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January 8th, 2013
07:00 AM ET
My take: 'Atheist' isn’t a dirty word, congresswoman
By Chris Stedman, Special to CNN (CNN)—This year, Congress welcomed the first Buddhist senator and first Hindu elected to either chamber of Congress, and the Pew Forum noted that this “gradual increase in religious diversity … mirrors trends in the country as a whole.” But Pew also noted one glaring deficiency: Religious “nones” were largely left outside the halls of Congress, despite one in five Americans now saying they don’t affiliate with a religion. There is, however, one newly elected “none” — but she seems to think "atheist" is a dirty word. Rep. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Arizona, was sworn in a few days ago without a Bible, and she is the first member of Congress to openly describe her religious affiliation as “none.” Although 10 other members don’t specify a religious affiliation — up from six members in the previous Congress — Sinema is the only to officially declare “none.” This has gotten Sinema a fair amount of attention from the media. Many identified her as an atheist during her congressional campaign, and after she won, sources touted her as a nontheist. Even this past weekend, Politico declared in a headline: “Non-believers on rise in Congress.” Follow the CNN Belief Blog on Twitter But there’s a slight issue: Sinema doesn’t actually appears to be a nonbeliever. In response to news stories identifying her as an atheist, her campaign released this statement shortly after her victory: “(Rep. Sinema) believes the terms non-theist, atheist or non-believer are not befitting of her life’s work or personal character.” As a nontheist, atheist and nonbeliever (take your pick), I find this statement deeply problematic. It is perfectly fine, of course, if Sinema isn’t a nontheist, and it is understandable that she would want to clarify misinformation about her personal beliefs. But to say that these terms are “not befitting of her life’s work or personal character” is offensive because it implies there is something unbefitting about the lives and characters of atheists or nonbelievers. Christmas exposes atheist divide on dealing with religion Try substituting a religious group of your choice in place of atheist if you don’t agree: “[Rep. Sinema] believes the term Muslim is not befitting of her life’s work or personal character.” Does that sound right? It shouldn’t. Of course, many do view Muslims as unfit for political office. In that respect, political opponents have regularly misidentified President Obama as a Muslim. Many have defended the president from such attacks by noting that Obama is a Christian. But former Republican Secretary of State Colin Powell rightly pointed out the pernicious underlying message such a defense sends:
Just as Muslim is used as a political smear, politicians seem to avoid "atheist." This is probably because the American electorate views both Muslims and atheists more unfavorably than they do other groups: According to a Gallup poll released in June, only 58% of Americans would vote for a “generally well-qualified” Muslim candidate, and only 54% would vote for an atheist. (This is the first time that number has been above 50% for an atheist candidate.) By contrast, 91% would vote for a Jewish candidate, 94% for a Catholic and 80% for a Mormon. There seems to be a greater general tolerance for, or blindness to, comments that marginalize or diminish atheists than those aimed at other groups. CNN’s Belief Blog: The faith angles behind the biggest stories Prominent individuals like Powell rightfully decry anti-Muslim fear-mongering in politics, but few speak out against those who wield accusations of atheism as a political weapon. Whether people don’t see it or simply aren’t bothered isn’t clear, but it remains a problem. I respect Sinema’s right to self-identify as she chooses, and I don’t wish to speculate about her religious beliefs. But while I celebrate that she is comfortable enough to openly identify as bisexual, I find her response to being labeled an atheist troubling. Why not instead say that she’s not an atheist, but so what if she was? The 113th Congress is rich with diversity. As an interfaith activist, I am glad to see the religious composition of Congress more closely reflect the diversity of America. As a queer person, I’m glad that LGBT Americans are seeing greater representation in Washington. But as a proud atheist and humanist, I’m disheartened that the only member of Congress who openly identifies as nonreligious has forcefully distanced herself from atheism in a way that puts down those of us who do not believe in God. We are Americans of good character, too. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Chris Stedman. |
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The CNN Belief Blog covers the faith angles of the day's biggest stories, from breaking news to politics to entertainment, fostering a global conversation about the role of religion and belief in readers' lives. It's edited by CNN's Daniel Burke and Eric Marrapodi with daily contributions from CNN's worldwide newsgathering team and frequent posts from religion scholar and author Stephen Prothero.  |
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Editor’s note: Chris Stedman is the author of "
The beautiful thing about America is that you are free to worship (or, not worship) as you please. Folks get into trouble when they decide that their belief is the only belief and all others must be shunned or "dealt with" in terrible ways. The more we write about differences, segregate people for the purpose of politics by race, color or creed we will continue to perpetuate discrimination and never rid our world of it. So, enough already. Write about how to help people in need, how to get kids to respect and yearn for education and how to assist our elderly so that their final years are not lonely and a misery. Now those are worth our time, energy and treasure.
