Observations and inanities by a second-shift assistant supervisor in the Puppy-Grinding division of the Evil Atheist Conspiracy® (our motto: "Sure it's cruel, but think of the jobs!"), your host, Brent Rasmussen.
Someone has to be first.
Pete Stark is our 'point man'.
Someone had to be first, and he's it. In a news release this morning which Hank Fox sent me, and which has already been discussed at some length over at PZ's place, it was revealed that Stark is the first admitted non-theist congresscritter in our country's history. I'm sure that there have been others, but he is the first one to acknowledge it publicly.
Now we'll see how long it is before he is demonized by the Religious Right. Chances are, it's already happening, I've just too busy to go take a look. But if you know of any such, please post it here.
Jim Downey
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Not sure I'm happy about this
but am willing to be convinced. It may be a helpful step but, nonetheless, I find it a step backward...Constitutionally speaking. In brief, we shouldn't give a damn what a person's private beliefs are and, indeed, that was part of the founding genius of the US (much to the howls of horror about Jefferson the Atheist destroying the country right out of the gates for excluding god from the country's founding document). The Founders wanted no overt religion in the political sphere whether or not they were believers and, while there was rather vociferous disagreement during the Constitutional Convention, most of the delegates - by a comfortable margin - agreed that religion needed to be excluded if there was to be religious freedom.
"You better start giving me some inner peace before I mop the floor with you." - Homer S.
or
"Pinky, you excel at random." - the Brain
It shouldn't be,
You're right - we shouldn't give a damn what his religion is or isn't - this shouldn't be an issue. But the reality is that in an environment poisoned by Dominionists, it is an important issue. Being able to point to an effective, long-term congressman who is a non-theist helps others to see that morality and religion do not go hand-in-hand. And helps to cross that Holy Water rapids (our equivalent of the 'glass ceiling').
Jim Downey
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Like Science Fiction? Read my novel, Communion of Dreams, for free.
Atheist Unitarian?
Prior to this March announcement by the Secular Coalition of America...Pete Stark's religion was listed as "Unitarian" on various lists. Some Unitarian's are deists, some are not...but I think by definition...none are theists. Is this his last term?
Unitarian Atheists?
Evergreen are you saying that no Unitarians are Atheists by definition? That is true by the literal meaning of the word, but the Unitarian Universalist church welcomes all kinds of spiritual orientations. I am a UU and an agnostic; atheist and humanist UUs are quite common. So Mr. Stark could well be both.
atheist unitarian
No...I am saying that some are deists and some are not (the "not" signifying that if not deists they are therefore agnostics or atheists)...the "not" is obviously not clear enough!
Activist Atheist On Tap
I think we're getting close to a Tipping Point on atheism, and just a teeny bit more media coverage will put us over the top. After that, it will snowball, and in a very few years it will be no safer to vilify atheists in the media spotlight than it is to go after gays or Jews. We'll see a lot more neutral or even friendly coverage in the media. The day we see one of those TV talk show ethics panels which includes an atheist or secular humanist among the rabbis, priests and imams, we'll know we've won the core battle.
I sent emails to a number of media outlets, such as ABCNews.com, Good Morning America, Newsweek, Don Imus and MSNBC, as follows:
Today I read that Congressman Pete Stark, of California, a member of Congress since 1973, has announced that he is a "non-theist."
http://www.secular.org/news/pete_stark_070312.html
I would love to see a story on this, and I think it would be fascinating to see a larger followup on some of the other prominent “non-theistic” actors, musicians, comedians, elected officials, etc.
Considering the several recent best-selling books on atheism, maybe it’s time to see just who’s who in prominent atheists, agnostics and non-theists.
Since Tom Cruise got to be news for his Scientology connections, and considering that religious leaders like Pat Robertson get media face time fairly often, I think a counterpoint story would stir up considerable interest.
A special report might bring very high ratings.
Good letter.
Good note to the news outlets. I wish I could share your optimism on being near a tipping point - I think we still have an uphill battle before us, not the least because as atheists become more visible/vocal I expect more 'pushback' from the religious. We'll see.
But this is definitely good news. And I am in general optimistic...though it's always smart to have a back-up plan.
Jim Downey
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Like Science Fiction? Read my novel, Communion of Dreams, for free.
What do you think history will remember?
50 years from now, how do you think the history books (or holographic data cubes) will remember Pete Stark and this day? The start of the...
or something else altogether?
--
"Ponies are atheists, you know, technically."
- Me
will it even matter?
I mean come on, how many people does history record religion for? Maybe history books will mention that Kenedy was Catholic but by and large none of them so much as mention religious leanings of former people in power (for that matter, this guy's position virtually garuntees that he won't be remembered, only important people like presidents are remembered after all).
Sadly, this lack of concern for people's religion by history professors means that the church can pick and choose which people are "Christian", and which are not, reguardless of what the truth may have been.
"Hope for the best...
...but plan for the worst." That's pretty much my motto.
Jim Downey
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Like Science Fiction? Read my novel, Communion of Dreams, for free.