Can An Atheist Be President.

[JoeThaNo1Stunna]

I would have no problem electing an atheist President especially if he/she were pro life, supported lower taxes, and a strong military.

 

[ripleysmom]

OT but....

Hey Michelle!! Nice to see you!!

 

[wvrevy]

1 - Yes, I would most certainly vote for an atheist candidate, provided I felt they were qualified for the job.

2 - No, it'll not be happening anytime soon, because the religious whackjobs ( ) would flip out if it came out that a candidate was an atheist. It'd make the current fear-and-smear campaign on Kerry look like a roast at the Friars Club.

3 - I'd argue that an atheist would make a much BETTER president, because they are much more likely to be guided by ration and reason rather than moral self-righteousness. And yes, gay marriage is a PERFECT example of an issue that a right-minded person may feel one way about, and a hypothetical quote/unquote "religious" person may feel, differently. The former is concerned for EVERYONE'S rights, while the latter is only concerned about their own moral sensitivity.

JMO, but I would prefer my president to be self-reliant over one looking to the volcano gods for "guidance".

 

[MHopkins2]

Originally posted by ripleysmom
OT but....

Hey Michelle!! Nice to see you!!

Thanks doll! I've been crazybusy, but am stopping by to throw my fireworks into the crowd when I can.

 

[AirForceRocks]

Originally posted by ripleysmom
"Give me an example of how a Christian would solve a problem differently than a non-Christian."

Gay marriage

I'm not so sure that's a good example, RM. Yes, it seems to be Christians that are leading the charge against gay marriage, but there are other religions that also oppose it. And I'm sure that not all agnostics/atheists are in favor of gay marriage either.

 

[ripleysmom]

Ah yes but it is the Christian President that would like an amendment to the constitution to prevent it. I don't believe that an agnostic/atheist would take it that far. Do you?

 

[vernon]

I'd think there's a good chance you've already had an athiest as President, but I doubt it's something they'd own up to.

With most elections being reasonably tight it's unlikely that someone who made an issue of being an athiest would get the ticket, therefore it will continue where some candidates make much of their "Christianity", openly and obviously attending services, while maybe just going through the motions and crossing their fingers while they sing the hymns.

Personally I don't think it makes any difference to someones ability to do the job, but it certainly makes a difference to their ability to be elected. While many faithful Christians believe it wouldn't make a difference to them, IMHO the reality is that they would find other reasons not to vote for an athiest candidate that they would ignore in a fellow Christian, JMHO.

 

[airhead]

....the way the majority feel. Politics and religion should be separate,always.

 

[Red Wings Fan]

airhead:

Where'd that one come from? Opinion or just trying to sum up from this thread?

 

[airhead]

Red Wings Fan---- just commenting on the poll right here.....

 

[Red Wings Fan]

Gotcha!! (duh) Can I borrow your moniker for a while.

 

[airhead]

Do you airbrush?????

 

[Fizban257]

Can an atheist be President? Sure, there's no legal impediment.

Will an atheist be President anytime soon? Probably not. The majority of Americans believe in God and you still have to win an election to be President (not the place for a re-hash or 2000, so don't hi-jack the thread). We may not be a "Christian Nation" in the sense of having an official national faith, or in being a theocracy. But, the majority of Americans believe in God, and the majority of those are Christian, so, demographically, we are a Christian nation. (Don't you just love semantics? )

Would I vote for an atheist? Probably not. They'd not lose my vote solely on that basis, but I simply can't see an atheist sharing enough of my views on the issues to win my vote. If he/she did, however, I'd have to entertain the thought.

 

[wvrevy]

Originally posted by Fizban257
Would I vote for an atheist? Probably not. They'd not lose my vote solely on that basis, but I simply can't see an atheist sharing enough of my views on the issues to win my vote. If he/she did, however, I'd have to entertain the thought.

So, then your "views" aren't based on reason, but on religion-based "beliefs" ?

Seriously ?

 

[kpgclark]

Someone back a few pages said that an athiest/agnostic would never be a Republican. I am both. Just because I seriously doubt the existance of God doesn't mean I can't be conservative. I am pro-life too. Not starting a debate but I just wanted to let folks know that there are all types of folks that make up any one religion or non religion. Not all Christians are pro-life. That's what makes our country so great. We have tolerance (most of us) for many religions and points of view.

 

[Red Wings Fan]

Originally posted by kpgclark
That's what makes our country so great. We have tolerance (most of us) for many religions and points of view.

kpg:

Outstanding point.

 

[Bob Slydell]

Originally posted by Fizban257
Will an atheist be President anytime soon? Probably not. The majority of Americans believe in God and you still have to win an election to be President (not the place for a re-hash or 2000, so don't hi-jack the thread). We may not be a "Christian Nation" in the sense of having an official national faith, or in being a theocracy. But, the majority of Americans believe in God, and the majority of those are Christian, so, demographically, we are a Christian nation. (Don't you just love semantics? )
[/B]

I'm still not seeing a connection between being a Christian nation and not voting for an atheist candidate. Like vernon said, it's very possible that candidates in the past have been atheistic or, at minimum, agnostic, but put on an aire of believing in God. It's not like it's a box that a political candidate has to check on his or her voting registration card.

 

[Red Wings Fan]

Originally posted by wvrevy
So, then your "views" aren't based on reason, but on religion-based "beliefs" ?

Seriously ?

Why is it then that religious-based beliefs cannot be based on reason?

 

[wvrevy]

Originally posted by Red Wings Fan
Why is it then that religious-based beliefs cannot be based on reason?

Because religion isn't based on reason, it's based on belief.

 

[Galahad]

I'm still not seeing a connection between being a Christian nation and not voting for an atheist candidate.

I'd think it would be somewhat difficult for an avowed atheist not to appear to be hostile toward religion during the course of a campaign.