I just got off the phone with D. Paul Monteiro, the Deputy Director of Religious Affairs for Obama for America, who expressed concern over Carl Silverman?s report and wanted to set the record straight. Mr. Montiero denied the statement saying it was someone else’s, but recordings were made and are being reviewed. We also have some statements from the Obama Camp coming our way, so please stay tuned.
I would like to hear what they have to say.
Actually, after the whole Kay Hagan “Godless” video thing, I realize just how far we have to go. The GOP is openly trying demonize atheists, as though we are all criminals or child molestors or something. But note Kay Hagan’s reaction on CNN:
http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/10/30/dole.ad/index.html
She basically says what was so bad that her “Christian Faith” was attacked. Well, perhaps, but she makes no mention of the fact that all atheists everywhere we slandered – mere association with us is considered a bad thing, by at least the GOP apparently.
I don’t believe members of any other group with non-Christian views on religion would have to endure that- it would be political suicide. The GOP could never make a video like that saying Hagan attended a meeting hosted by Jews, Hindus, Muslims, or Mormons. Yet unaffilliated Americans outnumber those groups combined by 3 to 1.
It should be a priority of secular/agnostic/atheist groups to point out our sheer size to all candidates, and support those candidates that at least openly acknowledge our place at the table.
How do we get the respect of candidates when they believe these fairy tales themselves.This is a culture war unless atheists are willing to convert others they will remain a despised minority.Atheists believe in religious liberty well the other side doesn’t.
I have long thought that the irony of the Christian Right is that if they did as their religion commanded, ‘Love their neighbor,’ ‘Love those who despise them,’ ‘Turn the other cheek,’ etc., they would be far more successful and far less divisive. Yet the Religious Right have people, epitomized by phreedm, full of hatred and sarcasm. I believe it was George Bush 41 who expressed the opinion that atheists should have no rights and should not be even be protected by the Constitution. Nice guys, huh?
As long as non-religious people are in the extreme minority in America, voting will not help us. I don’t see any reason to take part in a system that shuts us out, after urging us to take part. (We’re shut out when the votes are counted, and the majority wins.)
They’ll keep electing and re-electing irrational religious people, regardless of the harm those people cause, and regardless of how much we gripe.
There are other methods for us to make progress, and I think that this approach to answering back when we’re slighted is much more useful. Free speech is helpful and voting doesn’t involve any of that.
Plus when the person you vote for eventually insults and embarrasses you, and they will, remember your vote. Your precious precious vote. lol.
Joe Zamecki
Austin, TX
Okay I just found this on CNN.com:
“I think Elizabeth Dole has just gone to the lowest of the lows,” Hagan said of the ad during an appearance on a talk show on WPTF-AM in Raleigh, North Carolina. “This is an attack on my Christian faith.”
Hagan, who described herself as a Sunday school teacher and an elder at a Presbyterian church in Greensboro, North Carolina, urged Dole to “pull this kind of despicable ad.”
__________________
Now please someone remind me, why do we care about this candidate? Why did she attend a GAMPAC meeting? Finally, isn’t she acting a little TOO insulted by the ad? Afterall we’re not child molestors. She ought to let us know somehow that she doesn’t intend to insult us in reply…
She’s not an Atheist, we got that part. But her reaction implies that she thinks we’re the evil ones. Well we’re not.
Joe Zamecki
Austin, TX
Joe
Is church-state separation the only issue before our government? Don’t take part and you get BushCo redux.
Dear Atheists.org,
After seeing some of the news circulations about Elizabeth Dole accusing Kay Hagan of being “godless,” I was a bit concerned about its implications. People have spoken out against using the word “Muslim” as a slur against Sen. Barack Obama — but why has no one done the same to defend atheists in America? It saddens me to know that prejudice and discrimination against non-believers is still acceptable in this country.
Is your organization doing anything at all to fight back against these recent slurs against “Godless Americans”?
OK, our votes don’t count, got it. However, voting is literally the least you can do and consider yourself part of the process. Get out and get active. Tell people you’re an atheist. Hold rallies. No one hears you if you don’t say anything.
Fosters, point and match.
We are a minority, and not in the good way where we can contribute our music or cooking or woven and pottery goods. Our status comes with the label heratic, communist and the somewhat culinary, baby eater.
To lend credence to our support would be suicide for a candidate.
Our job is to do what we have done throughout history, use our minds to pick the best in philosophy, ideology and in modern times, candidates. As Fosters has said, we can do this while wearing our atheist hats and placeing our atheist stamps on the contrabution checks we send, but to expect in this time of Islamic fatwa, Moral majority black listings and the likes of Benny Hinn; to be acknowledged and thanked……..
