A person's personal spiritual views and religious affiliation do not matter to me. However, as soon as they take the attitude that THEIR religion/views should be forced upon everybody, they lose my vote.
They will also not get my vote if they make asinine remarks concerning the non-existent "war on xmas" or get insulted when some folks dare to say "happy holidays" in this multi-holiday season.
A candidate's personal religious affiliation is of no concern to me. I might be surprised to learn that a candidate subscribes to Unarianism, I suppose... Of greater concern is how candidates include religion in their politics. I would never vote for a theocrat like Rick Perry who feels imposing his beliefs on others is part of running a government. I would never vote for an idiot like George W. Bush who flanked his WMD hoodwinking between liberal invocations of 'God Bless America.' ...On the same plane as the car dealer hedging credibility by including 'christian' in his/her advertising- a category well beyond tacky!
I will vote for a Presidential candidate of any faith or an agnostic if I think that they will do a good job for the country. I will not, however, vote for an atheist for President. I simply do not want someone to have their finger on the nuclear trigger who does not acknowledge that there may be something beyond the world's civilization that he/she has the capacity to end to hold him/her accountable. I don't put any stock in what particular religious beliefs a candidate for President has, only that they believe in something higher than themselves or other men.
Now, sharing my values, that's an entirely different story.
Dan, not so sure I understand your reasoning. The leaders of Iran are religious and would like to get the bomb to bring us all a lot closer to the end of days. I never heard an anthiest wish for the end of the world, since the thinking is there is nothing else after this life.
Charlie - ....and I wouldn't vote for those leaders because they do not share my values. Iran's extremist tinpot style government and its Ringo Starr lookalike dictator aren't reflective of the entire world's religious community, and I know that most atheists are peaceful people (many of my friends and some of my relatives are atheists) and I would vote for one for any other office. That being said, when it comes to choosing a President I do not want to vote for someone who believes that their accountability ends on earth and the reason being that they have the launch codes. That's all, it's got nothing to do with anything else.
My President (and government) is not responsible for providing my faith, they are responsible for ensuring that I am free to practice mine without persecution. His first and foremost job is to uphold the Constitution. I would love to be able to vote for a fully qualified, proven candidate who I trust implicitly and who happens to be an evangelical Christian, but I will have to wait for another election, 2012 doesn't have one.
Daniel, I think what Charlie means is that because atheists believe that this life is their *only* life, it must be treated with as much care as possible. They do not believe their sins will be forgiven, and they do not believe they will ever receive a "second chance." Therefore, an atheist of sound mind elected by the people to the office of president would be far less likely to ever actually use those nuclear weapons.
A person's personal spiritual
A person's personal spiritual views and religious affiliation do not matter to me. However, as soon as they take the attitude that THEIR religion/views should be forced upon everybody, they lose my vote.
They will also not get my vote if they make asinine remarks concerning the non-existent "war on xmas" or get insulted when some folks dare to say "happy holidays" in this multi-holiday season.
A candidate's personal
A candidate's personal religious affiliation is of no concern to me. I might be surprised to learn that a candidate subscribes to Unarianism, I suppose... Of greater concern is how candidates include religion in their politics. I would never vote for a theocrat like Rick Perry who feels imposing his beliefs on others is part of running a government. I would never vote for an idiot like George W. Bush who flanked his WMD hoodwinking between liberal invocations of 'God Bless America.' ...On the same plane as the car dealer hedging credibility by including 'christian' in his/her advertising- a category well beyond tacky!
I don't care for religious
I don't care for religious beliefs as long as they keep their beliefs out of politics.
I really lose respect for
I really lose respect for anyone who campaigns on their beliefs. It's a red flag to me. I always wonder what they are trying to cover up.
I will vote for a
I will vote for a Presidential candidate of any faith or an agnostic if I think that they will do a good job for the country. I will not, however, vote for an atheist for President. I simply do not want someone to have their finger on the nuclear trigger who does not acknowledge that there may be something beyond the world's civilization that he/she has the capacity to end to hold him/her accountable. I don't put any stock in what particular religious beliefs a candidate for President has, only that they believe in something higher than themselves or other men.
Now, sharing my values, that's an entirely different story.
"Unarianism" ... ah, a
"Unarianism" ... ah, a reference to where I grew up -- El Cajon, Calif.
http://howardowens.com/2005/03/10/space-brothers-landing-party/
Dan, not so sure I understand
Dan, not so sure I understand your reasoning. The leaders of Iran are religious and would like to get the bomb to bring us all a lot closer to the end of days. I never heard an anthiest wish for the end of the world, since the thinking is there is nothing else after this life.
Charlie - ....and I wouldn't
Charlie - ....and I wouldn't vote for those leaders because they do not share my values. Iran's extremist tinpot style government and its Ringo Starr lookalike dictator aren't reflective of the entire world's religious community, and I know that most atheists are peaceful people (many of my friends and some of my relatives are atheists) and I would vote for one for any other office. That being said, when it comes to choosing a President I do not want to vote for someone who believes that their accountability ends on earth and the reason being that they have the launch codes. That's all, it's got nothing to do with anything else.
My President (and government)
My President (and government) is not responsible for providing my faith, they are responsible for ensuring that I am free to practice mine without persecution. His first and foremost job is to uphold the Constitution. I would love to be able to vote for a fully qualified, proven candidate who I trust implicitly and who happens to be an evangelical Christian, but I will have to wait for another election, 2012 doesn't have one.
Daniel, I think what Charlie
Daniel, I think what Charlie means is that because atheists believe that this life is their *only* life, it must be treated with as much care as possible. They do not believe their sins will be forgiven, and they do not believe they will ever receive a "second chance." Therefore, an atheist of sound mind elected by the people to the office of president would be far less likely to ever actually use those nuclear weapons.