Why are so many liberals atheists?

Its amazing to me just how many there are. And how the Republican party is the total opposite. I was an atheist at one time but now I am a Deist.

with religion. It's a waste of time and a poisoning of the mind.

earthly institutions. Many see the ingrained corruption in the religion. Often they do not like being taken advantage of.

I'm seeing what I can find now.

We are more apt to question what we see and hear less likely to follow blindly. As I like to say the Republican Party is the Party of the Rich and the Stupid.

... but we don't necessarily spell better. You should be careful when casting "stupid" aspersions.

Did not know the grammer police trolled here.

That would be G-R-A-M-M-A-R. Grammer is the actor Kelsey...the guy who played Frazier.

self-delete

as we thought things through logically. Perhaps our brain chemistry is different. Who knows?

What I do know is that the Christians who have rejected Calvinism are generally pretty liberal. Calvinists are what the GOP is full of.

Most of us don't particularly want to convert anyone to atheism and most of us would acknowledge a god who actually managed to turn up.

There is no shame in being an atheist and no great honor, either. Believers can't convert us, and we probably can't convert them. What we can do is work together to make this country a place that is fair to all of us instead of the promised land for a few robber barons.

That's really the point, isn't it? What we believe or don't believe will happen when we die isn't particularly relevant to the struggle ahead of us.

I believe in God but I don't believe in religion.

Is that deism?

makes you spiritual rather than religious.

Religion is often being used as a bludgeon in our political system and in our society. And that is NOT what religion is about, nor was it ever supposed to be. BUT, the vocal loudmouth minority that supports that poisonous view of the Bible often goes unchallenged, and all we hear about is the hateful, vengeful, wrathful God of fire and brimstone, that could have stepped, living and breathing, right out of the pages of a Nathaniel Hawthorne novel.

I happen to be a Unitarian Universalist, a Christian, and a Liberal...and a Democrat. I have recieved what I believe to be the TRUE Word of God, and the TRUE Christianity, what Christianity is REALLY supposed to be about....love, tolerance, understanding, forgiveness, mercy, peace, joy...try reading the Gospels sometime. See if the image you get of Jesus from reading that...see if it at all squares with the image of Jesus that the Repukes and the Falwells and the Robertsons, and the Phelps's of the country spew and blather on about.

If that doesn't convince you, try looking into the following web sites

http://www.LiberalsLikeChrist.com
http://www.JesusNoRepublican.com
http://www.ChristianAlliance.org

On the other hand, if you just want a laugh, check out this site
http://www.kelleys.org/Jesus

Just because they say they do? They don't act like they believe what they say. Actions speak louder than their words IMHO.

I think that most atheists, and Deists for that matter are liberals. I think the process of questioning matters of faith, leads one to think a lot about how life on this planet works(or doesn't for some).

Most atheists I know are also politically liberal. Sure there's a Randian here and there, but overall I'd estimate atheists to be 75%+ Democratic/liberal.

and the answer is obvious... the Democratic part is much more welcoming (well .... welcoming is a relative term ...) of atheists than the repuke party....

it is easier than trying to quantify experience-based living spirituality to most people who hear religion and think Jesus. In my spiritual system all voices are prophetic. Some more than others. Jesus was a beautiful idealist with so many real lessons to be learned from, but then so were all prophets. There are so many voices today it can be hard to explain where I get my momentary world view so it is easier to tell people that I don't believe in what they believe in than it is to tell them I believe in everything they believe in plus everything everyone else believes in as well.

Forgive me for saying so but I really had to resist the urge to lable this a freeper post. I try to never jump to these conclusions but this is really something that freepers love to claim about people who choose to believe human values and organized religion aren't joined at the hip. I humbly apologize if this criticism offends, as it is not meant to.

Just curious.

Again, sorry to have made the criticism erroneously.

namely, that most liberals, or a large portion, are atheists. I'm an evolutionary theist myself, which implicitly entails belief in God.

Some liberals are atheists, no doubt. But the vast majority of liberals I know are church-going progressives.

Republican right-wing, Christian fundamentalist types murdered Christ in their minds. They believe mostly concepts that have contents which Christ rejected, such as helping the poor, the elderly, the crippled, those who can't help themselves. Christ was the ideal of human virtues, morals, and ethics to most. Republicans are the polar opposite of Christ's ideals in most of their beliefs.

I think we liberals are much closer to the tenants of the Christian faith than Republicans, even atheist progressives. Because some of us are atheists that takes nothing away from that fact.

The term "atheist" has been turned into a pejorative, if not nefarious term by Republicans, similar in nature as the term "liberal." Put the term "atheist" and "liberal" together, "atheist liberal," in the minds of Christian fundamentalist wackos, and you've created a living Satanic demonic spirit exemplified in matter and form.

