Election Day a Win for Nontheists

[cleanhippie]

Election Day wasn't without its share of disappointments but for the nontheistic community it was overwhelmingly a very good night!

The Good

- In Florida, Amendment 8, which would have allowed for taxpayer funding of religion was voted down.

- Voters in Washington state, Maryland and Maine approved same-sex marriage. "We've lost at the ballot box 32 times," Paul Guequierre of Human Rights Campaign told CNN. "History was made tonight."

- In Minnesota voters rejected a measure that would have banned same-sex marriage.

- President Barack Obama was reelected. Obama received a "C" grade on the Secular Coalition's Presidential Candidate Scorecard, coming in behind Libertarian Gary Johnson, who received a "B." However, of the two major party candidates, Obama came in well above his challenger, Republican, Mitt Romney, who received an "F" on the Scorecard.

- Missouri's U.S. Representative, Todd Akin, lost his seat. Akin, who sits on the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology, has repeatedly denied scientific evidence in many areas, including regarding climate change, and making explosive claims that the female reproductive system is able to block conception from an unwanted pregnancy. He also objected to removing "under God" from the Pledge of Allegiance.

- Krysten Sinema, won her Arizona Congressional race, she is the first bisexual member of Congress and now the only nontheist [see "the Bad" below].

The Bad

- Sadly, longtime California U.S. Representative, Pete Stark, lost his reelection bid. Stark was the only open nontheist in Congress.

- Minnesota U.S. Rep, Michelle Bachman, who received an "F" in every category on the Secular Coalition's Presidential Primary Candidate Scorecard and an "F" on our Congressional Report Card, was reelected.

The Opportunity?

- Tammy Baldwin from Wisconsin will be the first openly gay Senator. Baldwin lists no religion and could be a strong ally for the nontheistic community.

http://secular.org/blogs/lauren-youngblood/election-day-win-nontheists

[rug]

1. Technically, it was a good day for the separation of church and state

which, as you know, has nothing to do with whether one is a theist or nontheist. (BTW, if one is a nontheist, is that person, perforce, without a god, i.e., atheist?) The story ran a misleading headline.

[cleanhippie]

2. No matter how one chooses to look at it....

religion is being pushed aside and left to wither on the vine. The only way it survives is by making itself "personal" among adherents, IMO. And yesterday showed that the public sphere is headed toward secularism. Religion can accept that and stay somewhat relevant, or it can keep doing what it has been doing, will will not end well. Either way, this is good for the country.

[rug]

3. No it isn't.

It's being pushed out of the government, which is as it should.

The rest is wishful thinking, entirely irrelevant and unecessary for secularism.

[Fumesucker]

4. The OP wasn't about secularism

Indeed, the title specifically mentioned nontheists, not secularism.

[rug]

11. And it's a bad title.

The election results indicate much about the failure of religion to infiltrate government this cycle but it says nothing about theists or nontheists.

[Fumesucker]

12. I doubt that a Romney victory would have been auspicious for nontheists

Personally I don't see electing yet another Christian as president and a slate comprised almost completely of other Christians to be a huge win for nontheists though.

[cleanhippie]

6. You can choose to see it your way, it matters not to me.

But what I see is the reality of the situation. The bigger picture, so to speak. All things taken together, especially the rise of the "nones" and non-believers, the handwriting on the wall seems clear.

Time will tell...

[kwassa]

5. Yesterday's election said nothing about religion.

only in your imagination.

[cleanhippie]

7. Well, thats ripe! One who's god only exists in their imagaination...

says reality is only in my imagination.


Good luck with that, kwassa. Good luck with that.

[kwassa]

9. You have a one-issue obsession.

and try as you might, you are simply projecting your obsession into current events without any factual support.

It would be nice if you had factual support, but it doesn't exist in your OP.

Obama is a church-goer, a religious believer. Some of his supporters here try to deny it, declare him a closet atheist, but have nothing to support that, either. I think religious belief is very central to who he is.

[cleanhippie]

30. Bwahahahahaha! The believer in the supernatural is lecturing me on facts and imagination!!!!!

Please, proceed kwassa. Do tell me more.

[Angry Dragon]

17. A lot of yesterday was about religion

People trying to make others live under their religious beliefs and a lot of it was rejected
The right is too afraid and come right out and say it: 'We want everyone to believe as we do'
'God says same sex marriage is immoral' We don't have to save a woman's life because god says we do not have to' God says life begins at conception so it is murder to have an abortion'
Now you tell me how much of that have to do with religion ...........

