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What's So Weird About a Conservative Atheist?
The Atlantic ^ | February 26, 2014 | Emma Green

Posted on 02/26/2014 4:35:25 PM PST by lbryce

"It is an attack on God Himself."

This was how Brent Bozell, founder of the conservative Media Research Center, felt about the prospect of representatives from the American Atheists attending the upcoming Conservative Political Action Conference, the annual gathering of conservative leaders and organizations in Washington, D.C. On Tuesday, the Atheists announced they would host a booth at the conference next week; within hours, they had been disinvited. The group "misrepresented itself about their willingness to engage in positive dialogue and work together to promote limited government," a CPAC spokesperson told the Washington Post yesterday.

The American Atheists were invited—and then uninvited—from the Conservative Political Action Conference. Why?

The American Atheists disagree. "America’s religious conservatives can deny it all they want, but soon they’re going to realize that ignoring the growing number of atheist constituents is a losing proposition,” the organization's president, David Silverman, said in a press release. He says his group had been in conversation with conference's planning committee about 2015, offering up ideas for future atheist keynoters. Despite this year's snub, the Atheists are willing to reopen dialogue with CPAC about "the importance of religious equality," Silverman said.

(Excerpt) Read more at theatlantic.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Extended News; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: atheists; conservatives; republicans
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To: Misterioso

LOL, it is it’s foundation and strength.


21 posted on 02/26/2014 5:24:57 PM PST by ansel12 (Ben Bradlee -- JFK told me that "he was all for people's solving their problems by abortion".)
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To: lbryce

A conservative atheist makes far more sense than a liberal Christian.


22 posted on 02/26/2014 5:39:20 PM PST by HarleyD ("... letters are weighty, but his .. presence is weak, and his speech of no account.")
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To: hosepipe
SMH,

"The enemy of my enemy is my friend."

Do the evangelicals here slap down conservative Jews for not espousing "Christian values" or for rejecting Jesus Christ as their "Lord and Savoir?"

The religious infighting on this site is ridiculous.
23 posted on 02/26/2014 6:13:45 PM PST by Goldsborough
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To: x

The problem is that the Conservative base is shrinking and so
in order to remain politically viable they’re willing to increase the voter base that compromises, dilutes the underlying fundamental principles that have made conservatism the principled, logical ideology for a better, more fulfilling, civilized way of life, for God and country.


24 posted on 02/26/2014 6:26:58 PM PST by lbryce (Obama:The Worst is Yet To Come)
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To: lbryce
What's So Weird About a Conservative Atheist?

I don't believe in atheism.

25 posted on 02/26/2014 6:42:32 PM PST by ROCKLOBSTER (Celebrate "Republicans Freed the Slaves" Month.)
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To: Goldsborough
Do the evangelicals here slap down conservative Jews for not espousing "Christian values" or for rejecting Jesus Christ as their "Lord and Savoir?"

Perhaps you missed the "Judeo" in Judeo-Christian values. Conservatives (and Christians) recognize their debts to the marvelous culture of the Jews, as well as their special covenant with God. The only thing atheists have ever done is degrade and attack the values and traditions that made this country great.

26 posted on 02/26/2014 7:00:35 PM PST by Charles H. (The_r0nin) (Hwaet! Lar bith maest hord, sothlice!)
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To: HarleyD
I agree. My sister-in-law is an atheist and is extremely conservative. She believes that she only has so much time, so make the most of it and the govt either slows her down or tries to stop her. She is pretty hard nosed, but she'll help anyone who truly needs a hand, but not a handout. You would never know that she is an atheist unless you directly ask her. She says it serves no purpose to announce that she doesn't believe in god, except to allow someone to categorize her.

My other sister-in-law is extremely liberal and is Christian. She is an academic and thinks that centralized planning is the way to go.

The pair make for interesting family holidays.

27 posted on 02/26/2014 7:20:32 PM PST by fini
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To: xzins
Our Judeo-Christian sensibility responds to “endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights...” An atheist can only appeal to “we decided these were rights”... And if one group of leaders can decide them some other leader in the future can undecide them.

You nicely summed up why American conservatism is incompatible with Godlessness.

