So I read the other day how Rep. Pete Stark of the SF Bay area is...gasp...an atheist! As one myself, I've come to grips with the fact that we live in a Christian nation. The Pilgrims were religious nuts who wanted to enforce their brand of Christianity on others and the Founding Fathers clearly were Christian believers. While the constitution contains certain separations between church and state, all of the public god references (see our money, being sworn in, etc.) clearly show that we live in a theist, if not Christian, country.
I was intrigued by the reaction, or lack thereof, of Stark's "outing". On one hand, it was a momentous occasion in that in the history of elected officials in Congress. He's the first one to admit that he doesn't believe in god. Women, racial minorities of every color, openly gay men/lesbians and people of just about every theist religion (ok, maybe not Wicca) had been elected before an open atheist had been. Shit, there was a Muslim elected the House of Representatives, who was sworn in on Thomas Jefferson's (nice choice) Koran, before someone ran as person who didn't believe in god.
Yet, the story about Stark got a big yawn, even in the conservative press. National Review online? Nada. Fox News' website? A small blurb off of a wire story. Focus on the Family's website? Zero. Yeah, there were a few see how godless those democrats are missives from som tiny organizations, but you get my point. Could they think that it's not such a big deal? That it's no surprise that someone as liberal as Stark is an atheist? Or, more likely, that in a Christian society like ours running a non-theist is the kiss of death? I'm thinking the latter. Sigh.
1 comment:
good lord. if your feet are REALLY as big as they look, my hat's off to your wife.
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