Rhetoric Race and Religion
As an atheist, it’s a pretty sure bet I won’t get into heaven (which doesn’t matter since, well, I don’t believe it exists). But it also looks like I couldn’t get elected president either.
According to a recent Pew Research Center survey, more than half of Americans reported they would be less likely to vote for an atheist running for political office than for a believer. In fact, they preferred pot smokers and adulterers over atheists, which makes the study a little hard to dissect. Does that mean not believing in sin is worse than sinning?
At the same time, nearly the same percentage said they would be less likely to back a candidate who had never held office before. As someone who couldn’t win an election in his own house, that’s a second strike against my electoral chances. Oh, and military service was the top factor in winning someone’s likely vote (43%). We’ll just count that as a third strike — no military background — and I’ll declare right now my noncandidacy for the presidency. Which isn’t all that disappointing. The gig comes with a nice house, but the hours stink, everybody blames you for everything, and you have to wear a suit. Deal breaker.
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