28 posted on 02/26/2014 7:22:28 PM PST by Sans-Culotte (Psalm 14:1 ~ The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.”)
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To: lbryce

I think its a mistake to exclude atheists. They can be and often are Conservative politically, they just don’t believe in a God. One of the most moral people I know is an atheist. CPAC made a mistake in kicking them out.


29 posted on 02/26/2014 7:25:04 PM PST by ColdSteelTalon (Light is fading to shadow, and casting its shroud over all we have known...)
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To: lbryce

Atheism provides for no ultimate objective source of individual sovereignty.

The only version of individual sovereignty available to atheism is the subjective kind, which makes it no different, ultimately, from any form of liberalism.


30 posted on 02/26/2014 7:26:15 PM PST by reasonisfaith ("...because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved." (2 Thessalonians))
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To: Goldsborough
The religious infighting on this site is ridiculous.

Amen !

Our Founders would be torn to shreds in here, inasmuch as most of them were 'mere' Deists.

I'm with them, 100%.

31 posted on 02/26/2014 7:28:13 PM PST by tomkat (God save me from those who want to 'save' me !)
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To: lbryce

Atheism provides for no ultimate objective source of individual sovereignty.

The only version of individual sovereignty available to atheism is the subjective kind, which makes it no different, ultimately, from any form of liberalism.


32 posted on 02/26/2014 7:36:04 PM PST by reasonisfaith ("...because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved." (2 Thessalonians))
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To: lbryce

“Despite this year’s snub, the Atheists are willing to reopen dialogue with CPAC about “the importance of religious equality,” Silverman said.”

Conservatives wouldn’t whine about this.

An atheist could be a conservative.

A group that defines itself in such an identity politics way isn’t conservative.


33 posted on 02/26/2014 7:51:18 PM PST by ifinnegan
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To: Goldsborough

Do the evangelicals here slap down conservative Jews for not espousing “Christian values” or for rejecting Jesus Christ as their “Lord and Savoir?”


Sometimes.. and as most Jews are various kinds of commies(socialists)..
Not all christians are christians, as not all Jews are Jews..

Actually not all americans are Americans..
or patriots patriots.. or even not women are Women.. or men Men...

It’s like that in Bizarro world..
Drop the Bong... look around.. it’s weird out there..


34 posted on 02/26/2014 7:53:39 PM PST by hosepipe (This propaganda has been edited to include some fully orbed hyperbole..)
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To: lbryce
I'm very conservative.

I'm also agnostic, bordering on atheist. (Don't have the cajones to go all the way, I guess).

You won't find a more staunch supporter of religious freedom, for all religions, than you'll find in me.

I consider atheism to be a religion that should not be elevated above other religions, especially in the U.S. where Christianity and Judaism were the founding and prevalent religions.

35 posted on 02/26/2014 7:57:16 PM PST by Washi (Stop Obama's War On Jobs)
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To: lbryce

Atheism provides for no ultimate objective source of individual sovereignty.

The only version of individual sovereignty available to atheism is the subjective kind, which makes it no different, ultimately, from any form of liberalism.


36 posted on 02/26/2014 8:28:44 PM PST by reasonisfaith ("...because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved." (2 Thessalonians))
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To: Goldsborough
The religious infighting on this site is ridiculous.

No kidding. Its no wonder we can't get anywhere.

THIS very conservative agnostic would like to see most of the Federal Government disassembled, abortion severely restricted if not outright prohibited, and freedom of worship (or not to worship) in the public square enforced and restrictions removed on the exercise of the Second Amendment among other conservative positions.

But some people here say that makes me a liberal.

37 posted on 02/26/2014 8:34:06 PM PST by superloser
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To: Gene Eric
But Atheists understand you enough to describe your God as fictitious.

That isn't "understanding." It's simply a fatuous remark to hide their ignorance.

38 posted on 02/26/2014 8:50:08 PM PST by cloudmountain
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To: cloudmountain

That’s kinda’ what I was getting at.


39 posted on 02/26/2014 8:54:21 PM PST by Gene Eric (Don't be a statist!)
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To: Gene Eric

O.K.


40 posted on 02/26/2014 8:56:26 PM PST by cloudmountain
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