The Atheist Conservative July 31, 2007

The Atheist Conservative

By Guest Contributor
July 31, 2007

If you’re Atheist and Conservative, this is your site!

Have fun, all three of you.

I’m intrigued by the logo on the upper left side of the page. There’s an explanation for it…

We use the symbol in our logo as an immediate indication that we do not believe the world was created by a divine intelligence.

It’s position in the banner just makes it look like a Conservative Atheist is irrational…


[tags]atheist, atheism, Republican, Convservative[/tags]

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  • Bleh.

    Actually there are quite a few Conservative atheists, they just pose as Libertarians. But most of them seem to confuse those who wish to categorize them by having progressive social values.

    Double bleh.

  • Polly

    I will be sure to check that site out. Thanks for posting about it.

  • A quote from a post about Ann Coulter on the site:

    Sometimes her jibes seem exaggerated but are essentially true: ‘Environmentalists want mass infanticide, zero population growth, reduced standards of living, and vegetarianism. The core of environmentalism is that they hate mankind’. Or, ‘the Left’s most dangerous religious belief is their adoration of violent criminals.’

    Essentially true??? I guess you can be an atheist but still choose to ignore reality.

  • Strange, in my experience atheists split politically between a leftist majority and a substantial libertarian minority. I include myself in the latter.

    But that blog is clearly conservative, not libertarian. Very wierd. I never imagined I’d hear an atheist say anything good about Ann Coulter.

    I’m curious where writerdd is from. I’ve never seen met any atheists in Seattle with clearly conservative (i.e. not libertarian) politics.

  • I live in Colorado.

    I guess the only conservative atheist I know of is Ayn Rand. I have never actually met one truly conservative atheist, but I do find the ultra-extreme conservative economic ideas of the libertarians to be completely distasteful and illogical, not to mention totally selfish. I can’t see any difference between the libertarian and conservatives policy outlines regarding laizzes faire economics (reframed in the 80s to “free-market economy”, triple bleh).

  • Polly

    I consider myself a conservative and I’m an atheist. But, it depends on how one defines “conservative.”

  • Maria

    people often have the stereotype that all prolifers are relgious too, but there is a growing group of non religious ones: http://www.godlessprolifers.org

  • miller

    My favorite skeptic Michael Shermer is a libertarian. I consider myself a liberal-libertarian. Lumping libertarianism and conservatism together is wrong… but it doesn’t help that most libertarians seem to emphasize the “economic conservative” half rather than the “social liberal” half. Or at least, that’s the half that sticks out to me.

  • Daniel

    ugh. All three of you? Irrational? I’ll take it all in stride and hope that you’re just trying to be funny. Not all atheists are leftist, and as I’ve said before I think not all of the new fashionable atheists are actually all that atheist but rather anti-republicans. Mr Friendly, You seem to bristle when you see somebody use the old cliche of ‘no atheists in foxholes’ so I’m a bit surprised to see you take this jab, but whatever.

    As a lifelong atheist and having spent time in actual foxholes I am much closer to the conservative philosophy than the liberal ideology. I agree with writerdd above that those of us on the conservative side will claim libertarian status when we want to distance ourselves from the unpopular aspects of conservatism as currently practiced (or not practiced). But whatever your personal political philosophy, I go to atheist blogs to read about atheist issues. Are there any blogs that are able to tread that line and stay on topic? I’d like to find one.

  • Lee

    Okay, my head is imploding. Like Polly, I wonder just what it is that defines conservatism. The term has changed over time (evolved).

    In the past, I have heard it simply meant that conservatives wanted less government involvement, and, in contrast, liberals wanted more government involvement in addressing the societal issues such as poverty, education, and health care.

    Nowadays, conservatism seems to be more linked with moral issues, such as abortion, stem-cell research, right to die, gay marriage, and other right-wing(nut)/morality police issues.

    IMHO, these issues should not be the focus of our government due to the seed of religion that the ‘morality’ questions and concerns of these issues grow from. After all, it is one thing to have an opinion on prolife/prochoice and other moral issues, but it is another thing altogether to alter the laws governing the citizens of a country based upon those opinions.
    This is the enigma that I encounter when I consider the terminology of ‘atheist conservatism’.

    I am curious as to how atheist conservatist view such issues. Should government intervene in such moral issues?

  • Polly

    @LEE:

    Should government intervene in such moral issues?

