Americans are deeply religious, so will we ever see an atheist president? Here’s what we know.

[cbayer]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/acts-of-faith/wp/2015/03/23/americans-are-deeply-religious-so-will-we-ever-see-an-atheist-president-heres-what-we-know/

By Gary Scott Smith March 23


Sen. John F. Kennedy, left, compares notes with his brother and campaign manager Robert F. Kennedy on July 10, 1960. (Associated Press)

As the 2016 presidential campaign heats up, many of the Republican potential hopefuls have strong Christian convictions.

Sen. Ted Cruz, who is announcing his candidacy Monday, and former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee are Southern Baptists. Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, a nondenominational evangelical, and neurosurgeon Ben Carson, a Seventh-Day Adventist, also are devout Christians. Several of the potential contenders are Catholic, including former Florida governor Jeb Bush, Sen. Marco Rubio, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal and former senator Rick Santorum.

As recently as 1960, American voters were very concerned about the Catholic faith of John F. Kennedy. Fears that Kennedy would take orders from the pope caused consternation for many voters in that year’s presidential election, and New York Gov. Al Smith’s Catholic faith contributed to his defeat in 1928. What once seemed to potentially disqualify a candidate appears to be off the table, at least for those who are Catholic.

So could atheists have their JFK moment soon?

more at link

[whatthehey]

1. Not for generations

Have you seen "would never vote for" polls lately? Gays come the closest traditionally and atheists have about 50% more "would never vote fors" than they do. Muslims have popped into #2 lately but still nowhere near unbelievers in political hatred. Imagine that in the light of all the recent atheist terrorism, FGM, beheadings, anti-free speech attacks and Middle East banditry!

Essentially every single person who would even consider voting for an atheist would have to for one to win.

So sure once you find someone with a 100% approval rating then have them be an atheist. it's a shoo-in.

And the percentages, unlike those for blacks, women, etc, are little changed over decades for atheists, the most reviled minority politically..


Bigotry, blind superstition and fear of the other strike again. Surely you don't seriously think this is even vaguely possible?

And before we pretend this is only fundy RWNJ, 42% of Democrats would never vote for an atheist even today...

[cbayer]

3. Things are changing but there is a very serious image problem here.

I don't think it's about hate and polls indicate that it is primarily about distrust.

What is the solution to this? If we look at groups like GLBT that have moved forward, there is a period of people coming out and being more visible. As people begin to recognize that their neighbors, co-workers and family members are non-believers, the pendulum begins to swing.

IMHO, I think secular groups need to become more visible and work with other groups in pursuing goals and programs.

What do you think would make a difference?

[sinkingfeeling]

2. How do you we haven't already had an atheist in the White House? There

was a time when candidates didn't have to announce their religious beliefs to the world. And anybody that really wanted to be president could certainly fake religion.

[cbayer]

4. That point is made in the article, but in our lifetime

religion has become a critical issue when running.

The first election I remember was JFK, and his catholicism was a big issue.

[Fumesucker]

5. Not if Hillary has anything to say about it..

http://gawker.com/youll-never-guess-hillary-clintons-favorite-book-1591353415

New York Times: If you had to name one book that made you who you are today, what would it be?

Hillary Clinton: At the risk of appearing predictable, the Bible was and remains the biggest influence on my thinking. I was raised reading it, memorizing passages from it and being guided by it. I still find it a source of wisdom, comfort and encouragement.

[cbayer]

6. Hillary Clinton is a christian.

Her saying the the bible is the book that has had the most influence over here is not surprising and says absolutely nothing about what she might think of an atheist running for president.

You accusation is unfair and unfounded.

[Fumesucker]

7. We know the Republicans are all going to play the Christian trump card

And Hillary is going to double down on it.

Which was my point.

There are a great many "Christians" who make me queasy when I think about the difference between the philosophy they claim to follow and their actual actions.

[cbayer]

8. I don't disagree but I don't think you can conclude from that

that she would oppose an atheist running because he was an atheist, which is what it sounded like you were saying.

Does Hillary make you queasy? The comments at that video make me queasy, because clearly this snippet appeals to some of the most misogynistic people posting on the internet.

[trotsky]

9. You'll never read this, but there are many reasons for concern...

when it comes to Hillary Clinton and her religious beliefs.

http://atheism.about.com/od/hillaryclintonreligion/tp/HillaryClintonReligionSecular.htm

In a statement denouncing a court decision striking the phrase "under God" from the Pledge of Allegiance, Hillary Clinton wrote:

Ours is a nation founded by people of faith. People of faith have helped lead some of the most significant movements of social justice throughout our history -- to end slavery, to win civil rights for all Americans

Hillary Clinton is making several implications here, all false and all bigoted. She is implying that religious ideology but not secular ideology was key to founding the nation and "movements of social justice," which is false. The American government is in fact founded on secular political ideology and a secular document, the Constitution. It was written by people with Christian and Deist beliefs, but they didn't think that their religious beliefs should play any role in the government itself. Clinton, though, is arguing the opposite.

and

Where I absolutely have to draw the line, however, is when politicians make the clear and deliberate implication that everyone needs religious faith in order to deal with personal problems. That's precisely what Hillary Clinton does when she says that "it is absolutely essential that you be grounded in your faith." It's theoretically possible that the "you" in this sentence is only meant to refer to herself or to religious believers like herself, but that seems to me to be stretching it a bit.

It's much more natural, I think, to read the "you" as a reference to people in general. If she had said that "At times when you are thirsty, it is absolutely essential that you have enough clean drinking water," wouldn't it be obvious that she's referring to everyone who gets thirsty? Similarly, the statement above is, to me, obviously referring to everyone who is "tested," i.e. experiences serious personal crises. It wasn't enough for her to say that religion was important to her, she had to go on to insist that religion has to be important to everyone.

