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(Vanity) Can An Atheist Be a Genuine Conservative?
Comtedemaistre

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?


TOPICS: Your Opinion/Questions
KEYWORDS: atheists; conservatism; flamebait; nationalreview; religion
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To: BunnySlippers

You are supposed to say I take it you agree with Hitler when you are at a loss in on an internet thread.


381 posted on 01/19/2006 4:39:41 PM PST by Raycpa
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To: JNL

I think that a large percentage of Conservatives are Conservative Christians....but as others have pointed out here.... world view doesn't always drive politics....but it usually does.


382 posted on 01/19/2006 4:41:18 PM PST by Halgr (Once a Marine, always a Marine - Semper Fi)
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To: ComtedeMaistre

Considering that Conservatives and the Christian Right were two separate camps before the 1980s, I would say yes.


383 posted on 01/19/2006 4:43:59 PM PST by Quick1
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To: ComtedeMaistre

Can An Atheist Be a Genuine Conservative?



Yes and No.


384 posted on 01/19/2006 4:44:55 PM PST by WKB (If you can't dazzle them with brilliance.. then Baffle them with BS)
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To: Raycpa

You didn't have the decency to ping me to 380 wherein you mentioned me. Yes, I think Islamists should put aside their insistence that women cover themselves from head to toe while legislating.

The fact that you cannot understand that is stunning.


385 posted on 01/19/2006 4:46:17 PM PST by BunnySlippers (Boorrrringg ...)
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To: Raycpa; don asmussen

Don,

Sadly Raycpa would have all US citizens adhere to his Christian beliefs rather than legislating to a populous that may not belong to his religion. He seems to be myopic in believing that you cannot legislate knowing that many may not subscribe to his own religious beliefs.

Disgusting. No wonder Christian Republicans seem to scary.


386 posted on 01/19/2006 4:54:44 PM PST by BunnySlippers (Boorrrringg ...)
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To: ComtedeMaistre

That's why they call them Neo-cons.


387 posted on 01/19/2006 4:57:37 PM PST by Eva
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To: BunnySlippers
The fact that you cannot understand that is stunning.

I respect your opinion that Christians can be legislatures so long as they don't act like Christians. I think its unreasonable but I respect it. Also, I didn't thinl I needed to ping you when I was pinging you to the next post.

388 posted on 01/19/2006 5:10:59 PM PST by Raycpa
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To: BunnySlippers
Disgusting. No wonder Christian Republicans seem to scary.

Your unwarranted fears about Christians demonstrates my original point. Christians will not trust atheists (or others that dislike Christians acting on their beliefs) enough to elect them to posisitions of power over them.

BTW, what legislation do you fear most that Christians might impose on you?

389 posted on 01/19/2006 5:14:43 PM PST by Raycpa
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To: shempy
Words have meaning. The meaning of logic is "the art of non-contradiction". If logic were just whatever each individual wanted to call logic, the term would be wholly without meaning.

Logic is just the rules, it isn't reason itself.

If I can take something that belongs to someone else, and I can get away with it, why shouldn't I take it? I don't see how that would be illogical. I want the thing, it could improve MY life, why shouldn't I just take it?

Along those lines, if I had the power, why shouldn't I suppress speech or take guns? I think it would be irrational NOT to take away guns if you're in power and want to stay there.

What is logical about morality?

390 posted on 01/19/2006 5:16:23 PM PST by DameAutour (I'm uniquely one of us and one of them.)
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To: Raycpa

I'm not reading the whole thread. I have no idea how many times you have mentioned me.

That's irrelevant. I don't want your brand of Christianity, anyone elses brand of Christiantity, Islam, Hinduism, Judiasm ... anything in the laws that I have to follow.

The mere fact that you cannot repudiate or denounce efforts to inject religious laws on the books speaks volumes. I don't see the point to arguing ad nauseum about this.



391 posted on 01/19/2006 5:17:20 PM PST by BunnySlippers (Boorrrringg ...)
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To: Mighty Eighth
No, they're STATISTS, like most "social" conservatives are, deep down.

"Statist" is a slippery term. Once it meant hard-core socialists. Today it may just mean people who aren't anarchists. At any rate, for some people, everyone -- even the Founding Fathers -- counts as a "statist."

