Religion
Related: About this forumWhy Can't the United States Have an Atheist President?
PAUL RATNER
July 25, 2016
The WikiLeaks publication of emails by the Democratic National Committee revealed that one DNC staffer floated the idea of using Bernie Sanders’s possible atheism against him. While Bernie is officially Jewish, there are reports that he is actually closer to an atheist than a practicing Jew. Bernie himself has denied this accusation. This news begs the question - why is it a kiss of political death to be labeled an “atheist”?
Certainly one wonders what it is about being an atheist that can preclude a person from becoming a US president. The argument is likely cultural. As the majority of the country believes in a God, an atheist would not accurately represent the kind of people who live in the country.
On the other hand, it’s hard to understand what specific Judeo-Christian beliefs Bernie supposedly lacks that should prevent him from being a President. Is it the belief that the heavens and the Earth were created in 6 days? Is it not agreeing with the useful strategic precedent that the seas could be magically parted when you are trying to escape a hostile army? Or maybe it all boils down to not believing that divine commandments should form the basis of our laws (especially as given to a person not proven to have ever existed)?
A country whose bedrock constitutional principle is the separation of church and state should not have religion as a consideration when choosing its leader.
http://bigthink.com/paul-ratner/why-the-us-president-can-be-an-atheist
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DonViejo
(60,536 posts)Easily answered I think; because people don't understand atheism beyond "there is no God." Folks lack an understanding of the intellectual integrity of atheism, if they are even aware of it. I suspect also, it's a throwback to the anti-Communist rhetoric from the 1950's on forward to the collapse of most self avowed Communist states..."godless Communism."
LongtimeAZDem
(4,494 posts)rug
(82,333 posts)My opinion is that people are less likely to vote for anyone they consider to be other than themselves.
Those statements do nothing to correct that.
eppur_se_muova
(36,317 posts)Same applies to Jewish, Muslim, etc. Presidents. Or for that matter, gay Presidents. If it can't be proven you are or are not a Christian, then what's to stop anyone from claiming to be a Christian just to get votes ? Surely someone's already tried/is trying that ...
rug
(82,333 posts)eppur_se_muova
(36,317 posts)Absence of proof is not proof of absence. A lot of our 'Deist' founding fathers weren't very convincing in their avowals of belief in Great Sky Father. Sure, I'd like to see *openly* atheist politicians -- most of them are secretly worshipers of Mammon, at the cost of all other faith -- but it's kind of silly to think that we haven't had a number of closet atheists in public office. More cynical readers of history are inclined to believe that closet atheists have risen to considerable heights even in organized religion. When that is the surest path to power, that is the path that those seeking power will follow.
When we finally do see a public atheist in high office, it will be acknowledgement of a change in perceptions, not an actual change in the state of the world.
OTOH, most claim to be Christians, but seldom behave as Christians should. Claims are not proof -- barely even evidence, when there is strong incentive to lie.
rug
(82,333 posts)The only answer to that is speculation, supposition and hypothesis.
