WASHINGTON - The American Humanist Association applauded Rep. Pete Stark for publicly acknowledging he does not believe in a supreme being. The declaration, it said, makes him the highest-ranking elected official — and first congressman — to proclaim to be an atheist.
Associate director Ron Millar told the Los Angeles Times that the group wanted to highlight the difficulty that politicians have declaring they don't believe in God.
2007-03-13 09:52:03 · 17 answers · asked by ? 5 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
It'll change behavior, all right. Christians are going to turn up in DROVES to make sure he gets voted out of office, even if they normally don't care enough to turn up to vote.
2007-03-13 10:09:30 · answer #1 · answered by Jess H 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Anyone do a poll of this man's district to see how impressed THEY were that the man waited to be elected and installed BEFORE "coming out" with this information about himself ??
It would be very interesting to hear the feelings expressed by the people he is supposed to represent now--- who gives a rat's rump about some godless organization and it's feelings about the man (some title offered up here---highest ranking elected official---handed out simply because the man declared himself to be godless )
And, now his term in the House will become FAR more about his belief system than the representaion of those that elected him---many giving hiim their vote that I'm sure would have NEVER done so -- if he had been totally honest with them about THIS information BEFORE the election !!
So, the man is also involved in the deceit of his constituents on top of being godless and still declared almighty whatever ?
Strange value system here !!!
2007-03-13 17:21:04 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Rep. Stark has been in politics for over three decades. Should he be judged on anything other than his actions during that time? Apparently, he must be doing a good job. Rep. Stark only recently came out publicly as a non-believer...but that won't change what he has done and how he has done his job for over thirty years.
2007-03-15 20:48:35 · answer #3 · answered by KenL 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Funny how some people would prefer the fiction that a politician believes in god rather than the admission that he doesn't.
I really hope that it doesn't influence anything because he's not the first atheist in this position - just the first public one. If atheistic politicians is a problem then we need to look further back in time and not hang it all on Stark.
2007-03-13 17:00:14 · answer #4 · answered by Dharma Nature 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
I thought America was a secular state with clear separation between faith and politics? Have the fundamentalist barbarians advanced so far? This sounds similar to the circumstances in Iran to me, not the Land of the Free!!
2007-03-13 17:01:05 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
Great - now some fundie Christian is going to assasinate him, ala John Lennon.... so much for Stark ever making it to the Big Time in politics....
2007-03-13 16:56:27 · answer #6 · answered by ? 5 · 1⤊ 2⤋
I am so proud of him! What a gutsy thing to do. I hope his constituents appreciate him. At least he can run for office in California. Atheists are forbidden to in Texas.
2007-03-13 16:57:07 · answer #7 · answered by sngcanary 5 · 3⤊ 1⤋
if you believe we have a 2 party system....then I feel for you.
if you believe anything the TV feeds you....then I feel for you.
Do some homework, ask around...the world is waking up, please wake up with it.
At least look at Bill Ruppert's video, 9/11 to Peak Oil and Beyond.
There are no parties brother....they are one "system", 1 "machine", 1 "beast"
2007-03-13 16:56:33 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
I thought I heard he was an Unitarian Universalist?
2007-03-13 17:00:53 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
He's just a rep. Now, if it were a Senator, then people might take notice.
2007-03-13 16:55:20 · answer #10 · answered by Convictionist 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