re: #73 freetoken

America has a religiosity problem, and there are hardly no political leaders who are willing to broach it.

That religiosity problem being the electorate. Since they are religious, they will vote the way their religious leaders tell them to. “That politician supports abortion rights. If you vote for him, you imperil your soul.” It is pretty easy for a group of religious leaders (cough cough Catholics, Evangelicals) to manipulate people into voting against their interests in the tens of millions.

I’m not sure how to address it. A politician running as an atheist is almost certainly a dead letter in an election. There is a reason only two of us are in office in my state at any level of government, and Sen. Ernie Chambers is term-limited. (Atheists appear to be the largest minority without representation in government, and almost universally acceptable to discriminate against.)

It is noteworthy that Rep. Pete Stark came out as an atheist in very liberal California. It is more noteworthy he did that after he retired from Congress. Even there apparently saying you’re an atheist would doom your candidacy.

If it won’t work in California, it pretty much won’t work anywhere else in the nation.