If You’re Interested (or Bored)…
4 November 2007 by Bob
VOTE!
Is America Unofficialy A Theocracy? Make Your Next President Answer It
On the website 10questions.com an atheist going by the name lunch4lyfe asks two very important questions. If his videos make it in to the top 10 on the website they questions will be put to presidential candidates and they will have to answer it.the questions are;
1. As president will you impose your religion on people, Or is America unofficially a theocracy?
2. We have all heard what you will do as candidates to appeal to religious voters, But what will you do to appeal to the 30 million non religious voters in America?
Just go here, scroll down, and vote thumbs-up on the video.
Hey, it’s not like they’ll say anything really intelligent about it in the end — i.e., they’re politicians — but I think it would still have some entertainment value. Besides, it only takes a few seconds.
And don’t forget to tell all your friends about it…
4 November 2007, on 2:20 pm
I like the second question. The first, not so much. It seems a little hyperbolic, especially when one considers all of the REAL theocracies that exist in the world.
4 November 2007, on 2:48 pm
30 million non-religous? Allow me to laugh. That number’s closer to 5, if I do say so.
4 November 2007, on 6:40 pm
I’d love to ask why the tripping-all-over-themselves-to-show-how-pious-they-are candidates tolerate Hilary attempting to get authority over man when the Bible strictly prohibits it.
4 November 2007, on 7:30 pm
I’m smiling just thinking about the “what will you do …” question. It would lead to as yet unexplored realms of bafflegab.
4 November 2007, on 7:49 pm
skribb:
I’d be willing to bet that 30,000,000 is a serious underestimate. People routinely lie about such things. I do know a shitload of people who only show up at church when they are forced to and almost nobody I see is willing to say grace over their Big Mac. My polling is at least as subject to error as whatever was used to arrive at the 30,000,000 figure.
4 November 2007, on 9:18 pm
I know that there are plenty of non religious “Chrisitians.” They like to preach about the evils of homosexuality, abortion, and evolution, “because it’s in the Bible” but beyond that, they seem to know almost nothing else about the damned book. And they rarely ever go to church, but if you ask them about their beliefs, they’ll go on and on about how fucking religious they are.
I imagine that America is full of half-assed Christians like that these days. Maybe that’s where they’re getting the 30 million from.
5 November 2007, on 3:25 am
I have to agree that labeling this country a theocracy is a bit of hyperbole, likely to elicit snickers even from the moderately irreligious. Question one also sets up a false dichotomy (reminicent of “your either with us or against us”) Don’t much care for this question.
I would be curious as to where he came up with the 30 million figure. I do think there are a large number of people that identify themselves as religious that either feel there is too much mingling of govt with religion, or who are not all that concerned with candidates addressing their personal beliefs, so really, this question could pertain to these folk as well, with some careful re-wording. With this caveat, I really like question number 2
5 November 2007, on 11:12 am
I get the political expediency of the Dems cozying up to the religious and, frankly, it doesn’t bother me any more than the countless other examples of political pandering out there. I’ve come to expect that the next inevitable step- towards eventual posttheism, isn’t atheism or disbelief in general. We’re gonna have to endure an era of “kinder and gentler” godbothery, a Christinsanity Lite™, if you will. And, so long as it serves to marginalize, ridicule, and/or ignore the bigots and aspiring theocrats at the fringe, I can deal with it. It’s like, if your Dad is a psychotic meth-freak, you can handle a transition to social drinking along the way to total sobriety.
If I seriously thought that Hillary or Barack- or whoever, would govern as shills to the lunatic fringe, I’d be all over it but I think they’re just doing the typical politician’s chameleon dance- all things to all people.
I’ve never really thought of my atheism as political in any way. No more than I do my disbelief in any other ridiculous nonsense. I regard it more as symptomatic of a healthy mind, with religion being a deviation from that ideal by degree- from eccentricity to full-blown psychosis. So long as there is, say, a commitment to easing the plight of the least among us, I don’t care whether they call it xian kindness, humanism, or plain old compassion.
5 November 2007, on 12:03 pm
skribb,
If you go to the site for gallup polls, their info indicates 10% of the population as non-religious. US pop figures are just over 300 million.
Can you do math?
5 November 2007, on 12:18 pm
skribb said:
That number’s closer to 5, if I do say so.
It must be a theist thing. Pulling “facts” out of your ass. All the recent polls put the non-religious at 10-14% (depending on poll). That would make 30 million a low estimate.
Oh, and what democommie said (by the way, I’ve only ever read you on the The General’s site. I must say, you are one of the funniest and cleverest commenters out there. Keep up the work.).
5 November 2007, on 4:11 pm
Christinsanity Lite (TM) (RDZ): less filling - great taste! Less filling - great– Ah, who am I kidding? I got nothing…
5 November 2007, on 6:48 pm
This is post is linked at
Personal Democracy Forum
6 November 2007, on 1:13 am
I used to be a Cristian, but I got better….
Religeon is a desease best treated with large helpings of knowledge.
Religeon in government is uglier than in any other institution, and more deadly. Never thought I would vote Republican, but Ron Paul is the only principled person in the race. Just when I was getting ready to move to one of the more advanced (intellectually) countries. US is just ahead of Turkey in rejecting science. Now there is a reason to go to war! Conservative killers must go.
6 November 2007, on 9:38 am
skribb said:
That number’s closer to 5, if I do say so.
Perhaps this refers to the low rate of atheists in prison. You know, as opposed to Christians who are criminals.
HJ
6 November 2007, on 3:38 pm
^ :-D!