392 posted on 01/19/2006 5:25:02 PM PST by x
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To: ComtedeMaistre
Oriana Fallaci is a European example...though in some sense she might fit the American definition of a conservative ! She is a 'classical' liberal! Remember not too long ago the terms conservative & liberal had the opposite meanings they have now ! A 'conservative' supported a powerful centralized state, subjects if they had rights they were not inherent but granted by the sovereign power to the 'subject' with a 'directed' or mercantilist economy. A 'liberal' supported popular participation in government, individual rights for the 'citizens'(usually means 'natural' or inherent rights) & a free market economy.

also Oriana called herself a 'Catholic Atheist'...which I find 'interesting' !
393 posted on 01/19/2006 5:25:04 PM PST by Reily (Reilly (Dr Doom))
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To: Richard-SIA
No.

Please see what I was responding to and quit hyperventilating.

394 posted on 01/19/2006 5:36:02 PM PST by Harmless Teddy Bear (1. You are drunk. 2. This is not a waltz. 3. I am not a woman; I'm the Cardinal Archbishop of Lima.)
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To: BunnySlippers; Wormwood
Except I did not say that. Here is what I was responding to posted by Wormwood.

Wormwood -Still, it seems most of the Taliban was religious. Wonder why?

My post- Isn't that sort of like saying most of a church is religious?

If a movement or group is based on a religious belief then it would logically follow that most would be religious.

I refer you to my post #16.

Sheesh that has got to be the most misunderstood statement I have posted on FR to date.

395 posted on 01/19/2006 5:45:15 PM PST by Harmless Teddy Bear (1. You are drunk. 2. This is not a waltz. 3. I am not a woman; I'm the Cardinal Archbishop of Lima.)
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To: ComtedeMaistre

Well, I personally know many agnostics/atheists who hold conservative positions straight down the line (anti-big gov't, pro-gun, anti-abort, pro-border enforcement, etc.), so the answer to your question is yes.


396 posted on 01/19/2006 5:46:17 PM PST by Mr. Mojo
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To: Halgr

True but to lump all Conservatives as Christian leaves out a lot of other people (Jews for example)


397 posted on 01/19/2006 7:03:26 PM PST by JNL
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To: ConservativeDude

>an atheist can be a conservative, but a hater of Christianity >cannot be a conservative...so...only atheists who are >tolerant in the best sense of the word.

As a conservative atheist, I would agree that tolerance is needed, if not required, in great measure. After a lifetime of mom trying to cram military protestantism (I'm a navy brat) down my throat, I'm pretty sick of religion in general. But I think that the operative word in your post was "hater". Haters, in my experience have short views on life.

>that said, i think this category of conservative is quite >small.

We're not as small a group as you think.


398 posted on 01/19/2006 10:59:13 PM PST by EN1 Sailor
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To: Sensei Ern
GO ahead, ask me any test question and see whether a FUndamentalist Baptist can be a true conservative.

OK, what's a Schumer?

399 posted on 01/20/2006 3:38:58 AM PST by Forest Keeper
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To: shempy; tutstar
Hello Shempy -

You see, that is why I don't believe in god. I have never been confronted with that sort of extraordinary evidence to support the extraordinary claim.

You're right in that it is a most extraordinary claim. There is none other like it. I would be happy to do my best to show you the extraordinary evidence if you would like. :)

If there really is a god I would love to get to know him, and I mean this sincerely.

Good, that puts you ahead of most.

I just can't pretend to believe or force myself to believe in god. If I could force myself to I probably would.

Please do not even try. :) It doesn't work like that at all. God doesn't drag His children, He loves them and brings them along willingly. Also, please do not worry in the slightest that you have done something wrong in that you do not believe "what you are supposed to believe". This is not the case. God will touch you first.

I wouldn't be so heartbroken at the death of a friend. I could make more sense out of the senseless.

Absolutely true, and a thousand other benefits you may not have even thought of yet. :)

But I just can't.

You're right! I couldn't either, but God can!

To me, god is nothing more than Santa Claus for adults. A mythical figure used by society to inspire moral behavior amongst the masses. I believe that morality does not require religion, it simply requires logic.

You are not alone. Many feel this way. At the very least, I can can show you why Christians believe as we do.

But either way, I don't have a beef with religious folks. My wife is religious, my kids are baptized, and most of my employees are religious. Religion has been one of my greatest interests for most of my life. I have spent a ton of time searching for god. I haven't found him, but I bear no ill will to those who believe they have found him.

You sound like you have a very open mind. You already have all the tools you need. If you like, I can try to show you some things about God you may not have thought of before. Please feel free to ask any question that comes to mind. There is no blasphemy from an honest seeker! :) You may ask something I don't know the answer to off the top of my head, but I will pledge to get you the answer. In this way my own faith will also grow, so we both win!. May God bless you in your search - Forest.

400 posted on 01/20/2006 5:16:10 AM PST by Forest Keeper
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