Fear of the Irreligious
In the constitutions of several southern states, articles that outlaw atheists from holding
public office remain. Outlawed by the Supreme Court decision of Torcaso vs Watkins in 1961,
these bans are not enforced. However, despite being stricken down 54 years ago, they are still
included in the constitutions unchanged. The disliking of having any atheist in office has not
faded over time either, according to a Gallup poll in 2012, 43% percent of people would not vote
for an atheist for president. Atheists ranked dead last, even behind Muslims who would have
40% of the population refuse to vote for them. How could people have tolerated political
prejudice due to their beliefs?
Well, imagine a man running for a city council position in Montgomery, Alabama. He
has a degree in political science and has lived in the region for his entire life. The man is running
against another politician from the same political party but he has a better degree. They are both
doing equally well in debates, have very similar platforms and are running a close race.
However, the first man eventually reveals he is an atheist. The numbers shift into the second
man’s favor, and he wins the election despite being not as qualified as the first.
Religion of the candidate being a large factor for some voters will confuse people 100
years from now. This process of assuming that people of different religions will do worse at
running the country is full of prejudice. People who switched their vote when the first man stated
he was an atheist shows the intolerance for differences in religion. The ethical principle of
fairness is broken here- no matter how qualified, honest or intelligent the candidate, they will not
receive a fair shot at being elected due to their beliefs.
In order to have a fair society, all prejudices towards religion need to go. While watching
political debates, sometimes the question of “What has God told you about running the country?”
has come up, and it frustrates me. Even in this nation’s birth, there was a separation of church
and state, such an idea is not new. Placing high importance on the religion of a person in political
affairs is dangerous because it upsets the idea of a separation between church and state. It is also
general discrimination against anyone of a different religion. People should be voted for on merit
and their own abilities, not by their skin color, gender or religion. Throughout history,
Bureaucracies of Merit have shown to be successful everywhere, whether it be China or Europe.
Political positions should not be based on the traits or beliefs someone has, but what they can
bring to the legislature. This is what creates successful governments.
As part of the majority, most people do not even realize they are being discriminatory.
Most genuinely want Christianity in their leadership, or they assume most of the candidates are
Christian. It is a large part of their lives, and they do not expect it to be any different when it
comes to politics. Religion is a large part of American history and culture, so this prejudice is
generally accepted by most people.
Personally, as an atheist, I can be more vocal about my beliefs and perhaps run for office
to work on changing perspectives and removing the anxiety from the irreligious in politics. I
could also be vocal about atheist discrimination, and do community service to hopefully change
the perspective of people. As a rapidly growing community, atheists can all be more vocal about
their beliefs, doing volunteer work and running for office will all help solve this issue. As a
growing minority, it is important atheists work towards to destroying all preconceived
perceptions of the group, before the discrimination gets more severe.
Works Cited
Jones, Jeffrey M. "Atheists, Muslims See Most Bias as Presidential Candidates." Gallup. N.p., 7
June 2012. Web. 10 Dec. 2015.