Many atheists seem comfortable at DU and that is a good

But as a percentage of the Dem party, believers in God in one form or another exceed 90%, and even on DU they most likely reach 90%.

However it seems atheist posts justifying their non-belief, and taking a shot at those who do believe, do happen at DU in larger numbers than one would have anticipated based on population size.

Debate and saying I am correct about anything is not a violation of DU rules and does not reflect a lack of courtesy - but the need to make such posts is interesting. I really do not see many believers trying to convert the DU atheists. But the debate does seem extremely important to our DU atheist friends, and given the fact that the term "atheist" has been turned into a pejorative in many a GOP conversation, as you note, I can understand why it is important for an atheist to discuss.

wasn't the main message a shot at atheist?

don't see it at DU

but then I did not see this thread as taking a shot, so perhaps I do not "see" the same as others with different points of view?

:toast:

:-)

last time I looked, "non-religious" made up 14% of the population of the U.S.

is worded.

But at 86% (100 less the 14%) the conclusions would be the same.

The 14% at most becomes 28% if all "non-religious" are in our Dem 50% of the population.

It seems to me that if the number of Americans who believe in God is in the high 70% range, and Democrats make up 40% of the population, then the vast majority of Democrats believe in God.

But I know that doesn't necessarily entail that we Democrats all believe in the Christian God of The Bible.

I believe in God only in the strict logical sense of evolutionary theism, like many of our Founding Fathers, such as Thomas Jefferson.

Christianity in many aspects seems farfetched, to say the least. Burning bushes, parting of seas, plagues, etc., seem a logical reach. LOL. But the allegorical aspects, especially the ethical & moral, seem culturally pursuasive. "Thou shalt not kill," and the other commandments for instance. So religion has advanced civilization in imporatant ways by spreading proper-functioning--i.e., rules-based cultural behavior--in our cognitive states as human beings.

But now we have laws that are supposed to govern our behavior. Even if we don't agree with many of them, we still must obey, because there are certain laws we like that the other side doesn't want to obey, such as abortion, civil rights, etc.

:-)

Hey...Athiesm is simply a non-prophet organization!

...Why are so many conservative Evil?

There really aren't that many Atheist in the U.S. or the world, as compared to those who are NOT atheist.

You have any numbers to back your statements? And if you really believe that "...the Republican party is the total opposite...." You need to turn off the T.V. and read a book about marketing and/or advertising or Religious fundamentalists. :eyes:

Personally I believe saying there is no god is just as absurd as saying that there is a god-prove to me either argument.

Basically you can't.

But what does burn me though are people who think there is only one way to honor whatever god they claim to serve-thus far every person I have ever met that claims to serve god only serves themselves.

Personally I believe saying there is no god is just as absurd as saying that there is a god-prove to me either argument.

Basically you can't.

Saying "there is no god" is only one of several possible atheist foundations. A far stronger rhetorical position is to assert that "I do not believe that God exists." That statement requires no "disproof" of God and therefore needn't suffer accusations of absolutism.

It is also distinct from the particular agnostic view that we can't "know whether or not God exists," which is absolutist. The atheist statement addresses only the current lack of belief and makes no claims against future evidence.

As to whether or not more Liberals are atheist? I would guess percentage-wise (and based only on my anecdotal observations) that Libertarians are far more atheist per capita than Liberals or Conserviatives, for what that's worth.

...the question is worded in such a way that it infers an erroneous conclusion.

More appropriately, one might ask, "Why are some atheists also liberals?" Your wording infers that there is a direct causual link between a belief in liberal policies and a rejection of the supernatural, the same kind of flawed tactic used to claim that liberals were synonymous with communists. Therefore, I reject the entire premise and framing of your question.

:-)

The value or accuracy of atheism cannot be measured in numbers. It is not important, in the sense of if "God" exists, if there are no atheists, one atheist, or a million.

That said, statistically, in the USA, there is not a large percentage of the population who are atheists. But the numbers are not what is important: the constitution is the exact same for theists and atheists. And, so far as I am aware, there are no serious cases of atheists infringing on theists' rights in this country, no matter what fools like Sean Hannity may say.

The real questions would thus seem to be: {1} why do the majority of atheists who are politically active seem to be liberal?; and, {2} why do atheist liberals tend to have a greater understanding of the constitution than religious conservatives?

As a religious person, I tend to be able to carry on far more interesting conversations about the US Constitution with my relatives who are liberal atheists than those who are republican theists.

"The real questions would thus seem to be: {1} why do the majority of atheists who are politically active seem to be liberal?; and, {2} why do atheist liberals tend to have a greater understanding of the constitution than religious conservatives?"