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Absence of evidence, is evidence of absence.
Not sure who said that but it seems legit to me.
Who says atheism is a dirty word? And why would anyone care what others say, anyway? The people who claim to know "God" the most are the ones to steer clear of in my opinion. To me, it is just as unfruitful and tiring to contemplate the opposite of "God" as it is to contemplate "God." Agnosticism is much easier. The real importance is not what we profess to believe, it is what we actually do believe. As in the Book of James, it is by our works that we are known. Or, to paraphrase Buddha, as we think therefore we do. So, are you kind and helpful to other people? Or, are you self-centered and egotistical? Buddha was asked many questions about the divine and the hereafter. Just as the Pharisees tried to trap Jesus into making claims one way or the other. But like Jesus, Buddha was very wise. He only taught people what they needed to know to cross over the river of self and attain true peace. Simple people do not debate theology. They smile when the son rises and sets, and are thankful for the rain and harvest.
Jesus didn't teach that. He said, "I am the way, the truth and the life. No man comes to the Father but by me." John 14: 6 In that singular verse, He eliminated all options by declaring an absolute truth. See John 8: 31-36.
aren't you proud of dodo?
i am too smart for you idiots
not even fvcktard by sambo?
i prophesied a while ago, our Nazis would never respond to my challenges directly; that they would divert.
still batting 100%
faith,
Like you said, there were no Nazis that answered. That's because there aren't any on here.
Ooops. 100% wrong apparently.
our nazi atheists learned much from the original nazi propagandists. our god-hating demon infested liars expect readers to buy their line that congress is filled with christians to the exclusion of atheists. these fools try to perpetrate this same kind of bull regarding hitler's faith. it never dawns on them that most people are smarter than they are.
to wit, saying "i am a christian" means about as much as sambo the pervert saying she doesn't hate god. never occurs to these idiots that saying something and meaning something are different. or, if it does, they don't want you to figure it out.
nice touch
test the spirits. try them. many idiots run around preaching garbage. our idiots believe jesus was merely an amalgam of various myths taken from other cultures and fashioned together to make a big political splash 300 years after he was crucified. that is exactly what these morons ram down your throats.
collapsing a child's skull by vacuuming the brain from her head to make it easier to flush the child from the birth canal, a spectacular breakthrough in modern medicine? who knows? they shy away from discussing that marvel, or didn't you notice?
faith,
Speaking of being smarter, you might do some reading and learn that Nazis don't exist in any significant numbers today.
Ooops. Your obsession with them is anything but "smart".
dorothy says she's a scholar.
uh oh. u got me
big dick nixon wasn't a crook. fdr was not going to involve america in the war overseas.
faith
"big dick nixon wasn't a crook. fdr was not going to involve america in the war overseas.'
Yep. TOTALLY clueless what a Nazi is. Education would help. Why not try it so you don't look so foolish?
Insane troll is insane.
YOU PEOPLE SHOCK ME.. YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO LOVE THY NEIGHBOR ..YOU KEEP CALLING PEOPLE IDIOTS..AND YOU THINK YOUR BETTER.. SAD... NOT CHRISTIAN OR WHATEVER RELIGION YOU ARE... i AM AN ATHEIST AND I TREAT PEOPLE FAIR AND EQUAL AND DONT JUDGE.
if you refuse to post it, why do u care if its a duplicate, dodo?
uh, why is the author of this article wearing earrings??
