It’s disengenuous to say fundamentalists are the only ones who want to ban stem cell research, abortions, and don’t believe in Evolution. Ignorance and faith is much more widespread than that.

The article is advocating an Atheist President, voted in by people who know they’re an Atheist, that judges policies through science and reason. At the very least not judging policies through human interpretation of religious texts.

Yes, so why bring it up? And why does no one ever seem to think that maybe it was, say, the communism that caused the problems?

Of course! My point is that, for every leader, regardless of his or her stance on God/god/FSM/etc, there are a hundred million reasons that guide their decision-making. It’s just as silly to say Stalin or Pol Pot was a horrible leader because they were atheists as it is to argue that George W. Bush or Hitler are/were horrible leaders because of their faith!

Maybe, maybe not, but there is every reason to think that an atheist leader might act more rationally.

I, respectfully, don’t buy it. A Christian leader may act irrationally because of the influence of his or her faith, but it doesn’t follow that an atheist leader will act rationally because of his or her lack thereof. Experience has taught me that people will be irrational for a great many reasons, many of them unrelated to religion.

If I may put just a few words in your mouth: I think you might say that given the choice between two exactly identical potential leaders, one of whom is a Christian and one of whom is an atheist, you would choose the atheist to lead because, of the two, he is the one who has not yet demonstrated irrationality.

It is a fair point.

To that I would argue that a democratic leader must rule by compromise and consensus, therefore having a large base of supporters would be quite helpful. As Christians have proven themselves politically active, organized, and very supportive of their own, all things equal, any potential leader would do well to align himself or herself with that group. Thus, looking back to the hypothetical question above, perhaps it is actually the professed atheist (who may automatically lose large numbers of Christian supporters) rather than the professed Christian (who may not automatically lose them) who is actually acting irrationally.

AJ:

are you suggesting, for instance, bans on stem cell research are not theological in nature?

In a universe devoid of politics, Bush’s nonsensical ban on stem cell research would have been a very clear example of religion-gone-wild at the White House. I think the reality is somewhat less clear-cut. One has to remember that Bush was elected by infinitesimally small margin, largely on the backs of religious fundamentalists; it is absolutely critical for the Bush administration’s solvency that it not alienate that support. I would call Bush’s decision at least as much religious pandering as religious conviction. Perhaps the lesson from this is not “don’t elect Christians,” but “don’t elect someone who owes too much to too specialized an interest group.”

Since when is Rove an atheist?

Last I heard Christopher Hitchens had “outed” him as an atheist. Where did you read that he had denied it?

Or if you don’t think Rove actually is, take Hitchens’ own neo-con tendencies… or any other atheist that agrees with the neo-cons for that matter – there must be some out there. It doesn’t matter what name you fill in the blank.

It has more to do with the idea that an atheist prez would not use his fath-based belief systems to derive his positions on issues, but rather a rational inquiry-based and merit-based thought processto do so instead.

Sure, but there are plenty of theist candidates who would do the same, so I don’t see the relevance of atheism vs. theism to who I should choose.

Also, would you say that the neo-con positions of an atheist like Karl Rove are “rational inquiry-based”? If yes, then that ought to be proof that “rational inquiry” is no guarantee of good policies. And if no, then that is proof that being an atheist is no guarantee of making rational decisions.

It’s the policies, not the metaphysical beliefs, that I’ll be voting on.

I’ll say this bluntly: most of the atheists that I know (either personally or via the internet) would have been quickly killed by Stalin; the vast majority of us are freethinkers which is diametrically opposed to Stalinism and its relatives.

Remember that Stalin also suppressed science when its conclusions were in conflict with his agenda, often with disaster as a consequence.