Atheists are Earth bound. When our life is over it all ends for us. Thus searching for the best life becomes very important. Staying high don't cut it so now what? The Buddhist Nirvana search makes sense because your not chasing your tail for every doo dad that comes along. What Jesus said in the Beatitudes sounds like it has the best shot at creating peace on Earth. Now with all of the WMD peace sounds good. If we could just get the Republicans to buy in who knows?

but not necessarily atheist. I think you want to ask "why are so many atheists liberal?"

:popcorn:

On the other hand, if you're looking for a deep answer, the answer is that it's been this way for hundreds of years. As humankind progresses, institutions, especially governments, are changed. During these periods, there are two forces at battle: progress, which we usually identify as the liberal side, and the establishment, which we usually identify as the conservative side. Organized religion usually aligns itself with the establishment, because the government has power. It's a symbiotic relationship. Government lends support to religion, by setting up churches, and letting religious leaders advise the rulers. Religion lends support to the government by condemning rebels, or anyone who wants to change the government. When the forces of progress and the establishment clash, as I've said, religion will end up on the side of the establishment, leading those on the other side more likely to fear and distrust religion.
Just my $0.02

God doesn't care if we believe in him . . . or if we worship her . . . really . . .

codone predatory capitalism, the stonning of pregnant women, and unjust war. The sick red god thing is a god of embryos war riches and madness. The god I worship is jesus christ the prince of peace. A god who wants equality for gays, understands that sometimes abortion is necessary, wants to help poor people, wants to stop the mad war, and wants to heal people with the best medicine and healthcare available for all. That's my Jesus not this sick red god thing that the gop is worshipping.

well said!

And that one's easy - it's because atheists don't blindly accept as fact things for which there is no evidence, like unproven supernatural beings detailed in thousands-years-old tribal myths.

Kinda the way we don't accept the overwhelming lies of the Republican party at face value!

It seems to me that in America you have a group of people who don't think, who are Republicans, and the rest, who do think, who are liberals. The non-thinkers will usually spout off an accepted religious viewpoint, and the thinkers will react by questioning that, but that does not mean Republicans are actually believers or that we are not.

The thing about the atheists here is that they can be open about their non-belief, instead of doing the typical Republican thing of trying all the harder to convert others in the hope that they will then believe something themselves.

I have certain beliefs myself, but I respect anyone who thinks for themselves about what to, or not to, believe, rather than following a road that more authorities point down than actually follow.

The rationalist/atheist/libertarian thingy; I think it usually begins with Ayn Rand...

To me Ayn Rand was a destructive Libertarian. Her views as to fairness are totally unworkable. Her general concept is, if you are architect for instance and don't get your way in total blow the whole project up. (The Fountainhead) If you are gifted hold back any contribution so as to bring the whole world to a screeching halt and get all of the other gifted people to do it to. (Atlas Shrugged)

Never dawned on me that both of her heroes destroyed things because they could not have it their way! Waaaaaaa!

Who is John Galt? A big cry-baby, that's who!

not prone to accepting of beliefs unless they can find reason for doing so. They question authority, they questioned the validity of making a war with Iraq, questioned the evidence. They will question the evidence for god(s) and whether it makes sense.

Organized religion involves accepting the authority of a priest craft and their interpretations of God. Once people start seeking answers on their own, it leads them off in other directions, promotes individualism, which can easily lead to rejection of beliefs in deities.

Deism to my understanding is believing in a supreme being, but not one who can be known, such as the revealed Christian God. Often it is thought of the god of nature, of our physical surroundings.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deism

I think a large portion of free thinking religious types could be called Deists. The discussion as to whether a supreme being was responsible for the creation of the universe is likely to go on for a while, though there are some interesting theories such as M-theory that seem to provide a plausible explanation for how universes are created.

One obvious answer is "it just looks that way because so many Christians are Conservatives".

There's no objective standard for what proportion of atheists, non-atheists, conservatives or liberals is a lot or a little, so we base our ideas on " a lot more/less than the national average".

Most Christians are conservatives, which means that a much higher proportion of liberals are atheists than the national average suggests, because there are fewer non-atheists to "dilute" them.

That's a myth.

http://www.beliefnet.com/story/139/story_13948_1.html

'When that same poll asked about "prayer outside of worship" the gap shrunk dramatically, with 67 percent of Republicans and 61 percent of Democrats reporting that they pray daily or more often.'

That's a difference of only 6%, and this is people who pray daily!

I know some atheists who are neocons.

There are also atheists who are so far left I wouldn't even consider them liberals. They may (or may not) vote Democratic, but it's likely that many hold their nose while doing so.