Question to DU's atheists: what issues are important to you (UPDATED)?

[redeye]

How important is separation of church to you, DU's atheists? And, more generally, what issues are you going to vote on in the primary and in the general?

On edit: which candidate do you support in the primary (no flames please)?

[lazarus]

1. critical

Separation of church and state is one thing that prevents us from becoming a religious dictatorship. It also helps keep down injustice against those of us in the minority.

Other than that, I'll be voting on the same issues as everyone else. Primarily, ABB.

[redeye]

3. Okay...

...what other issues are very important to you? I'm trying to find what issues are important to the liberal atheist community in the USA, apart from separation.

[lazarus]

6. economics are important

Education. I think we're in the middle of a struggle right now, and it could go either way. We desperately need a leader or leaders who are willing and able to stand up to the neocons.

One problem you'll find is that, just like any other segment of the liberal community, we don't all agree, either. I think education is a big deal, others might count it a little lower on the list. That sort of thing.

[redeye]

13. You're right about atheists diverging from one another

I'm just trying to see whether you can say that there is a "liberal atheist agenda."

[Terwilliger]

15. sure there is

GET THE FUCKING ***-POD BULLSHIT OFF MY MONEY, MY LAWS, MY BODY.

Seems pretty reasonable.

[redeye]

17. Yeah, I figured that one out

I'm tryign to see whether atheists are more or less united on, say, education, the war, gay rights, and abortion (I figured out those should be the top 4 following separation of church and state).

[Terwilliger]

23. and my $.02

education - socialistically guaranteed right

gay rights - rights for all minorities

war - dismantle the machine

abortion - leave women to their own decisions (for the most part)

[redeye]

24. I agree with you

I'm just trying to see what issues are important to liberal atheists (Liberator_Rev once posted a diagram that made it clear that atheists were overwhelmingly Democratic, so I'm guestimating that most atheists are also liberals).

[Terwilliger]

26. I'm not a liberal atheist?

All these issues are important...why would any one issue have one priority over another? Like Laz said earlier, atheists are a diverse bunch...we are concerned over lots of things.

My big issue is the legalization of drugs, but that's an issue swallowed up by my civil rights assertions.

[redeye]

27. You are, I never said you weren't

But you're only one, whereas I'm trying to get as many responses as possible. That said, I don't think what you said was worthless or anything.

[Terwilliger]

29. heh...thanks

the atheist contingent is usually up by 8:30, so you'll get more responses later ;-)

[Terwilliger]

8. do liberal atheists think differently politically than liberal Christians?

why or why not?

[dudeness]

2. absolutely imperative

I am in australia..but I always consider ..education ..health..industrial relations and foreign policy as the most important issues ..

[redeye]

4. Thanks

But, what exactly do you mean by "industrial relations"? Do you mean unions, keeping the manufacturing sector from shrinking, and that kind of stuff?

[dudeness]

10. a whole range of things redeye

industrial relations areas that need attention are freedom of association..ensuring independent arbitration in disputes..solid legislative requirements pertaining to employment conditions and entitlements..protection of workers retirement funds..there are plenty ..should i keep going??


cheers

[redeye]

12. Okay...

...thanks for explaining.

[JohnOneillsMemory]

5. PRIMARY. Superstition and ignorance plus weapons=extinction.

Religion in government is the same as mass murder and a complete denial of rule of law and reason.

[Philosophy]

7. Education

It's religion's natural enemy.

[WindRavenX]

9. Government and religion should never mix

One can be a just, moral person without having a religious background.
Adding religion to government leads to bigotry and hatred; ultimately, war and the death of that civilization.

[imax2268]

11. I like the fact...

that I can go into a government building and not have religion shoved in my face...grant it I believe that there is a reason for why we are all here and there is some explanation as to how we all got here...but I will not allow some bible belter wacko to tell me that we are all here because the bible says so...I won't allow someone to force their religious beliefs on me...if you want to practice a religion...fine...just keep it out of public buildings...that's why there are churches...after all isn't that the house of the lord...?
Isn't a church a place for worship...!

And lately we have seen just how religion is playing a part in todays society...look at all these priest molestations coming into light...

I tried to keep up with the ten commandments fiasco but I just couldn't take it anymore...if these people want to worship the lord...fine with me...just do it in the church where it belongs and let the rest of us go about our lives believing what we want to believe...!

Hope that makes sense...

[dudeness]

14. well said imax

I agree 100%..

[redeye]

16. I see

Anyway, how important is separation of religion and state to your voting? Is it crucial enough that you'll vote Green at a fundie like Lieberman, or is it sufficiently down the list so that you'll vote for a fundametalist Democrat if he were fairly good on other issues?

[dudeness]

18. I would rather vote for a muppett

than for a candidate standing on a policy platform of some kind of religious fundamentalism and dragging it into the houses of parliament..

[redeye]

19. Well, I guess that this answers my question

Thanks :D :9.

[AntiCoup2K4]

20. A believer crashed this party to ask one question:

If the Democratic party nominee was devoutly religious, yet a Liberal Progressive would that keep you from supporting him or her?

