It's a well known fact that atheists are one of the most despised minorities in the United States. About a quarter of U.S. citizens believe that we have no morals just because we don't believe in the Mystical Sky Fairy.
Polls have shown that more people would be willing to vote for a presidential candidate of any other minority (Muslim, gay, female, etc.) than would vote for an atheist.
Another statistic: Did you know that 55% of U.S. citizens believe that America is a Christian nation, as established by the Constitution?
If that doesn't scare the hell out of you, it should.
Now, let's see what our presidential candidates have to say on the subject.
This is a quote from John McCain:
"I would probably have to say yes, that the Constitution established the United States of America as a Christian nation."
First of all...no...
Second of all......no......
How about some more revealing insight from the Senator:
"I think the number one issue people should make [in the] selection of the President of the United States is, 'Will this person carry on in the Judeo Christian principled tradition that has made this nation the greatest experiment in the history of mankind?'"
Good old Judeo-Christian principles. That's why we hold women in such high esteem, have equal rights for the gay, lesbian, and transgendered community, give women control over their own bodies, work to promote a healthy environment and embrace the medical promise of stem cell research.
Oh, and historically, there was nothing like the good ol' Wholly Babble to back up your basic civil rights argument, what with the 'servants, obey your masters' and all that.
How would we ever have become the first nation to put a man on the moon without Christianity? How could we possibly have opposed oppression throughout the world without good ol' Jeebus.
Pardon the sarcasm, of course.
Now let's hear another viewpoint.
A tip o' the hat to Senator Barack Obama for this one:
"Whatever we once were, we're no longer just a Christian nation; we are also a Jewish nation, a Muslim nation, a Buddhist nation, a Hindu nation, and a nation of non-believers."
What? You mean we don't live in a theocracy in which the beliefs of one religious group are forced onto all others? Shocking!
Thank you again, Obama:
"The separation of church and state is critical and has caused our democracy and religious practices to thrive."
Who to vote for? (I can't yet, but a girl can dream). Will it be the one who wants to turn America into Jeebus-Land, or the guy who a.) knows that the Constitution does not make America a theocracy and b.) enjoys not discriminating against minorities.
I might have to flip a coin on this one.
Incidentally, though it isn't apparent from the quotes, Obama is actually capable of forming a sentence and even doing it eloquently. The debates between Obama and McCain will be interesting.
As my mother just put it so very concisely "Obama...he's da bomb...a"
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That's a flattering pic of McCain ya got there....
A president who can come up with a grammatically correct sentence?! It's been a long time since we had one of those...