You may have already seen this, but there are the beginnings of what might be a vigorous but civil discussion over at NPR, on the subject of voting for an atheist candidate.
NPR gets some great commenters, but I happen to think mine are even better… so I’m pointing you that direction so you can cross-pollinate. After all, FtB discussions have pretty much already looked at everything in the NPR article many times over, so you are more than prepared.
Back to grading…
Link does not scale. Beak, poop, whatever. It does nothing.
http://freethoughtblogs.com/cuttlefish/2012/11/13/would-you-vote-for-an-atheist/at%20any%20given%20moment%20you%20have%20the%20ability%20to%20be%20anywhere%20in%20the%20world%20doing%20anything%20you%E2%80%99d%20like.
Fixed, thanks. Sorry!
It’s a good piece, I’m immensely gratified the author (Tania Lombrozo) has a clue about how to talk about atheists without also insulting them.
Vote for an atheist? The hell? I wouldn’t even take a cab ride from one!
I would vote for an atheist candidate (if I perceive that candidate to be qualified). I am openly an atheist (though I don’t go bashing people about with that) in my little town of 128 people.
I was interviewed on “Ask an Atheist” Sunday last. In the little Nebraska village where I live, a long-standing village board member resigned over health reasons in September, and passed away October 2. The board in October took names of five people who said they would stand for his seat until the next election in 2014.
In advance of the November meeting, the chairman said he would place my name in nomination, as he thought of the five candidates I was the least divisive (despite only living here a year and a half and being an atheist).
The board in November unanimously selected me to be the replacement for the deceased member.
No protests from the villagers at the meeting, no angry mobs with pitchforks and torches at my house. The pastor of the Lutheran church across the street from my house congratulated me.
The new board will be sworn in at the December meeting after the General Election results came in (the two incumbents standing won re-election, one by a single vote 34-33 against a challenger). At that meeting I will take the Affirmation of Office (with a hand on the Nebraska Constitution, not the Bible).
*applause*
Well done, James K!
I would love having the opportunity to vote for an atheist.
This assumes that they are compatible with my other major desires and avoid my laundry list of deal-killer issues. Status as an atheist gets you a few extra points but those points won’t fill the hole if he/she was stupid, ignorant, a bigot, a racist …