(And no, I'm not suggesting Lieberman. Since this is a hypothetical, let's say Jimmy Carter was running again. Or someone similar to him.)

[Terwilliger]

21. I support Kucinich

even though he's a ***-pod

[SoCalDem]

22. Jimmy Carter was a great man.. He was religious. BUT

He never wore his faith on his sleeve, not did he pontificate.. Carter was a humble man who believed, but did not Preach..

As I must have said a MILLION times, by now.. I have nothing against ANY religion.. People can believe whatever they want.. JUST KEEP IT WHERE IT BELONGS...

IT does not belong in the Courts, the public schools, and the workplace..

It should be in the home and in the church ..:)

[redeye]

25. That's a good question

If he opposes separation of church and state, then he can kiss my ass. If he supports, then I'll probably support him, just like I think blacks should support not only pro-civil rights blacks but also pro-civil rights whites.

[Amanda]

28. Interesting question...

"What issues are most important to liberal atheists", and I must congratulate you in your attempt to pin down a list of answers from a group of people who, while all atheist, happen to be as different from each other as any theist liberal.

A better question (and perhaps you asked it somewhere in the thread) is "How does the fact that you are without belief in a god or gods influence your political ideology?" Does being an atheist make me a different breed of liberal? Yes and no. I support the Democratic platform as does any other liberal: some planks more than others. I do think that being atheist, however, makes me more sensitive to the pseudo-religious bullshit being spewed by various right-wing factions, especially when such views are used as justification for things like blowing up small, poor, brown countries and bamboozling one's way into the Presidency. More than anything, though, this just makes me feel even more sorry for those folks who unquestionably believe whatever people in positions of authority tell them, especially when those authority figures invoke g-o-d at every given opportunity.

I think I speak for a goodly number of atheists here when I say that "Separation of Church and State" is a ruse. A joke. Perhaps it meant something at some point in time (after all, our good Founding Fathers intimately knew what it was like to live in a theocratic oligarchy), but this nation has been too infused with christianity for there to be ANY semblance of true separation. Unfortunately, this not only affects atheists and the non-religious but also non-christians as well (see post-Sept. 11th). Our leaders prove to me how little MY religious (or lack thereof) freedoms matter to them each time they criticize an atheist for exercising his/her rights as an American citizen to go to court over the Pledge of Allegiance (which you'd think was written by Ben Franklin, not the anti-communist Knights of Fucking Columbus, the way people in this country fawn over it), or discount the rights of non-christian students in our public schools, or support "Faith-Based" initiatives, etc. I've given up any shred of hope that this will ever change in my lifetime.

[Iverson]

31. interesting response

"How does the fact that you are without belief in a god or gods influence your political ideology?"

It's a great question, Amanda, but it is also essentially out of the individual's control because we're dealing with a reaction to (against) the infusion of religion into politics. The answer has to be the extent to which religion influences public policy. The alternative is to opt out.

Cheers.

[Iverson]

30. short and sweet

Regaining separation of church and state is very important to me.

Top issues for me are many, but they all derive from a personal idea of civilization.

Greens don't have a primary in Michigan, but I will try to influence those I know to support an actual Green for the presidential candidate. Among Democrats, I prefer Sharpton and Kucinich.

[JNelson6563]

32. Good question

As an atheist I am happy to answer.

I think seperation of church and state is important and I hope one day we establish it.

Issues: Education is way high on my list. As a serious student of history I know it is one of the biggest things that sets today's civilization apart from the middle-ages.

Health care is another thing. Just like the middle ages the more $$$ you have the better treatment you get. Canada is way ahead of us on this. I agree with Dean when he says he could not get a single-payer system passed. The reich-wing media would see to that.

Foreign policy is another area of big concern to me. I am embarrassed by this adminstration and look forward to having a president who doesn't call heads of state pygmies, dismiss millions around the world as "focus groups" or toss out frat-boy terms like "bring 'em on!" when discussing serious matters like war.

On the foreign policy front I'd also like to see us use our resources to help out parts of the world instead of stealing resources from rich countries and ignoring poor ones. One example is the cheap aids drug business for Africa. That needs to be addressed.

Trade is another important factor. I want us to use our clout to help workers around the world. We have the power to do so and we should use it. If a country has sub-standard conditions/wages for workers they need to improve those if they want the much sought after mighty dollar.

I'd like to see some serious re-prioritizing of our budgets too. The military doesn't need $400 billion a year for one thing. I'd put more money into the agencies that are supposed to keep an eye on things like the EPA, OSHA, SEC and others.

Those are a few of my concerns. I suppose they aren't much different from those on the left who are believers. On a closing note, I'd like to say I don't find a person "of faith" to be an instant "no" vote. As someone above mentioned Carter is a religious man but not like this bunch we have now. Prez. Carter actually practices his beliefs and doesn't ram them down the throats of others. I think he's great. Was thrilled and delighted when he won the Nobel prize! What a credit he is to our country! One fun thing to do is contrast his post-presidency career with that of Bush Sr. Most telling IMO.

Julie