AH Challenge: Atheist President.

In the United States to the best of my knowledge there has never been a President, which openly regarded himself as an Atheist. So you need to elect an openly atheist President between 1900-2008. Good luck
 
I suppose there MAY have been ones who were, but as you say didn't openly admit it

I often wondered at Clinton who seemed to be doing all the church stuff because it was expected of him and because the voters would have been incensed if he hadn't.

I think though to address your original challenge the best chance is if the Socialists make more of their electoral chances. I have no idea about Debs' beliefs, but if they become a strong force then it would be likely that some future Socialist president would be from the rationalist wing of the movement

Best Regards
Grey Wolf
 
An Atheist President

It is widely thought that Thomas Jefferson was an atheist. There have been arounf 4 non-Christian presidents who were unitarians and it is claimed that Unitarian has been a euphemism for atheist. Lincoln belonged to no religous denomination but didn't doubt the truth of the scriptures.

An openly atheist president? No reason why not possibly even a Republican. When Taft stood against Bryan, the doctrine of the Trinity was an election issue but Taft won. I can't see any past occiaasion when one was in the running.

The secnario is that fundanmentalist christians become powerful enough to have a President elected who isn't merely claiming to be born again but believes in doomsday prophecies. Denounces Kyoto, and launches a crusade against the Moslem world and back the Israeli hard liners. A protracted unpopular war breaks out. Religion is brought into the classroom, creationism is taught in schools and various freedoms are limited. The public has enough and votes for an atheist in reaction. Rather unlikely, the fundamentalists are loosing the battle in schools and however bad the Iraq war is it is not the war against Islam that Al Quieda wants merely a war for oil. I suspect most people would have no qualms about an atheist President if it was dedlared fairly early on. One British party leader has said he was an atheist and its now a non issue (Nick Clegg). Tony Blair pointed out that people in the UK were wary of politicians who made religion a political issue. Most peoplre outside Ireland regarded Ian Paisley as a nutcase

I don't know Debs's views on religion but most socialists in the UK were inspired by Christianity often methodists. So it could possibly happen through a gradual secularisation. It was unlikely to have come before 2008 however
 
Andrew: I know some people personally who are either Unitarians or were raised as Unitarians, and they would disagree with you about them not being Christian...
 
How about a change during the presidency. Bush seeing that the advise of God on the Iraq issue didn't work out that well and stop beliving.
 
How about a change during the presidency. Bush seeing that the advise of God on the Iraq issue didn't work out that well and stop beliving.

He'd probably be like Blair and not admit to his change until afterwards as it would damage his political credibility

Best Regards
Grey Wolf
 
Andrew: I know some people personally who are either Unitarians or were raised as Unitarians, and they would disagree with you about them not being Christian...

Many Unitarians are Christian. Many aren't - at least in any meaningful way. Some of us would claim that if you don't believe Christ one person of God you can't really count as Christian, and disbelief in the Trinity is what Unitarianism was founded on. Mind you, I've heard, as one example, an Episcopal priest state things that would make me not count them as Christian!

My wife has a friend who is Wiccan - and attends a Unitarian congregation to worship.
 
Culbert Olsen, Governor of California 1938-1942, was an atheist. Mind you, he was a pretty terrible governor, so it'd be hard making him president, but...

Maybe he gets picked as the VP in 1940, to offset a California vicepresidential pick by Wilkie (Hiram Johnson would be too old, though...) or if the ticket seems in real trouble, and they need to shore up California anyway. He gets renominated in 1944 and ascends in 1945...

Alternately, Senator Thomas Gore (Oklahoma, 1907-1921, 1931-1937) was apparently an atheist, according to his rather more famous grandson. Admittedly, he was blind, which would make it rather hard for him to become president, but if FDR could do it from a wheelchair...
 
Culbert Olsen, Governor of California 1938-1942, was an atheist. Mind you, he was a pretty terrible governor, so it'd be hard making him president, but...
Maybe he gets picked as the VP in 1940, to offset a California vicepresidential pick by Wilkie (Hiram Johnson would be too old, though...) or if the ticket seems in real trouble, and they need to shore up California anyway. He gets renominated in 1944 and ascends in 1945...

Olsen is an excellent find. I didn’t even know there was an Atheist Governor. However could he be elected in America? Even as a VP? I know Wilkie was liked however with Olsen openly not believing in God? Him refusing to say, "so help me God" when taking the oath of office for the Vice Presidency? Etc. Is he really electable in that sense? Also he had heart health issues found in 1939, with Wilkies heart issues isn't there a chance both could die in the same term?

There was a poll I saw which said that Atheists were the most un trusted group in America that’s the inspiration for this thread I suppose. Link: http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/story?id=1786422&page=1
 
... the fundamentalists are losing the battle in schools, and however bad the Iraq war is it is not the war against Islam that Al Quieda wants, merely a war for oil...
Are they? Cool! Well, unless it's one of those 'city academies' or whatever they're called now...
Tony Blair pointed out that people in the UK were wary of politicians who made religion a political issue.
YYyyesss... hence him waiting until after he had left office, to convert to Catholicism.

Anyway: like you say (but I didn't quote), probably if the candidate said "I'm an atheist. That doesn't mean I hate Christians, or anyone else. Deal with it." or similar, probably it would not be a huge issue.

I have to wonder how many of those in the US who say they are Christian, are actually only doing so because they feel they should be, rather than out of actual conviction?
 
Abraham Lincoln might have been an atheist.

Anyway, at this time it's ASB territory. They've done polls, more people are willing to vote for a gay person than an atheist; that takes some doing.
 
Not challenging at all. You'd need some kind of massive anti-religious movement or backlash to get an Atheist President, but it might look really good if there was a nefarious Christian Terrorist group. Heck, that sounds very feasible in its own right. Throw in extremist tactics and killing other people, and somehow discredit the Religious Right as a result, and you can do it.

And lets be frank, the book of Revelation is a scary document thats single steps from a doomsday cult. And there are already groups trying to bring about doomsday for religious reasons. Add a little Tom Clancy and you get an Atheist President.

As for the thread, I recall Lincoln actually wrote an anti-Christian document before he became extremely savvy in the political sphere. Now he certainly never openly declared it, but I suggest that a non-believer has probably already been president.
 
It did of course occur to me that there were two opportunities to potentially have a Mormon president. I don't know what that would have been like in 68 ?
Would many Americans have thought it virtually aetheism, or would they just have viewed it as some kind of aberrant Christianity ?

Best Regards
Grey Wolf
 
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