I cannot believe anyone would suggest not voting because he or she is in a minority.
The teenagers I know don’t vote because they think their vote doesn’t count; they’re immature.
There are more issues than god involved in the running of a country.
Joe Z’s point that “it doesn’t matter” is understood, but it is wrong. It does not necessarily mean we will “win”, but not voting pretty much guarantees that we lose.
Voting is not all-or-nothing. Even if your candidate does not win, they *do* have more power and voice later. People remember and sometimes respect third-party presidential candidates, even if none have won in recent history. The public is much more likely to read the opinion of Joe Lieberman, Ralph Nader, Dennis Kucinich, or Ross Perot than you are to listen to the opinion of an unknown person.
So, if you are reading this, and you think there is a chance you won’t vote — change your mind. Say to yourself “It matters. I’ll make time to vote.”
I understand why people think our vote doesn’t matter – but we are not the “extreme minority” we once were. As much as 14% of the country is unaffiliated – most of these people are just uncomfortable thinking of themselves as atheist or even agnostics. but these numbers are 4 or 5 times higher than they were just 10 or 15 years ago. Atheism is coming out of the closet. More and more people are willing to say that not only does the emperor have no clothes, but the emperor doesn’t even exist.
14% of the country is huge – we outnumber Jews, Muslims, Hindus, and Mormons combined – by about 3 to 1 in fact. The upcoming election may be decided by far fewer votes than our group alone has. We are quickly becoming a big force in the political arena.
We need a step-by-step strategy to establish political relevance. The first step is to unite, and point out our huge numbers to both parties. We need to get anyone that will listen to acknowledge our existence and equal rights. For example, we should lobby political parties to either openly state atheists are welcome in their party platforms, or eliminate any reference to religion at all. The reward for simple acknowledgement is a huge number of votes. Once both parties realize they can’t win a close election without atheist support, our voices will be heard. This can be done people, and we are closer now than ever before in history.
I agree that atheists need to come out of the closet. We need to stand up and react to crazy things people say. Much of my family consider themselves of a religion (Jewish) but when pressed, they don’t actually believe in a god.
I feel certain that many of our people in Congress are atheist or agnostic but wont admit it. It just cant be that Stark is the only one. Statistically, more educated people are more likely to be atheists. Members of Congress are more educated The problem is with the perception that atheists are not moral. We need to change that perception. The way, I think, is for successful and popular public figures to come out. That way the public will already have a good perception of the person and they will be challenged to not change their perception of the person, just because they have come out. These public figures need to gain confidence that coming out will not trash their career. It seemed to work this way with homosexuals. It doesn’t seem like a big deal anymore when one comes out. It just took some courageous people to start it. We need some popular courageous atheists to come out.
The problem with the theory that they can’t win a close election without our support is that the vast majory of atheists aren’t really focused on the fact of their atheism. They care about other issues (as do we all) and our support can be had through those issues.
If compartmentalization allows the religious to hold their extreme ideas and still function, it also allows atheists to be republicans and ignore the fact that it’s the party most likely to run counter to their own philosophies because they run in sync with some of their other philosophies.
We can’t think of all atheists being the same, just as we shouldn’t think of the religous all being the same. The real significance, as I see it, of the rise of atheism is that the lame arguments put forth by the religious for some policies will be increasingly ignored. But other lame arguments might work. You don’t have to be a Christian to want to persecute gays. You just have to be raised in an ignorant culture and not give it a lot of thought.
As I see it, seriously promoting the rise of atheism as a group will only contribute to the Us & Them mentality. We need to remain, as we have been, diffuse. The goal shouldn’t be to create another division in society, but to permeate society and promote the extinguishment of certain other divisions.
No question about it, in my opinion–vote!
Choose whatever candidate or party you want, but vote, support candidates and parties (our organization cannot, but individual Atheists can and should), and, of course, demand respect and raise hell when we don’t get it. We don’t want to help any candidate of any party who acts as some recent US Senatorial candidates have lately–but we’ll never get the respect we deserve if we don’t participate in elections.
Vote, friends–VOTE!
Regards,
Ed Buckner
President, American Atheists
Vote for the least undesirable candidate who can win. You must vote. If you do not vote this time, you may never get another chance.
Edwin Kagin.
Of course it is unlikely that we will elect an atheist in the near future The best we can hope is one that will use logic and science in making decisions instead of supernatural ideas. Similar to how theist scientists do their work. They are able to compartmentalize their ideas. When in their church they believe. When doing Science, they do not resort to religious ideas. I think that we will only survive the challenges ahead if we have leaders who will operate in this manner.