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Stained Glass Ceilings
Posted By Stefan Monsaureus
The Crypt, a blog at politico.com, reported on comments made by Senator John Kerry at a recent Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life event. In “The Stained Glass Ceiling for Atheists,” the one-time presidential candidate is quoted as saying that atheists have little chance of becoming president.
“The vast majority of Americans say they believe in God,” Kerry said, responding to a question about the likelihood of an atheist or agnostic winning the presidency. “The vast majority of America, at some time, goes to church, and I think it matters to people. When you are choosing the president of the United States, people vote on the things that matter to them. So I think it is probably unlikely that you are going to find somebody who stands up and says, ‘Well, I don’t believe in anything,’ and you’ll get a whole bunch people who get excited about voting for that person,” Kerry said. “It’s just a fact.”
Let’s look past the ignorance betrayed by characterizing atheists as not believing in anything, as if our worldview was entirely vacuous; it’s a statement he should be called on but, quite frankly, Kerry wears the cloak of irrelevance so well that it seems almost pointless to bother. But the fact that he goes on to express regret for not talking about his faith more during the campaign - as if that was the cause for his defeat - is stunning in light of the increased attention that atheism has recently received. Many freethinkers (myself included) thought that if nothing else, the increased visibility of the “New Atheist” crowd would sensitize politicians to the existence of this substantial population (one that exceeds that of many religious denominations).
Either Kerry is oblivious to the existence of this sizeable secular minority, or views it as unworthy of consideration. In either case, it is obvious that overt criticism of Abrahamic religious faiths may garner attention, but is insufficient for forging political clout. Different strategies are needed to build awareness for (and assert!) the political power of atheists and agnostics.
The 2004 presidential candidate again expressed regret for not talking about his faith more publicly during the campaign, and allowing Republicans to paint a caricature of him.
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1 November 2007
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