What does his wearing earrings have to do with anything?
NOBODY is an atheist right before they die. FACT.
You know this how exactly? I have it written in my Living Will that any talk of god on my death bed is to be ignored, no minister of any faith is to brought in...I have sat and watched my Mom die...she hallucinated horribly-the human brain goes through changes when faced with death and I don't know anyone who wishes to die, so we conjure up things to try to ease the suffering. The fact is that no-one has ever returned from the dead to tell us if there is life after death and until there is that evidence, there simply is no reason to believe. I'm afraid of the process of dying, not death itself-for all I know nothing further occurs after that and unlike you, I am fine with that.
Generally when people end their claims with the word "FACT", they are talking out their ass.
shortly before he died, with his wife gone, and after a long life dedicated to mocking christians and god, dad received Christ as his savior and he lives in heaven
specifically, when demon possessed, disgusting nazi terrorists speak, they are spewing hateful lies
Rob
It is DELUSIONAL NONSENSE that you claim you know what goes through EVERYONE'S mind before they die.
You don't have clue in the world what the word "FACT" means. Get a dictionary. Pathetic.
FACT? Well since facts can be backed up by data, we will be anxiously awaiting the results of the studies done on EVERY atheist who has died. Pfft.
"The fool has said in his heart, 'There is no God.'" Psalm 14: 1 "
And as stupid as your comment is, even if it were true. That would still not be considered evidence of your imaginary friend being real.
Free speech helps educate the masses................POLITICIANS too !.............time to EVOLVE !!!
Where do morals come from?
By Kelly Murray, CNN
http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2013/04/12/where-do-morals-come-from/#comments
Gravity is not up for debate !
BY the way ...................Splat goes a fairy in the sky !...............bye bye tinker bell !
Einstein's Gravity Theory Passes Toughest Test Yet..............................E = mc2..........(U–Pb).................two math formulas.
Apr. 25, 2013 — A strange stellar pair nearly 7,000 light-years from Earth has provided physicists with a unique cosmic laboratory for studying the nature of gravity. The extremely strong gravity of a massive neutron star in orbit with a companion white dwarf star puts competing theories of gravity to a test more stringent than any available before
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/04/130425142250.htm
Hey James Madison................religion has none it looks like.............with the comments on this blog.
The Big question is ETHICS ! does religion have any ?
The Ethics of Resurrecting Extinct Species
Apr. 8, 2013 — At some point, scientists may be able to bring back extinct animals, and perhaps early humans, raising questions of ethics and environmental disruption.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/04/130408165955.htm
April 30, 2013 at 4:16 pm | Report abuse |
May 1, 2013 at 12:42 pm | Report abuse |
Dinosaur Egg Study Supports Evolutionary Link Between Birds and Dinosaurs: How Troodon Likely Hatched Its Young
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/04/130418104324.htm
And NO ANGELS the pope KICKED them OFF the TEAM last year !
From Soup to Cells—the Origin of Life
http://evolution.berkeley.edu/evosite/evo101/IIE2aOriginoflife.shtml
the wrong path is Adam and Eve !
Human Y Chromosome Much Older Than Previously Thought
Mar. 4, 2013 — The discovery and analysis of an extremely rare African American Y chromosome pushes back the time of the most recent common ancestor for the Y chromosome lineage tree to 338,000 years ago. This time predates the age of the oldest known anatomically modern human fossils.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/03/130305145821.htm
No god(s) needed or required to graduate from public schools in the US
Remember : Adam had to POKE himself hard with his OWN BONE to create Eve.
No god(s) needed................... Old. DNA works..................also catches crooks !
