Posted on 01/19/2006 3:56:16 AM PST by ComtedeMaistre
Most conservatives are religious. But there is a small minority of non-religious individuals, who were attracted to the conservative movement because they were influenced by secular movements such as Ayn Rand's objectivism.
Should atheists be welcomed into the conservative movement? Do atheists make good conservatives?
Do these folks claim persecution in the US or discrimination?
Of course. Silly question.
Without a doubt. But it is wrong to make religious belief a prerequisite for political ideology. There are a lot of Christians who are conservative, and a lot who are not. Even different Christian denominations argue about which ones are really Christian and which ones aren't. That is not an arguement that is helpful for conservatism. THat being said, there is a degree of overlap in the area of social morals. Many Christians, in particular those who are labeled 'fundamentalist' or 'evangelical' in the MSM are find better alignment with conservatives than with liberals. Unless you are a liberal Christian where the Democrats share more philosophy with you. It's similar to conservatives and Republicans having more affinity together, but are not necessarily unified in reality.
You can't base public policy on religion and emotion.
Do you have an example of where you feel that has happened?
"I don't believe in atheists."
Yes, well...my being a conservative atheist does not depend on your belief in any way. But thanks for thinking of us.
"Just like what Nazi Germany did to the Jews, so liberal America is now doing to the evangelical Christians. It's no different. It is the same thing. It is happening all over again. It is the Democratic Congress, the liberal-based media and the homosexuals who want to destroy the Christians. Wholesale abuse and discrimination and the worst bigotry directed toward any group in America today. More terrible than anything suffered by any minority in history."-- Pat Robertson
"You say you're supposed to be nice to the Episcopalians and the Presbyterians and the Methodists and this, that, and the other thing. Nonsense, I don't have to be nice to the spirit of the Antichrist."-- Pat Robertson
"I hope I live to see the day when, as in the early days of our country, we won't have any public schools. The churches will have taken them over again and Christians will be running them. What a happy day that will be!"-- Jerry Falwell
"The idea that religion and politics don't mix was invented by the Devil to keep Christians from running their own country."-- Jerry Falwell
All of these quotes to me suggest persecution.
Thanks for the ping, but I ain't gonna get into this.
"MineralMan comes to mind.
"
Thanks for the mention.
And God's existence doesn't depend on whether you believe in Him or not.
It hasn't happened yet.
One need not be religious to hold Judeo-Christian values and to acknowledge the importance of those values, even if they don't necessarily believe in the source of those values.
Neither does God.
Atheists aren't necesarily depraved. Look at Ted Kennedy, he says he isn't an atheist and lives like he is.
I didn't think so.
Absolutely. Conservatism and being religious are not mutually exclusive at all.
I'm not an athiest (I'm Catholic), but it's perfectly reasonable that an athiest can be conservative. You don't have to be Christian, or Jewish, or any other religion, to believe:
-that abortion is murder (science proves this, not just religion)
-marriage is between man and woman (athiests can have opinions)
-fiscal responsibility is good
-we have a right to keep and bear arms
The list goes on. I get infuriated by Freepers who seem to think that if one isn't a Christian that they can't be a conservative.
Here's a thought:
Most conservative Christians and Jews become conservative by way of social issues and Biblical truths.
Most Athiest conservatives become conservative by way of libertarianism (although some Christians are libertarian but that's another day's topic).
We then meet on common ground.
If you're a conservative atheist, upon what premise do you base such beliefs as;
abortion is murder
homosexuality is a sin
stealing is wrong
murder is wrong
??
"But the 10 commandments seem to be front and center."
I am currently a church goer because I found a church that truly serves its fellow man in a variety of ways and always has a message that makes sense and helps me in my daily life. Though, I was raised in the church, I was away from it for many years because of the ?reliosity?. I thought myself an atheist at that time. During that period I still believed that the Ten Commandments were worth believing in because of the practicality. The more people that adhered to them, the better the world be would be for me to live in. An atheist can agree with the "shalt nots" strictly from a logical standpoint and still not go along the the man made crap, which I still believe has little to do with God. One can have God without religion, but it is wonderful to find a church that brings you closer without the stuff that originally drove me away. Conservatism makes practical sense just like the Ten Commandments make sense regardless of religion.
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