How can nontheists increase the number of elected officials without god belief? Or should this be a priority?

Question

This is more of a political question, but since it deals with nontheists, I've chosen to post it here.

After Rep. Pete Stark revealed that he is a nontheist today, Lori Lipman Brown, director of the Secular Coalition of America, stated that "If the number of nontheists in Congress reflected the percentage of nontheists in the population...there would be 53-54 nontheistic Congress members instead of one."

How can nontheists get more nontheists elected, or should that even be a priority?

Myself, a candidate's religious beliefs are of little importance so long as he or she respects religious freedom and separation of church and state and doesn't try to give preference to or mistreat any faith. I'm far more interested in electing QUALIFIED, RESPONSIVE, and RESPONSIBLE leaders than I am insuring that they are nontheists.

Answer 1

What a great question.

I think it can happen, probably more easily at this point in time than at any time previous. But first nontheists as a group must be self-identified and united on this issue. In other words, "secular" people must openly identify as secular, and make it a virtue rather than a sin.

It is important for mankind to move past these old beliefs, I think. And that is why this issue should be a priority. We are yearning to evolve but some refuse to let go of their dearly held traditions.

Answer 2

I don't think it should be a priority, I think it's more important to consider an individuals stance on the issues rather than their exact religious beliefs. Tend to agree with this statement: "more interested in electing QUALIFIED, RESPONSIVE, and RESPONSIBLE leaders than I am insuring that they are nontheists"

Answer 3

There is only way to ensure that your leaders deal with reality and not do as postmodernists-religionists do--ignore it whenever they feel like it...
That is to ask your candidate whether he believes he is infallible or his mystical deity is. If he says no, then ask him to define things such as education, rights, the limits and powers of unions, etc. Vote for the man, male or female, whose definitions are best.
That will get rid of the pseudo-religious freaks once and for all who have all but destroyed this nation's constitution. Religious belief is personal; whether you're in a monastery or living in the real world is a public matter--it's genuine religion and genuine secularism coexisting happily. Any other system lets people claim they're religious but really practice totalitarianism, using government guns as weapons.

Answer 4

This is difficult, because while I am very proud of Rep. Stark for aligning himself with freethought, I also expect that he is not alone among the population of Congress. He is the only one who feels unencumbered enough to "come out" about it.

In order to get people into legislatures, we will need to start on the grass roots level. State legislators often run for congress. Bastions of liberality, such as the Northeast or urban California are more likely to elect openly non-theistic candidates, but it may take a while to gain a victory. At the beginning, we're going to lose more than we will win.

^v^ ^v^ ^v^ ^v^ ^v^ ^v^ ^v^ ^v^

Answer 5

Who cares. Religion is another tool for political gain. For honest (therefore crooked) politicians, that's all there is to it. So they are all practically nontheists anyways.

Answer 6

I think that we should only care about a candidate's religion if it directly affects their decisions and opinions on things like religious freedom, abortion, freedom of speech, guns rights, yada yada yada, all the rights and laws that matters to people. So basicaly I agree with your position on a candidate's religious beliefs.

Answer 7

I don't care if they are theists or not, I'm just interested in electing honest good people no matter what they be live in. Yes, I want people that believe in the separation between church and state.

Answer 8

Who runs as a nontheist? I'd vote for him or her. But I've never seen anyone with enough balls to do it. Maybe that's about to change!

Answer 9

The more who can remember the seperation of church and state in government, the better....

Our current christian, corrupt leadership has just about ruined this country...

and how about that no borders with canada and mexico thing? I've had a bellyfull of christian leaders.

Answer 10

I think that it should be an indirect priority. More of a measure of how we are perceived than something we should directly promote.