Would you elect an atheist as a representative?

Answer 1

As long as they are able to do the job, I do not see why religious affiliation, or lack thereof, should have anything to do with whether I vote for them or not.

Answer 2

If they represented my views on issues that are important to me, I'd have no problem at all. Actually, the principle of separation of Church and State is a very important issue to me because I do not want someone to use their religion to legislate the individual rights of others. I see an Athiest or Agnostic as capable of supporting that principle more readily, but I'm not against someone of any faith if they will confine its practice to their personal life... and leave me to do the same.

Andaya... what you said is not really correct, following is the oath taken by members of Congress:

I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter.

Although "So help me God." is customarilly added to the end of the oath, it cannot be required as part of the oath of office in the United States due to the following (caps used for emphasis):

-- Constitution (Article VI, clause 3):
"The Senators and Representatives before mentioned, and the members of the several state legislatures, and all executive and judicial officers, both of the United States and of the several states, shall be bound by oath or affirmation, to support this Constitution; but NO RELIGIOUS TEST SHALL EVER BE REQUIRED as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States."

Answer 3

I am not sure what the point of your question is but if it is focused on morality,there is a mountain of information out there that shows conclusively that non=religious people are significantly more moral (meaning that they adhere more closely to the Judeo-Christian Moral/Ethical Code) than religious people in general but especially "more moral" than the Christian Fundamentalists whose monumental hypocricy masks what and who they really are and who they really are not.

If the only issue is morals and ethics ,I would generally vote for an atheist over a religious person but in the overall
whether a person is religious (mainstream religious not fundy fanatics) or atheist would be irrelevant to who I voted for but rather the overall issues only.

In fact ,if I did vote soley on whether a person was religious or atheist ,I would simply be a RACIST just like those Christian Fundamentalists are doing regarding the GOP Mormon Presidential candidate Rommney .Some/many of these vile fundies are saying they will not vote for Rommney ONLY because they do not consider him a Christian.

Answer 4

I think about it in terms like this: There was a time when women weren't allowed to vote or run for public office. There was a time when blacks weren't allowed to vote or run for public office. We just elected our first Muslim Representative. We have our first Mormon presidential candidate. Atheism is just another stigma against the "accepted norms" that needs to be broken down. Atheism is not bad or immoral or evil or degenerate. People are.... and they come from all walks of life/religion.

Answer 5

I don't consider one's religion when I vote for a candidate. I consider the candidate's stand on the issues of the day. Race, gender, and religion don't play a role at all in my decision.

Answer 6

I actually would only vote for a religious person if the logic they showed outweighed their religious convictions.....give me a person who lives in this world first...who doesn't believe that this reality doesn't matter because he will just go to Heaven....Is Heaven like a different planet?--some people really don't care about this one.

Answer 7

Yes. As a matter of fact, I'd prefer one over a believer. At least an atheist would not be deluded into believing that he had God on his side for every decision he made, as is the case with Dubya.

Answer 8

Depends where they stand, as long as the representative is honest and isn't corrupt than yeah beside we have many corrupt religious representatives.

Answer 9

The oath which a representative is suppose to say includes something about God so I'd say 'no.' Actually, some states does require a representative to have a religion.

Answer 10

I would, if I otherwise agreed with his or her policies. I am an atheist after all. I feel safe in predicting that the majority of people in the US would not vote for an atheist.