Atheists Feeling Left Out

Atheists and other non-believers are feeling a little left out these days as we near the primary elections:

One presidential hopeful is a preacher, another proudly Mormon, and most openly tout their Christianity. In an arena where faith can make or break a politician, the one in 10 Americans who profess no religion feel left in the cold.

"They're very disconcerted," said Darren Sherkat, an atheist sociology professor specializing in religion at Southern Illinois University.

"They're horrified by both the Democratic and Republican rhetoric surrounding religion -- that people who are not religious ... are immoral, that they're not qualified to serve in public office," he said.

What rhetoric? Who among the candidates or their handlers is saying that non-religious people are immoral? In fact, Mitt Romney was specifically asked if an atheist could be a moral person and he said yes. Not a single significant person in any of the campaigns has suggested that non-religious people are unqualified to serve in public office. It's a myth.

If atheists want to run a candidate of their own, go ahead. However, just as atheists are suspicious of religious candidates, religious voters will be suspicious of an atheist.

You can read the rest of the article if you must, but I think the whole argument is silly.