    I don’t care about others’ sex lives and Republicans (my party) waste too much time appealing to these hot-button issues while spending like there’s no tomorrow and rushing into fool-hardy wars without sufficient planning. I even think a person has the “right” to end their own life if they so choose. In fact, do what you want as long as it doesn’t harm others. And, for me, that includes humans at the embryonic stage of development. I really would like to say that the gov. should but-out of this one, too. (Believe me, I HATE government interference.) But, that would be tantamount to my saying it’s OK to kill a certain subset of humans – I can’t say that with a clear conscience. I’ve heard many arguments about how embryos are not really human and they all ring hollow to me.
    But, look at all the stuff I’m “liberal” about. What does that make me? Does one issue make me a social conservative? I am definitely an economic conservative, but not to the extreme.

    You know? if we evolved to lay eggs, this would be a non-issue.

  • Thanks for the link – hits have jumped tremendously.

    I realize that the symbol is a confusing, but it is still (I think) better than the one a bunch of other atheists are pressing for – what they call an “invisible pink unicorn.”
    The banner is currently being changed, whenever I can get around to it…

  • Daniel

    The totality of American politics is a mess right now, but here is how I sum up the conservative philosophy: less government and less government interference. It’s true, the Republicans were typically the conservative party however the ones in control now are no longer conservative. Today way have a choice between the democrats (profess personal freedoms and rally for economic restrictions), and republicans (profess economic freedoms and rally for personal restrictions). Both parties actually want to legislate moral issues, they just differ in what they consider moral.

    The only place for true conservatives to go now is toward the libertarians, but they are unelectable for the time being. Their hardcore members that advocate no government regulation of anything are silly of course, but so are the hardcore democrats (socialists) and the current hardcore republicans (theocrats).

  • Polly

    @Daniel:

    I think we are on converging lines of thought on this. I do hold much more in common with libertarianism philosophy than I do with either party. But, I hold out hope for a more moderate Republican party in the future and a return to the less government (ALL around) is better, ideal.

  • stogoe

    I’m not letting conservativism back away from the Republicans on this one. George W Bush gave conservatives everything they’ve ever wanted since at least Reagan, and now that conservatism has shown itself a bungling failure, they want to distance themselves from their mess. Not gonna happen.

    But I guess bungling failure is what you should expect when you put people who don’t believe that government can work in charge of making the government work.

    EDIT: The ‘less government’ trope is trotted out. Oy. Look, I want ‘less government’, too, but I’m realistic enough to know that if I also want the citizenry to be safe, healthy, and educated, some government regulation is necessary. Protecting the public from cheats, scams, and snake oil is just one of the many things that cost much less in dollars and peson-hours for government to do than if everyone were fending for themselves.

    And don’t get me started on how much conservatives despise the free market if it even thinks of cutting into their profit.

  • Polly

    @stogoe:
    The word “strawman” is lighting up my radar here. Where do you get the impression that a) the Republican congress is in any way similar or representative of the conservativism of Reagan? and b) that Republicans want government to stop providing law enforcement or public education(no child left behind has put the focus on results and I’m told by one teacher that it’s a positive, though it needs refining)?
    Health care? Have you seen the prescription drug program? If anything, he’s spending too much, and not wisely.
    All Politicians work against the free market at the behest of large donors. Politicians in general are corrupt…and? This is not news and is CERTAINLY not limited to Republicans.

    And despite the increased spending, whe still have ultra low unemployment (even in the face of hefty illigal immigration) and a skyrocketing stock market. On the domestic front where is the disaster? Do you really think that Democrats are going to clothe the naked and feed the poor? You’re kidding yourself. The best we can hope for is that the federal government doesn’t mangle our economy and get us inot protracted wars in 3rd world hell-holes. I concede the war was foolishly executed. I would rather have had a different (smarter) Republican in office than Bush, obviously.

  • AL

    Conservative atheist can be either fiscally conservative or socially conservative, or both. I describe myself as fiscally conservative and socially moderate, which would probably make me a libertarian. I am totally for capital punishment, gun ownership, and gay marriage. Abortions at very early stage are OK; however as a fetus becomes more human-like, abortions must be restricted, that’s why I support partial birth abortion ban. Racial preferences (aka affirmative action) must be mercilessly eliminated. Government spendings on everything must be reduced. Like many atheists I also oppose the war in Iraq, but I would never join ‘peace rallies’ because they are openly anti-capitalist, anti-American, anti-Israel, and sometimes even pro-terrorist. I despise leftism just as much as I hate religious right. It seems that leftism is very popular among atheists, which pisses me off a lot. So, let’s stay rational and free-thinking, but let’s not plunge into socialist paranoia of political left.

