Ahira's Hangar

A very wide margin indeed...last I remember reading, there were only something like 2 million admitted atheists in the country. I'm sure there are many more, but I don't think it's stretching it too far to say that many never admit it for fear (often justified) of persecution or discrimination, or being ostracised by their family, etc.

I was a little too young to pay much attention to Reagan, but I certainly agree that Gorbachev should be recognised for his role too. It's like here...the last apartheid president, FW de Klerk, played a huge part in ending apartheid, but is given too little credit, despite having shared the Peace Prize with Mandela.

--A

I forgot to add that it's undoubtedly true in Canada as well. And it's likely true that atheists are in the minority in every country in the world. I'd be surprised if that wasn't the case. After all, atheism hasn't been around that long, compared to the world's major religions. Right?

Back to Obama: maybe it's true that he has forfeited any right to religious privacy because of the controversy over Rev. Wright...but I'm not entirely convinced. It seems to me that the incident at the Wall is a different matter, though I can't articulate why I think that.

The Rev. Wright thing was a more public thing as in the two had a long public association (not that that makes it necessarily right) - whereas the Wall thing was completely private - Obama had not even put his visit to the Wall on his press itinerary for the trip. I know I ran into a link that showed the latter, and if anyone wants to see it, I suppose I can play "go google".

The discussions regarding Jeremiah Wright's theological views (IIRC, most of Rev. Wright's sermonizing has some basis in Liberation theological ideals) and Wailing Wall incident are really the same thing. Since in both cases we're examining a candidate's religious beliefs or lack thereof.

Reviewing U.S. history, no atheist presidents. FYI, U.S. politics have always been mixed up with U.S. politics (examples, Aaron Burr, US Vice President, was related through two connections to the New England preacher, Johnathon Edwards, through his mother and through his wife since he was married to a cousin from his mother's side of the family). Consider, too, that the Aboltionism was religiously fueled and not just natively in America but through connnections to British abolitionist who were followers of Wilberforce. The reform movement and late 19th Century progressivism had religious connections, one of the most notable leaders of progressivism in the period of time was William J. Bryant, who spent the late part of life lecturing all around the country on religious isssues.

Historically, nations that have totally divorced themselves from religion, are the French Third Republic (religious ministers were non-enfranchised), modern times the Mexican Republic which also disenfranchises religious ministers. Others I don't know about.