Would You Vote in an Atheist for President?

Should the President need to be Christian?


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Landon Caeli

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Nearly every president in the US has been a Christian. I was just wondering if that plays a major role in your decision making, or if that's just a coincidence these days...

So does your president have to be Christian? or religious..? or spiritual..? Or does that stuff not matter much compared to political views.
 

Tree of Life

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Presidents should be Christians because everyone should be a Christian. But I'm a pragmatist on this question. I would not refuse to vote for a person simply because they were not a Christian.
 
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public hermit

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I would vote for anyone who seemed to me would make a good president, regardless of their religion or lack thereof. The only candidate I would not vote for, beyond a shadow of a doubt, is anyone who had a TV show called The Apprentice.
 
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Arcangl86

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Yeah to me the religion of the candidate is a non-issue. Just because somebody identifies as a Christian publically doesn't mean that he would run the country in a way I agree with. The opposite is true as well. A non-Christian is just as capable of support my political beliefs as a Christian.
 
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Occams Barber

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Nearly every president in the US has been a Christian. I was just wondering if that plays a major role in your decision making, or if that's just a coincidence these days...

So does your president have to be Christian? or religious..? or spiritual..? Or does that stuff not matter much compared to political views.


I'm disappointed that this question is even considered relevant, although given the pro-Christian bias in the US, I'm not surprised.

The Australian attitude to the religion of their Prime Minister can be summed up in the following quote:

Religious belief has played a major part in the adult lives of no more than half of Australia's 27 prime ministers. For some it has been a driving force and a central part of their public personality. But for many others it has been a trivial characteristic.
The religious beliefs of Australia's prime ministers (eurekastreet.com.au)

In other words, the Australian electorate doesn't consider the PM's religion as a particularly significant issue.

OB
 
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Albion

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A "Christian" cannot be president and follow the Sermon on the Mount.
?? What would prevent any of us, presidents included, from following these admonitions?


Matthew 5:21-26 - Anger and Murder
Matthew 5:27-30 - Lust and Adultery
Matthew 5:31-32 - Divorce and Remarriage
Matthew 5:33-37 - Oaths
Matthew 5:38-42 - Eye for an Eye
Matthew 5:43-48 - Love your enemies
Matthew 6:1-4 - Give to the Needy
Matthew 6:5-15 - How to Pray
Matthew 6:16-18 - How to Fast
Matthew 6:19-24 - Treasures in Heaven
Matthew 6:25-34 - Do not worry
Matthew 7:1-6 - Do not judge hypocritically
Matthew 7:7-12 - Ask, Seek, Knock
Matthew 7:13-14 - The Narrow Gate
Matthew 7:15-23 - False Prophets
Matthew 7:24-27 - The Wise Builder
 
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Dave L

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?? What would prevent any of us from following these admonitions?


Matthew 5:21-26 - Anger and Murder
Matthew 5:27-30 - Lust and Adultery
Matthew 5:31-32 - Divorce and Remarriage
Matthew 5:33-37 - Oaths
Matthew 5:38-42 - Eye for an Eye
Matthew 5:43-48 - Love your enemies
Matthew 6:1-4 - Give to the Needy
Matthew 6:5-15 - How to Pray
Matthew 6:16-18 - How to Fast
Matthew 6:19-24 - Treasures in Heaven
Matthew 6:25-34 - Do not worry
Matthew 7:1-6 - Do not judge hypocritically
Matthew 7:7-12 - Ask, Seek, Knock
Matthew 7:13-14 - The Narrow Gate
Matthew 7:15-23 - False Prophets
Matthew 7:24-27 - The Wise Builder
War and killing enemies for one.
 
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Pavel Mosko

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Nearly every president in the US has been a Christian. I was just wondering if that plays a major role in your decision making, or if that's just a coincidence these days...

So does your president have to be Christian? or religious..? or spiritual..? Or does that stuff not matter much compared to political views.

In theory yes, but in practicality would be very hard and very rare. I would want somebody like Alain De Botton of "the School of Life", someone who has appreciation for the positive contributions of Christianity to western culture and thought.

However I'm afraid when it comes to politics and the various ambitions that come with that you would get someone who is much less benign. Probably not on the order or Pol Pot, Mao or Stalin, but maybe an atheist version of Hilary Clinton, or maybe a Richard Dawkins who also wants to use his political power to deplatform, silence and eventually reeducate Christians into his ideal of a godless utopia.


 
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Occams Barber

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However I'm afraid when it comes to politics and the various ambitions that come with that you would get someone who is much less benign. Probably not on the order or Pol Pot, Mao or Stalin, but maybe an atheist Hilary Clinton, or maybe a Richard Dawkins who also wants to use his political power to deplatform, silence and eventually reeducate Christians into his view of a godless utopia.


LOL - watch out for the evil atheists. This ridiculous (and offensive) stereotype sounds like something torn from the pages of a Christian comic book.

OB
 
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Dave L

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LOL - watch out for the evil atheists. This ridiculous (and offensive) stereotype sounds like something torn from the pages of a Christian comic book.

OB
Anytime the Church controls the State, many die.
 
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Albion

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Does love your enemies ring a bell? Here did Christians in the NT take part in war rather than flee?
Nothing is going to "ring a bell," Dave, until and unless you connect something to one of the points in the Sermon on the Mount.

Best I can tell, none of us is incapable of helping the poor, fasting, praying, adhering to Christian principles on marriage and divorce, loving our enemies, and so on.
 
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Dave L

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Nothing is going to "ring a bell," Dave, until and unless you connect something to one of the points in the Sermon on the Mount.

Best I can tell, none of us is incapable of helping the poor, fasting, praying, adhering to Christian principles on marriage and divorce, loving our enemies, and so on.
Jesus said we do not fight because his kingdom is not of this world. How many have the institutional churches killed in Christ's name? Do you think tares might do this instead of true believers?
 
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Albion

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Jesus said we do not fight
What verse from the Sermon on the Mount are you referring to there?

How many have the institutional churches killed in Christ's name?

The institutional churches were not part of your statement. It was about Christians supposedly not being able to serve as president and adhere to what's in the Sermon on the Mount.
 
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Dave L

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What verse from the Sermon on the Mount are you referring to there?



The institutional churches were not part of your statement. It was about Christians supposedly not being able to serve as president and adhere to what's in the Sermon on the Mount.
How do you follow Christ in the military where you are unequally yoked with unbelievers? And follow their commands instead of God's?
 
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