[kwassa]

21. Should I ask the gay priests in my church?

Should my ask my state electorate which was the first yesterday to democratically vote in same sex marriage in the entire United States on a public referendum?

which was supported by my Christian church, which also publicly rallied for the Dream Act ....

[Angry Dragon]

22. Good for you to have a progressive church

I must have heard wrong, I must have read wrong where I read where
Christians were calling gays immoral and they were going to hell,
where christians were telling women that they should die because that was gods' will.

Their voices are louder than yours. It is hard to tell where the numbers are.

Just because that is not how you believe it does not mean that religion had nothing to do with this election.

[kwassa]

24. Christians hold widely different social beliefs

but it is as much cultural as it is religious. Despite the conservative control of the Catholic church, Obama got the majority of the Catholic vote, which shows something about the level of control the leadership really exerts.

and as we often say here, moderate and liberal Christian voices are often ignored by the media because they are not controversial enough to make news. Are we outshouted? no. but the reporting makes it that way.

[Angry Dragon]

13. Are you trying to label people??

[rug]

14. If I were you'd know it.

However, since you asked, there is a distinction between nonthesism and secularism that the headline fails to make. It seems to have eluded you as well. I'd say more but I fear you'd use three question marks.

[Angry Dragon]

15. You were the one that called them atheists when they called themselves nontheists

[rug]

16. You tell me the difference.

Go on.

[Angry Dragon]

18. There may be no difference

Black, African American, colored .......... no difference except in what one wishes to be called

Except as I think of it not all blacks are African Americans

[rug]

19. There isn't. And the post was aabout the difference between secularism and nontheism.

[Angry Dragon]

20. Then why bring in the term atheists into the discussion??

[rug]

23. Because they are synonymous.

Do you think people are shielding their beliefs by using the term nontheist?

[Angry Dragon]

25. Perhaps to you and not to them. It is their right to call themselves what they want

Do you question what people of color want to call themselves??
Do you question their motives??

So what if they shied their beliefs, that is also their right.
Perhaps they do not believe they are atheists

[rug]

26. Regardless, the headline was wrong.

Words matter. Atheist or nonatheist, it was about secularism, which is neither of the above.

[Angry Dragon]

27. Then write your own damn headline

Just what is your definition of secularism??
And are you going to answer my questions??

[rug]

28. Here's one: Stupid Question Alert

No, I'm not going to answer your ridiculous question attempting to equate nontheists to people of color. It's as ridiculous as it is insulting to people who experience racism and do not have the luxury of playing word games.

Got any more questions?

[Angry Dragon]

29. Define secularism so we all know what words mean to you

I guess in your world nontheists have never been persucuted or discriminated against


Perhaps you should change your nane to 'one way rug' because you sure do like asking questions and expecting answers but when you are asked questions you find it beneath yourself to give answers

[rug]

33. I have a name change suggestion as well but I am nothing if not polite.

[Angry Dragon]

34. And here I thought it was polite to answer questions put to you

in a discussion which you have not done

So based on your statement I guess one could say you are nothing

[rug]

35. It would not be your first incorrect thought.

[Angry Dragon]

36. I am so sorry you have no idea what is polite

I am willing to admit when I make a mistake in my thoughts unlike you
You sound like one of those republican catholics .......... I truly hope you are not one of those fake christian catholics

Care to answer the questions that have been put in front of you in previous posts??
or are you so afraid of them??

[rug]

37. The answer to both questions is no.

[dimbear]

8. In all honesty, a very satisfying number of folks risked the eternal damnation of the

shamans to vote instead for the common good.

In other words, what cleanhippie said.

[trotsky]

10. Yes indeed, getting rid of religious influence in government is always good for nontheists!

Too bad Stark's nonbelief was attacked by a fellow Democrat, and liberal voters fell for it.

[dmallind]

31. WIN??? Fucking nonsense - Stark lost to a fellow Dem BECAUSE he was a nontheist!

"We need a Conressman who can fully respect our nation's pledge" That's not a Christianist dogwhistle - it's a fucking Christianist symphony orchestra including Wagner tubas. So much for the "liberal" believers of CA-15.

[cleanhippie]

32. Kinda makes it difficult to accept the message from other liberal believers

That they are as tolerant and inclusive as they say, huh?

I want to believe that, but when it gets right down to it, this is what happens nearly every time.