Closet Non-Religious Politicians?
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  Closet Non-Religious Politicians?
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Poll
Question: Do you think some American politicians might be secretly atheist/agnostic/nonreligious?
#1
Yes
 
#2
No
 
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Partisan results

Total Voters: 46

Author Topic: Closet Non-Religious Politicians?  (Read 2673 times)
Free Palestine
FallenMorgan
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« on: February 24, 2012, 05:33:56 PM »

Well?

I get the impression that Obama might be agnostic or something.  And certain neo-cons like Rush Limbaugh, Ann Coulter, and Pamela Geller strike me as being the right-wing atheist type.
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Redalgo
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« Reply #1 on: February 24, 2012, 07:30:16 PM »

My impression as of today is that some lefties and centrists conceal or at the least downplay their agnostic, non-religious, or atheistic views due to the immense amount of discrimination they might otherwise face in their bids to ascend into public office, whereas a minority of folks on the right are authoritarians who tend to manufacture an outward image of religiosity to manipulate and co-opt certain strategic, religiously conservative and reactionary constituencies.
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20RP12
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« Reply #2 on: February 24, 2012, 07:41:46 PM »

Rush Limbaugh? No way. Ann Coulter? Maybe. She did date Bill Maher. No doubt he rubbed off on her a bit.

Obama definitely isn't religious. Nancy Pelosi probably isn't, Probably a few lesser-known politicians, too.
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greenforest32
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« Reply #3 on: February 24, 2012, 07:53:25 PM »

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/10/04/secular-group-27-secret-atheists-in-congress/

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greenforest32
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« Reply #4 on: February 24, 2012, 07:56:13 PM »

Also: http://www.gallup.com/poll/148100/hesitant-support-mormon-2012.aspx

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ag
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« Reply #5 on: February 24, 2012, 08:54:45 PM »

Actually, to an atheist like me, Obama looks VERY religious. He is also very protestant in his style - something that leaves me personally quite cold. Of course, there are many other politicians who, probably, are quite atheist, but wouldn't fess up, but he doesn't seem to be one of them.
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FEMA Camp Administrator
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« Reply #6 on: February 24, 2012, 09:06:46 PM »

Actually, to an atheist like me, Obama looks VERY religious. He is also very protestant in his style - something that leaves me personally quite cold. Of course, there are many other politicians who, probably, are quite atheist, but wouldn't fess up, but he doesn't seem to be one of them.

I'm intrigued. What gives it away?
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tpfkaw
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« Reply #7 on: February 24, 2012, 09:21:05 PM »

Actually, to an atheist like me, Obama looks VERY religious. He is also very protestant in his style - something that leaves me personally quite cold. Of course, there are many other politicians who, probably, are quite atheist, but wouldn't fess up, but he doesn't seem to be one of them.

I'm intrigued. What gives it away?

Obama's speaking style is very "black preacher"-ish in its pitch and timbre; he's obviously had a good deal of exposure to that rhetorical style.
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LastVoter
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« Reply #8 on: February 24, 2012, 09:43:26 PM »

Actually, to an atheist like me, Obama looks VERY religious. He is also very protestant in his style - something that leaves me personally quite cold. Of course, there are many other politicians who, probably, are quite atheist, but wouldn't fess up, but he doesn't seem to be one of them.

I'm intrigued. What gives it away?

Obama's speaking style is very "black preacher"-ish in its pitch and timbre; he's obviously had a good deal of exposure to that rhetorical style.
Bill Clinton might have been an agnostic/atheist, maybe even Dubya, but that would be one of the most epic trolls of all time, I don't think you could actually go for so long without breaking character.
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Queen Mum Inks.LWC
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« Reply #9 on: February 24, 2012, 09:49:53 PM »

Clearly the answer is yes.  There has to be at least ONE out there.

Limbaugh, no.  Coulter, I could see.  I have no clue who Geller is.
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Free Palestine
FallenMorgan
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« Reply #10 on: February 24, 2012, 10:17:12 PM »

Clearly the answer is yes.  There has to be at least ONE out there.

Limbaugh, no.  Coulter, I could see.  I have no clue who Geller is.

