Ellen Johnson, president of American Atheists, speaks about John F. Kennedy, the troubling union of religion and politics, and how atheists should let their issues guide their votes.
At the very end, she makes this remark (read the full transcript here):
… But we need to work very hard to make the politicians aware that a quarter of the United States population are not religious. We are a huge voting bloc. If we non-religious Americans make our issues our primary concern on election day, then we can make our voting power work for us.
Vote your atheism first, and together we can enlighten the vote…
How does one “vote my atheism first”? There are no atheist candidates (even if there were, that shouldn’t be the only reason to vote for them). And while the viable candidates are all religious, the major Democratic nominees do at least respect state/church separation.
Also, should we really vote our atheism first? Surely, the best we can hope for is a president who isn’t in the pockets of the religious right and doesn’t use religion as a justification for policy. That president would also be a science advocate and someone who supports equal rights for all Americans. You don’t have to be an atheist to be on the right side of those issues.
After that, what else can we ask for?
(via The Great Realization)
[tags]atheist, atheism[/tags]
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