This cartoon found at
The Friendly Atheist shows the real people most discriminated against in politics. As the
Gallup Poll of June 20th shows, more voters would refuse to vote for an atheist (49%) than would refuse to vote for a mormon (22%), a jew (9%), a catholic (7%), or a baptist (7%). Although it's not constitutional, religion is a requirement for elected office in America.
Although it's not constitutional, religion is a requirement for elected office in America.
ReplyDeleteReligion, like race, isn't a legal requirement for elected office (at least for President), it's an electoral preference. Such preferences can and do change over time.
Two cases in point: Up until fifty years ago, the electoral preference was for Protestants; John Kennedy changed that. Up until four years ago, the electoral preference was for Caucasians; Barack Obama changed that.
The way these preferences were overcome was not by playing the victim. Kennedy won because he was a World War II hero, a proven leader in both houses of Congress, and a charismatic politician who just happened to be Roman Catholic. I'm not really sure why Barack Obama won, but it wasn't because he was bi-racial.
If you want to change things, start by supporting Cecil Bothwell in his independent bid for for Congress in North Carolina's 11th District next year. But don't do it just because he's an atheist.
In 1976, I voted for a Baptist for President because he was a born-again Christian. Boy, what a mistake that was! Today, I'd gladly vote for an atheist for any public office if his political views most closely matched mine.