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Should a Presidential candidate's religious beliefs be a factor in deciding how you vote?

leibowde84

leibowde84

Veteran Member
Red Economist said:
I finished watching an episode of the West Wing ("In God We Trust") in which it is strongly implied that the (fictional) Republican Nominee is an Atheist or Agnostic and therefore declines to make public his religious views (or lack of). It raised some interesting questions.

In spite of the separation of Church and State there is a kind of implicit assumption in US politics that religious beliefs or the lack of them will be a factor in how a President will arrive at making decisions. This is partly because of the supposed relationship between religion and morality, and in examining who a person 'really' is not simply as a public figure, but as a private individual whilst making important decisions. This may include specific issues where religion is a major factor in determining the outcome (such as Abortion, Gay-Marriage etc.) People therefore often draw conclusions about a person's character and ability to govern based on their religious beliefs. Atheists, as one of the most distrusted groups in America, are least likely to be elected president because of this.

Do you think that a Presidential Candidates religious beliefs should influence who a person votes for in an election? Would it matter if a person was a Muslim, an Atheist, a Scientologist or a Christian? Or should Candidates be allowed to keep their views private as recognition of separation of church and state or simply as part of respect for personal privacy and there individual rights? Or are we entitled to know about a person's beliefs as a way to judge their character and their decision-making?

This is obviously directed more at people from the US, but I thought it was a good way to think about the relationship between Politics and Religion in general.
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Honestly, I don't think Presidential candidates should even be aloud to disclose their religious beliefs to the public, but that is unrealistic (and probably impossible to keep up). Beliefs should be personal, and I do not want any of our leaders making decisions based on faith or beliefs. I want them to only consider the facts and the human beings living in THIS world.
 
Revoltingest

Revoltingest

Pragmatic Libertarian
Premium Member
Red Economist said:
I finished watching an episode of the West Wing ("In God We Trust") in which it is strongly implied that the (fictional) Republican Nominee is an Atheist or Agnostic and therefore declines to make public his religious views (or lack of). It raised some interesting questions.

In spite of the separation of Church and State there is a kind of implicit assumption in US politics that religious beliefs or the lack of them will be a factor in how a President will arrive at making decisions. This is partly because of the supposed relationship between religion and morality, and in examining who a person 'really' is not simply as a public figure, but as a private individual whilst making important decisions. This may include specific issues where religion is a major factor in determining the outcome (such as Abortion, Gay-Marriage etc.) People therefore often draw conclusions about a person's character and ability to govern based on their religious beliefs. Atheists, as one of the most distrusted groups in America, are least likely to be elected president because of this.

Do you think that a Presidential Candidates religious beliefs should influence who a person votes for in an election? Would it matter if a person was a Muslim, an Atheist, a Scientologist or a Christian? Or should Candidates be allowed to keep their views private as recognition of separation of church and state or simply as part of respect for personal privacy and there individual rights? Or are we entitled to know about a person's beliefs as a way to judge their character and their decision-making?

This is obviously directed more at people from the US, but I thought it was a good way to think about the relationship between Politics and Religion in general.
Click to expand...
I don't care about what candidates believe about the supernatural world.
What only matters is how they will affect the material world.
 
A

Awoon

Well-Known Member
Marisa said:
We've had a long string of christian presidents, but not all of them have sought to legislate their belief. Given that in the US today, still more than 70% identify as christian yet elected Obama for 2 terms, that suggests that not all christians are interested in implementing religious law.
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Vetting candidates before elections is not laws.
 
A

Awoon

Well-Known Member
Marisa said:
We've had a long string of christian presidents, but not all of them have sought to legislate their belief. Given that in the US today, still more than 70% identify as christian yet elected Obama for 2 terms, that suggests that not all christians are interested in implementing religious law.
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Obama identifies as a Christian. Do you have privy knowledge otherwise?
 
A

Awoon

Well-Known Member
Marisa said:
Is it reasonable to attempt to assess whether or not a candidate's beliefs will affect laws he/she attempts to enact?
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We hear what Christian candidates want. I want them to prove Jesus existed without using religious writings.
 
leibowde84

leibowde84

Veteran Member
Marisa said:
We've had a long string of christian presidents, but not all of them have sought to legislate their belief. Given that in the US today, still more than 70% identify as christian yet elected Obama for 2 terms, that suggests that not all christians are interested in implementing religious law.
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Wait, I'm confused by your post. Obama is Christian too.
 
Marisa

Marisa

Well-Known Member
leibowde84 said:
Wait, I'm confused by your post. Obama is Christian too.
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Yes, but that's not the point of my post. The point of my post lies in the people who voted for him, which were overwhelmingly self identified christians who voted for a candidate who does not want to legislate from his religion. They had the option to choose that in McCain/Palin and again in Romney/Paul. This point was doubled down in choosing a running mate (Biden) who is very catholic, but is very Kennedy in his catholicism.
 
Marisa

Marisa

Well-Known Member
metis said:
Ditto.
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I've explained myself twice now, as well as made several posts with the very same meaning. Do I need to do it again? At this point, I'm willing to accept that I wasn't as clear as I could have been. Let me know if I need to try again.
 
metis

metis

aged ecumenical anthropologist
Marisa said:
I've explained myself twice now, as well as made several posts with the very same meaning. Do I need to do it again? At this point, I'm willing to accept that I wasn't as clear as I could have been. Let me know if I need to try again.
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I wrote and posted "Ditto" after you already had responded as your post hadn't show up yet on my screen, so now I'm clear on what you were saying.
 
leibowde84

leibowde84

Veteran Member
Marisa said:
Yes, but that's not the point of my post. The point of my post lies in the people who voted for him, which were overwhelmingly self identified christians who voted for a candidate who does not want to legislate from his religion. They had the option to choose that in McCain/Palin and again in Romney/Paul. This point was doubled down in choosing a running mate (Biden) who is very catholic, but is very Kennedy in his catholicism.
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Thanks for clarifying.
 
George-ananda

George-ananda

Advaita Vedanta, Theosophy, Spiritualism
Premium Member
Red Economist said:
I like your honesty George-ananda. :) Is it that Atheists are (usually) free thinkers so your not sure what they are going to do if they got power? Or maybe the bad association from Atheist=Commies?
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No, it's just my emotional dislike of atheism's implications that life has nothing in the future for the individual besides decrepitude of body and mind and then annihilation.
 
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