The implication is that those who are not "grounded" in religious faith simply aren't able to cope with such problems - which means all secular atheists and secular theists (people who believe in the existence of some god, but don't have any sort of religion structured around this belief). That, in my opinion, is bigotry. In fact, it's dangerously close to the old canard that "there are no atheists in foxholes" because saying that one needs religious faith when you are "tested" is very similar to saying that everyone calls out to God when they are in danger.

I hope not everyone who isn't impressed with her stance on state-church separation, or the rights of non-believers, isn't afraid to voice their concerns without being accused of being a misogynist by you. Let's let other viewpoints be heard, cbayer.

[Fumesucker]

13. I don't hold you responsible for comments made by others to any article or video you might post

I would appreciate the same courtesy in return.

Yes, Hillary makes me queasy, or at least some of the things she says do.

Just like this made me queasy.

/

[cbayer]

14. I did not hold you responsible at all.

Am I not permitted to note and say something about the comments at a link? People do that all the time.

I do think that video clip is being used as an anti-Clinton sledgehammer though and it seems to be working pretty effectively in that regard.

The Obama clip makes me a little uneasy as well, though I don't see any connection with religion.

[Fumesucker]

23. That video clip is creepy as all get out

I have some trouble reconciling it with Hillary's great fondness for the moral and spiritual teachings of the Bible.

[cbayer]

24. I didn't find it creepy when I first saw it, but it wasn't clear to me what it was about.

Even when I found out, it didn't really find it creepy.

I am very wary of a 20 second clip shown completely out of context. Someone had an agenda in the editing and posting of that clip.

But I like Hillary Clinton and always have.

[Fumesucker]

25. Everyone with an IQ above room temperature has an agenda

Hillary no less than anyone else.

[cbayer]

28. Hillary's agenda is larger than just about anyone's.

But that is how one gets to be where she is.

Those with little agenda float along peacefully, but make little headway.

[stone space]

18. Has Hillary come out publicly against an atheist President? (nt)

[cbayer]

19. Of course not. But she named the bible as her most important book,

so she must be anti-atheist…….. or something.

[Fumesucker]

20. Just pointing out the wide range of religious choices we get in Presidential candidates

All the way from "My favorite political philosopher is Jesus Christ" to "The Bible is my favorite book"...

[stone space]

21. OK. The title of your post suggested otherwise to me.

I'd be shocked if any serious candidate on the Democratic side in 2015 actually came out against an atheist President.

Such a public statement would be the kiss of death to their campaign, it seems to me. This is 2015, after all.

[Runningdawg]

10. I think there have been Atheist POTUS

in the past. I also think there were a few who went into the office as believers and what they learned in the time they served, changed their mind.

[cbayer]

11. I do think there have been atheists. I guess the better question is

could someone openly run as a nonbeliever?

What might a POTUS learn in office that would change them from believers to non-believers? Do you think it is possible for someone to go in as a non-believer and become a believer?

[Runningdawg]

16. A nonbeliever could run

but they would not be elected. In fact anyone who professes faith other than Protestantism is suspect.
As far as things a POTUS might learn his first few weeks in office, there are possible scenarios, but I believe each and every new POTUS is shocked to learn some things about America and I believe that once reviled those could alter his faith in God.
Of course I believe its possible to go in secretly a non believer and come out a believer, I just don't think its probable.

[cbayer]

17. At this point, I think someone who identifies themselves as some sort of christian

could win. Everyone else has still got a way to go.

I'm not sure how finding out things about american could shake one's faith in god. At any rate, by the time someone gets there, they generally have been involved up to their eyeballs and know quite a bit already.

I don't think being POTUS is really going to change anyone one way or another.

[Fumesucker]

26. There's a thread about an atheist in a foxhole where someone's faith in God was shaken by learning

Learning just how inhumane humans can be to each other.

[cbayer]

29. I think it is fair to say that people can both find and lose god in a foxhole.

[stone space]

31. Could even shake one's faith in humanity, I suppose.

someone's faith in God was shaken by learning just how inhumane humans can be to each other.

[stone space]

12. Of course we will. (nt)

[MineralMan]

15. We're a long way from electing an open atheist,

but I imagine we've had Presidents who were atheists.

[pinto]

22. I think we will (and probably have already).

I remember JFK's election. My mom a New England JFK Democrat, my dad a Texas LBJ Democrat. They came to the obvious compromise, which worked well.

I saw your earlier suggestion of "Does it matter?" as a response to the religion query. I'd add another option, the strictly Constitutional response. Phrased colloquially - "Religion and politics are Constitutionally separate". "Next question."

Not holding my breath on either, though.

[DesertFlower]

27. i think obama is an atheist.

his mother and grandparents were. he probably pretended to be a christian when he decided to go into politics. notice the media doesn't cover the obama's going to church on sunday as they did with many other presidents. seems like they go to church occasionally.

[cbayer]

30. I think he is what he says he is

and goes to church when he wants to.

[stone space]

32. President Obama is the first President successfully pressured to quit his church by mass media.

notice the media doesn't cover the obama's going to church on sunday as they did with many other presidents

It was not a proud moment for this nation, but he may have been forced to choose between his church and the Presidency.

I wouldn't consider succumbing to such external pressure as a sign of atheism.

It is the sign of a Politician who wants to be elected in the face of a mass media smear campaign against his church and against his pastor.

[cbayer]

33. This is accurate.

He was an active participant in that church, but the preacher was a firebrand and the church was black. That was just too much for the general populace.