Atheist President

[ch'ang]

In a study I just read it said that only 42% of the people in America would vote for an atheist for president but 92% would vote for a Roman Chatholic. Also it found that 95% of people belive in God or Universal Spirit in the US but in Japan only 39% belive. After reading these results I have a couple questions 1.Why is there such a strong distrust of Atheists in America 2. Compared to other countries why does America seem to be getting more into formal religion while others like Britian and Japan seem to be moving away from it? 3. Would you vote for an Atheist for preident why or why not? Woud you vote for someone who belonged to a religious minority like a Pagan or Wiccan?

 

[ch'ang]

Crap, I meant to make a poll for this but screwed it up could a mod help me out?

 

[Scott1]

I think all you need to do is hit the "thread tools" button.

 

[Ceridwen018]

I would vote for an atheist president, but not because they were atheist.

People fear what they don't understand, which explains why so many people in America fear atheism.

 

[ch'ang]

Thanx Scott

 

[Shadow Wolf]

I would vote for an athiest. Most of our Presidents have probably been athiest in reality.
I would vote for a Wiccan or Pagan President first, since they would more than likly be in a third party, and thats all I vote for.

 

[Lintu]

I'd vote for an atheist if that atheist seemed to be intelligent and had the same beliefs I do about government and the like. Same thing for a Catholic, a Hindu, a Buddhist, a Jew, whatever. There are some trends within religion, such as many Catholics being against abortion, many Jews being democrats, or whatever, but it's never 100% indicative. I'd be wary of voting for anyone until I was sure of what the person believed in, regardless of religious belief.

 

[Engyo]

In a study I just read it said that only 42% of the people in America would vote for an atheist for president but 92% would vote for a Roman Chatholic. Also it found that 95% of people belive in God or Universal Spirit in the US but in Japan only 39% belive. After reading these results I have a couple questions 1.Why is there such a strong distrust of Atheists in America 2. Compared to other countries why does America seem to be getting more into formal religion while others like Britian and Japan seem to be moving away from it? 3. Would you vote for an Atheist for preident why or why not? Woud you vote for someone who belonged to a religious minority like a Pagan or Wiccan?

One of the main reasons that only 39% of Japanese believe, is that culturally and historically Japan is a Buddhist/Shinto country. Neither of these religions postulate a Universal Spirit or God the way Christianity does. This makes the numbers you cite regarding that particular statistic like comparing apples to oranges; i.e. not a valid comparison.

 

[Natas]

Seems like our forefathers had no qualms about voting for an Atheist.


"Question with boldness even the existence of God; because, if there be one, he must more approve of the homage of reason than that of blindfolded fear."


"I do not find in orthodox Christianity one redeeming feature."


"Religions are all alike - founded upon fables and mythologies."


"To talk of immaterial existences is to talk of nothings. To say that the human soul, angels, God, are immaterial, is to say they are nothings, or that there is no God, no angels, no soul. I cannot reason otherwise: but I believe I am supported in my creed of materialism by Locke, Tracy, and Stewart. At what age of the Christian church this heresy of immaterialism, this masked atheism, crept in, I do not know. But a heresy it certainly is. Jesus told us indeed that 'God is a spirit,' but he has not defined what a spirit is, nor said that it is not matter. And the ancient fathers generally, if not universally, held it to be matter: light and thin indeed, an etherial gas; but still matter." letter to John Adams, August 15, 1820


"Millions of innocent men, women, and children, since the introduction of Christianity, have been burned, tortured, fined, and imprisoned, yet we have not advanced one inch toward uniformity. What has been the effect of coercion? To make one half of the world fools and the other half hypocrites." Notes on Virginia


"History, I believe, furnishes no example of a priest-ridden people maintaining a free civil government. This marks the lowest grade of ignorance of which their civil as well as religious leaders will always avail themselves for their own purposes" Letter to von Humboldt, 1813


"The day will come when the mystical generation of Jesus, by the Supreme Being as His father, in the womb of a virgin will be classed with the fable of the generation of Minerva in the brain of Jupiter." Letter to John Adams, April 11, 1823

Thomas Jefferson --3rd. President of the United States

 

[Ryan2065]

I don't see what religion has to do with the president. As long as they don't impose their religion on others, I can't myself not voting for someone based on 1 aspect of their personal life. If I agree 100% with everything they say, and then some random newspaper says they follow some random religion, I'd still vote for them.

 

[michel]

I am not American, but if I was, I would vote for the man most able to 'do the job' - His Religious beliefs should not be a factor in choosing him.

 

[jewscout]

i'd like to see a jew become president:bounce
but a fat man will come outta my left nostril before that happens

 

[Ryan2065]

but a fat man will come outta my left nostril before that happens

A fat jewish man?

I'd pay to see that...

 

[Draka]

I voted for all but Catholic. No offense to those wonderful Catholics we have on this board such as Scott, But I have just seen that more of them are very hard bound in their beliefs and the belief that others should believe as them. My family is Catholic on my mother's side as well, so it really isn't against any one inparticular, just my observations.

 

[Terrywoodenpic]

I am not American, but if I was, I would vote for the man most able to 'do the job' - His Religious beliefs should not be a factor in choosing him.

Same here.

Though the press would have a field day here with some of the religions.

Terry
___________________________________
Blessed are those who bring peace, they shall be children of God

 

[chuckles1028]

Religion of the president should not matter, you should look at the issues and see how they view them and make your decision from that.

 

[Mr Spinkles]

I voted for all of them.

 

[Melody]

Kennedy was a catholic and his religion didn't play front and center near as much as Bush, who is a Protestant.

I'll vote for the most qualified, but will be biased against those who use their religion to get elected. That says so much more about the man than his religion does.

 

[Shadow Wolf]

But then again, it really doesn't matter who I vote for.

 

[Mister Emu]

Natas, sounds more agnostic than atheist, and if I remember correctly, he did indeed believe in a "god" of sorts, one however that did not get involved with creation.

Who I vote for is much more dependant on political issues rather than religious convictions.