  • This is all very interesting to us at The Atheist Conservative. Why don’t you hold this discussion on our site?

  • ScottM

    I’m a far-right-wing conservative (emphatically NOT libertarian) agnostico-atheist. I sometimes call myself a “no-church Tory.”

    I’m pro-life, because I believe in the dignity and worth of all human beings, not just the ones we choose to recognize as “persons.”

    I’m also anti-gay-marriage on prudential grounds. Such a sudden, radical alteration in a foundational institution of human society would be simply crazy, particularly considering that the consituency for such a change is so small (which is why it has to be imposed by judges instead of settled through the Constitutional process). Also, I don’t see how legal recognition of homosexual relationships would benefit society.

    As for what conservatism is, here’s a good place to start:

    http://www.kirkcenter.org/kirk/ten-principles.html

    (And no, I would not have used the word “made” in discussing the first principle, but Kirk was a Catholic, so I don’t blame him for using it.)

  • I’m proud to say that I’ve just published my second book of commentary from the conservative atheist perspective. This book, Reason For Life, is much less autobiographical than my first book and much more topical. The United States is being torn in two right under our noses. The religious right continues to wage a campaign to replace science in our schools with religious dogma. The liberal leftists have taken their political correctness agenda to new heights. The upcoming presidential election is probably more important than any in my lifetime. We’re at war with religious terrorist abroad and cultural relativists at home. This new book examines a wide spectrum of timely topics from the hopefully reasonable and rational perspective of a conservative atheist. If you are interested in purchasing Reason For Life, please check out my publisher’s web site below or visit BarnesandNoble.com, Amazon.com or any of your favorite bookstores.

    Thanks for your past interest.

    Frank Cress

    http://writers.fultus.com/cress/book02.html

    http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/results.asp?WRD=frank+Cress

  • Michael

    I’ve never seen met any atheists in Seattle with clearly conservative (i.e. not libertarian) politics.

    Well, now you’ve met one. I live in Seattle, vote Conservative/Republican, and am a staunch atheist. I’m equally disgusted by socialist liberal politics, and by how the conservatives have embraced the religious fundamentalists in order to gain votes.

    What’s more, I know several other people with similar views. They mostly do not advertise themselves, because in Seattle, announcing that you are a conservative can have serious negative consequences. It’s as dangerous being a conservative in Seattle, as it is being an atheist in the Deep South. So you tend to keep your mouth shut and try to stay under the radar.

  • It seems to me that conservative atheists should develop a moral philosophy of some kind. Right now they are mostly inviting almost anything in because they are only defined by their nonbelief. And no religion has yet been established that could be comfortable to a conservative atheist. There is Budhism, but it is too liberal. I am not saying that you should create a fundamental religion of some kind, but as a culture conservative atheists will benefit from developing a moral philosophy of some kind and maybe even giving that philosophy a new name. In short, we need a kind of semi religious atheism. Not extreme and rigid like religion but also not lawless and rebellious like anarchy.

  • Note when I said conservative atheist at top I meant atheist.

  • Conservative atheists and agnostics support traditional American values. They believe in personal responsibility, self-reliance, and deferred gratification as the bedrock virtues of a prosperous society. They view marriage between a man and a woman as the surest way to raise stable, law-abiding children. They deplore the encroachments of the welfare state on matters best left to private effort.

  • Gary Raudabaugh

    I used to be a religious protestant, and as I got older (I’m 60-been an atheist about 15 years) I began to see what a scam religion is. Where was God during the Holocaust and 9-11? Why  cant people prove God exists? Who created the Creator? I cant believe 85% of all Americans still believe this garbage. And I recent being called “liberal” as I believe in low taxes, low government and conservative  values.

  • Zack

    Bravo, sir. Couldn’t have said it better myself.

  • Mr Anonymous

    But you are hated by the many who vote for the fascist republicans and tea baggers. For me is like a Jew voting for the Nazi Party of Adolf Hitler. As a unbeliever myself I feel unwelcome in the gang of Romney, Bush, Gingrich and their ilk of hypocrites.

  • mikemike

    I’m socially conservative and fiscally liberal. I’m also an agnostic. What does that make me? I can’t find anyone like that.