Ancient DNA Reveals Europe's Dynamic Genetic History
Apr. 23, 2013 — Ancient DNA recovered from a series of skeletons in central Germany up to 7,500 years old has been used to reconstruct the first detailed genetic history of modern Europe.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/04/130423134037.htm
Ca-nabis and Cannabinoids (PDQ®) – National Cancer Insti-tute
http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/pdq/cam/cannabis/.../page4
Mar 21, 2013 – [1,2] These plant-derived compounds may be referred to as phytocannabinoids. ... have a protective effect against the development of certain types of tumors. ... In lung cancer cell lines, CBD upregulated ICAM-1, leading to ...
Good stuff !
The fact...............the earth is to old for this nonsemse ! Time to EVOLVE !
Ancient Earth Crust Stored in Deep Mantle
Apr. 24, 2013 — Scientists have long believed that lava erupted from certain oceanic volcanoes contains materials from the early Earth's crust. But decisive evidence for this phenomenon has proven elusive. New research from a team including Carnegie's Erik Hauri demonstrates that oceanic volcanic rocks contain samples of recycled crust dating back to the Archean era 2.5 billion years ago. Their work is published in Nature.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/04/130424132705.htm
For what...................... ? Make sure to read what the pope said !
Where do morals come from?
By Kelly Murray, CNN
http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/
Learning is fun with facts.......................... and facts work when teaching children.
Atheist Prof. Peter Higgs: Stop calling Higgs boson the ‘God particle’
Professor Peter Higgs said recently that there is no God and so people should stop referring to the theoretical partial that
bears his name as the “God particle.”
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/04/08/atheist-prof-peter-higgs-stop-calling-higgs-bosen-the-god-particle/
Pope praises science, but insists God created world updated Thur October 28, 2010
Stephen Hawking is wrong, Pope Benedict XVI said Thursday – God did create the universe. The pope didn't actually mention the world-famous scientist, who argues in a book published last month that the laws of physics show there is no need for a supreme... \
http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2010/10/28/pope-praises-science-but-insists-god-created-world/
Science
Heaven is 'a fairy story,' scientist Stephen Hawking says updated Tue May 17, 2011
By Dan Gilgoff, CNN.com Religion Editor The concept of heaven or any kind of afterlife is a "fairy story," famed British scientist Stephen Hawking said in a newspaper interview this week. "I regard the brain as a computer which will stop working when...
http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2011/05/17/heaven-is-a-fairy-story-scientist-stephen-hawking-says/
April 7th, 2012
08:32 PM ET
The Jesus debate: Man vs. myth
http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2012/04/07/the-jesus-debate-man-vs-myth/comment-page-137/#comment-2281915
Make sure to read comments
April 18, 2013 at 3:10 pm | Report abuse |
Breaking News
NASA: Three planets found are some of best candidates so far for habitable worlds outside our solar system.
http://www.cnn.com/2013/04/18/us/planet-discovery/index.html
NASA: Mars could have supported life
Star Dust we are
Holy Hallucinations 35
The ORIGIN story is bullsh-it...............so is the bible............... nasty !
From Soup to Cells—the Origin of Life
http://evolution.berkeley.edu/evosite/evo101/IIE2aOriginoflife.shtml
BBC. Planet of the Apemen. Battle for Earth 1. Ho-mo Erectus
BACKFILL on E =mc2.....
Einstein letter, set for auction, shows scientist challenging idea of God, being 'chosen'
By Jessica Ravitz, CNN
Decades before atheist scientist and author Richard Dawkins called God a "delusion," one world-renowned physicist – Albert Einstein – was weighing in on faith matters with his own strong words.
“The word God is for me nothing more than the expression and product of human weaknesses, the Bible a collection of honorable, but still primitive legends,” Einstein wrote in German in a 1954 letter that will be auctioned on eBay later this month. "No interpretation no matter how subtle can (for me) change this.”
http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/category/culture-science/
May 4, 2013 at 6:47 am | Report abuse |
Peace
You will burn in HELL!
Rob: Do you tell your kids that? Do you not think that's abusive?
People like Rob are one of the many reasons that, if I actually believed in a god. I would never be christian. I don't consider such blind, ignorant, almost rote hatred to be moral.