Shake

Here's a link to the story.

Anyone else see this? I thought it was brilliant in its simplicity. It'd be nice to see letters like this published in papers all around the country. There's no hostility, it's simply educational. I would think that with the exception of some close-minded theists, it should be disarming to the rational theist.

It's letters like this which may actually help us to be more accepted and remove the negative stigma associated with the word "atheist." I mean, it's ridiculous that even though, Constitutionally speaking, we cannot be barred from any office, the general public would not vote for an atheist candidate simply on those grounds!

OK, before I get too far into a rant, anyone have any other comments about the letter? Wish I'd written it.

PS. Mods, if you feel this would be better suited in C-SS&SA, by all means, move it. Thanks.

Rhaedas

Pretty good breakdown of the meaning of atheist, although like most labels I think a word can have a variety of meanings, depending on the context.

I do disagree with a last line:

While I think most atheists/agnostics are descibed well by this (basically keep it to yourself, and we'll all be happy), isn't the friction that is created between atheists and theists (usually fundies) solely because those theists care way too much about everyone else's beliefs, to the point of overrunning them with their own?

I'm just skeptical as to whether or not the majority of people are live and let live people. It may be true that the hostile theists are a minority, but they sure do have some pull in the US society, enough to appear a majority group.

lville88

That's a pretty good, harmless article. I'd love to see a follow up with him printing some of the emails he received in reply to the piece. I don't think the public realizes what sort of backlash atheists face even for an article as non-confrontational as this.

Jabu Khan

Actually several state constitutions do bar non-believers from holding public office in their states.

butswana

The 14th Amendment addresses this. As section 6 clause 3 of the Constitution states that there will be no religious test for office, the 14th Amendment states that federal law trumps state law.