Pamela Geller is an evil Islamophobic sociopath, who went so far as to defend someone who was charged with war crimes for the Srebrenica massacre.  She claims to be Jewish, apparently -- at least, that's what the Wiki page said.
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freepcrusher
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« Reply #11 on: February 24, 2012, 10:59:04 PM »

not to pick on them, but i've heard that a lot of people who identify as jews tend to be closeted atheists (not a bad thing since i'm an agnostic).
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Cory
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« Reply #12 on: February 25, 2012, 07:06:45 AM »

Bill Clinton might have been an agnostic/atheist, maybe even Dubya, but that would be one of the most epic trolls of all time, I don't think you could actually go for so long without breaking character.

No way on Bush Jr., Bush Sr though.....

I'm sure there are plenty of non-religious politicians who nominally identify as otherwise. Hillary maybe, Eric Cantor perhaps?
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memphis
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« Reply #13 on: February 25, 2012, 09:49:08 AM »

I think very few politicians are into the whole religion thing. It's just an Elmer Gantry face for tv. Look at Bush Jr. I have a bridge to sell anybody who bought his whole Jesus schtick. It was so obviously contrived.
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nclib
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« Reply #14 on: February 27, 2012, 10:14:58 PM »

not to pick on them, but i've heard that a lot of people who identify as jews tend to be closeted atheists (not a bad thing since i'm an agnostic).

One can be identify as a cultural or ethnic Jew and be atheist or nonreligious (not a contradiction).

The open-endedness of this poll is why it's so lopsided (29-0 yes after my vote). Of course there are SOME. As for Congress, I'd say there probably is at least one.
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Negusa Nagast 🚀
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« Reply #15 on: February 27, 2012, 10:21:39 PM »

Wouldn't surprise me if a few Democratic Senators were.

If that 27 atheists in Congress figure is true, I wonder what the breakdown is between Democrats/Republicans.
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Fmr President & Senator Polnut
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« Reply #16 on: February 27, 2012, 10:26:13 PM »

Tons... the left have to cover it up because people seem to have a problem with trusting openly atheistic people. The right have to cover it up because the base WILL NOT vote for anyone who doesn't talk about God and HIS place in their life, and of course, that HE told them to run.
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Negusa Nagast 🚀
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« Reply #17 on: February 27, 2012, 10:28:21 PM »

Tons... the left have to cover it up because people seem to have a problem with trusting openly atheistic people. The right have to cover it up because the base WILL NOT vote for anyone who doesn't talk about God and HIS place in their life, and of course, that HE told them to run.

Your PM is openly atheist, you lucky dog.
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Fmr President & Senator Polnut
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« Reply #18 on: February 27, 2012, 10:34:36 PM »

Tons... the left have to cover it up because people seem to have a problem with trusting openly atheistic people. The right have to cover it up because the base WILL NOT vote for anyone who doesn't talk about God and HIS place in their life, and of course, that HE told them to run.

Your PM is openly atheist, you lucky dog.

Indeed, not that religious views make a difference to me... unless they want to try to impose it on me.
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Filuwaúrdjan
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« Reply #19 on: February 28, 2012, 06:30:04 AM »

The phrasing of the question misses the point completely, I suspect. There are, of course, vast numbers of American politicians who are not exactly religious but who pretend otherwise for form's sake. But this is not a question of closets.
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milhouse24
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« Reply #20 on: February 28, 2012, 02:54:22 PM »

There are secular people who practice religious and cultural rituals like going to catholic mass or synagogue but don't let religious dogma influence their policies, or are more likely anti-evangelical for purposes of political influence and political division.

There are many rockefeller republicans and gay republicans who care more about reagan economics than social policies. 
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Free Palestine
FallenMorgan
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« Reply #21 on: February 28, 2012, 03:00:00 PM »

Wouldn't surprise me if a few Democratic Senators were.

If that 27 atheists in Congress figure is true, I wonder what the breakdown is between Democrats/Republicans.

I wouldn't be surprised if it was fairly even.  There are a lot of right-wing atheists.

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jmfcst
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« Reply #22 on: February 28, 2012, 03:06:32 PM »

it wouldn't surprise me if most D.C. pols were non-religious - they sure seem to understand nothing about religious people.
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John Dibble
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« Reply #23 on: February 28, 2012, 04:00:39 PM »

it wouldn't surprise me if most D.C. pols were non-religious - they sure seem to understand nothing about religious people.

Oh, I think they understand them quite well - how else would they manipulate them into voting for them?
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