unitarian"

:rofl:

[mzmolly]

14. Is there a "smart" Church you can recommend?

;)

[eallen]

15. Yes, there is.

I'm sure there is a branch not to far from you. You will recognize it by the fish that live there. Take your children down in the morning, and you can participate freely in either of the two major sects, those who row out, and those who sit on the bank. You may bring a pole and seek those fish, as the spirit moves you. Lest the children are bored, bring an age appropriate book or two by Twain or Stephens, or on botany or local wildlife. Or on warm days, find the spot where the rope swing is.

'Tis the church of sun and water. No ideology or belief required. Open every day.

:hippie:

[mzmolly]

16. Sorry, 'tis clouds and ice

where I live these days. ;)

[Rex_Goodheart]

18. Great answer.

[Bensthename]

29. Indeed. Too bad it had to hapen at Obamas expense

[Rex_Goodheart]

17. The closest I've seen to a smart church

are the Unitarian Universalists.

[mzmolly]

23. The UCC is actually a fantastic organization as well. They are a very progressive Church.

Quakers are pretty "righteous" too. ;)

[demokatgurrl]

19. Let's not get our hopes up

they have not even begun to realize that. Just watch his poll numbers drop now. And not because he's distancing himself from a church - oh no, he still attends church and he'd better because you have to be a Xtian to get elected in this country.
It will be because of the rampant, endemic racism in this country and the way the right wing media plays into it. I could never stand to listen for one minute but I can only imagine what Rush Limpdick is saying.

[Araxen]

22. You can't get elected to POTUS by being an Atheist

It's the sad truth in this day and time.

[Not the Only One]

25. We need a new "I have a dream" speech about religion.

I have a dream that America will elect an atheist President one day. What this country could do under atheist leadership would be something extraordinary.

[Drachasor]

28. We need more prominent atheists first

Right now the public as a whole just doesn't understand atheists. By a number of standards they are disliked more than Muslims (who are not understood well at all).

[metalluk]

30. As another atheist,

I don't really care what church a candidate attends except in so far as it relates to their policies and decisions as a politician.

Naturally, I'd also prefer that public figures not wear their religion on their sleeves but, instead, treat it as a private part of their life.

Most politicians have the good sense to do that most of the time. Two exceptions are George W. Bush and Barack Obama. I have no interest, for example, in being part of a coalition of "faith and bipartisanship." Public displays offend me and expose my children to an irrational mode of thinking that I would prefer they not encounter until their reasoning skills have developed to an extent that will provide a degree of protection from dogma.