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Reply 1
It wouldn't happen at the moment, there's just no way he/she would be voted in.

And as for your sig, OP - the polka dots are pink!
Reply 2
Theoretically yes, in accordance with the First Amendment (separation of church and state, freedom of religion, etc). In reality, it largely depends how much emphasis a campaign (or the counter-campaign of an opposition) puts on the religion of the leader.
Reply 3
No - there are next to no atheists in the Senate (in fact I think there may only be 1!) - it pretty much makes you unelectable..
Reply 4
No. Here's a quote from last week's The Economist, from an article about 'Camp Quest', the secular summer camp for american kids:

Atheists are broadly disliked in America. Only 5% of Americans admit that they would not vote for an otherwise qualified black presidential candidate, but 53% say they would shun an atheist. That makes the godless less popular than Muslims, Mormons or gays. Granted, the proportion of Americans who say they might vote for an atheist has doubled in the past half-century, and the polls are muddled by those who do not know what an atheist is.

Not before a few decades, or a revolution.
Reply 5
lucho22
No - there are next to no atheists in the Senate (in fact I think there may only be 1!) - it pretty much makes you unelectable..


There is only one congressman who openly admits to non-belief. He's Pete Stark of California. But I strongly feel that there are many non-believers, just that they are too frightened for their political career to admit it.

The statistics for the number of atheists in the general population in America do not match up with the number of atheists in government in America, and that doesn't make sense, unless some of them are lying, and I suspect they are.

I previously suspected that Obama may be a non-believer, but I think he's made more references to God than George Bush did, already!
Short answer... no
Reply 7
i_can_has
Just wondered...could a candidate be atheist and still become the President of the USA?


Probably.. if he/she kept really quiet about it ... :ninja:
Reply 8
Well yes you can be atheist, and many of them most likely are. But publicly, you will have to lie and adhere to Christianity. As somebody already pointed, only 1 senator has admitted to be of no faith
Reply 9
Phugoid
the polls are muddled by those who do not know what an atheist is.


LOL!
If the values that the founding fathers held were in any way still adhered to, I would answer that yes they could. Since, however, this idea of 'One nation under God' has taken over from the ideal of secularism, then I'd say it's unlikely unless they outright lie.
Reply 11
They wouldn't have a chance. Even in the UK, it's statistically still as big a disadvantage as being gay.
Probably not.
Bezzler
It wouldn't happen at the moment, there's just no way he/she would be voted in.

And as for your sig, OP - the polka dots are pink!


Trust you to focus on the polka dots :p:

On a more serious note, Thomas Jefferson was a deist and was extremely critical of some Christian beliefs, in particular the virgin birth and the resurrection. He's probably the closest thing to a non-Christian the US has ever had in a President.
Reply 14
*R*a*c*h*
LOL!


Indeed...
Has there ever been an openly atheist UK PM?
Reply 16
Made in the USA
Has there ever been an openly atheist UK PM?
No, but, on the other hand, it seems more likely than in the US. There is only one senator who is openly atheist, but two of the people most likely to lead Labour after the next election - David Milliband and Alan Johnson - are both atheist, so it's easy to envisage an atheist PM in 5 years. It's not as easy to imagine a similar scenario in the US. Of course, one doesn't need to be a member of the legislature to become the POTUS, but the lack of atheists in Congress suggest it would not be easy for an atheist to be in for a chance of being elected.
Reply 17
Andy the Anarchist
Trust you to focus on the polka dots :p:

On a more serious note, Thomas Jefferson was a deist and was extremely critical of some Christian beliefs, in particular the virgin birth and the resurrection. He's probably the closest thing to a non-Christian the US has ever had in a President.

TSR STALKER!!! :eek::eek::eek:

I must admit that I don't know that much about Jefferson's religious beliefs; however, given the fuss there was about Obama having the middle name Hussain, even though he IS Christian, I think that any atheist candidate would have such a big deal made out of it by the opposition that s/he would not stand a chance. In my opinion, anyway.
I doubt it's going to happen any time soon. The opponent would simply keep questioning the morality of the Atheist candidate and scaremongering religious voters(the majority) about a Godless country where everyone has no morals and communism will take over!!!:eek3: :eek3:
Not within our lifetimes i don't think. Religion in the US is far far too strong. I mean, Mormonism is actually growing! :rofl2:

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