Scalia

[8manpick]

[K-S-U-Wildcats!]

http://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/put-an-atheist-on-the-supreme-court

YES!

Please put one in the White House someday, too.

I think we've probably had a few closet atheists as president, don't you? You just want a self-professed atheist?

[john "teach me how to" dougie]

http://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/put-an-atheist-on-the-supreme-court

YES!

Please put one in the White House someday, too.

If it's any consolation, I don't think Obama means it when he says 'God bless America'.

[CNS]

I really don't give a crap.  I would just love for the entirety of the field to leave it out of the political race.  It's a private thing, practice it in private.  I feel the same way about politicians infidelity as well, btw. 

I did hear a podcast this week talking about how atheists and agnostics are growing faster than any religious group in our county and how given that stat, and the size of their contingent, it is interesting how politics seem to be getting more and more religious in what is discussed and how often god or jesus are referenced.   For instance: evidently Reagan started the whole thing about ending all speeches with "god bless America".  I guess that wasn't a thing before him in the '80's.  Now everyone does it. Seems weird to me that something like that started so recently.

[Rage Against the McKee]

I really don't give a crap.  I would just love for the entirety of the field to leave it out of the political race.  It's a private thing, practice it in private.  I feel the same way about politicians infidelity as well, btw. 

I did hear a podcast this week talking about how atheists and agnostics are growing faster than any religious group in our county and how given that stat, and the size of their contingent, it is interesting how politics seem to be getting more and more religious in what is discussed and how often god or jesus are referenced.   For instance: evidently Reagan started the whole thing about ending all speeches with "god bless America".  I guess that wasn't a thing before him in the '80's.  Now everyone does it. Seems weird to me that something like that started so recently.

All of the "Under God", "In God We Trust", etc. stuff came about after WW2. It's anti-communist propaganda, mostly.

[MakeItRain]

http://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/put-an-atheist-on-the-supreme-court

YES!

Please put one in the White House someday, too.

If it's any consolation, I don't think Obama means it when he says 'God bless America'.

$10 says you freaked out about Jeremiah Wright

[star seed 7]

http://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/put-an-atheist-on-the-supreme-court

YES!

Please put one in the White House someday, too.

I think we've probably had a few closet atheists as president, don't you? You just want a self-professed atheist?

Yes, it's hard to imagine people bright enough to be on the Supreme Court actually believing in fairy tales

[catastrophe]

I think most people feel more comfortable thinking that an elected or appointed official believes he is accountable to an all-knowing and all-powerful being for everything he does, even if he doesn't get caught.

There's also the Declaration of Independence ("endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, etc.").

[michigancat]

http://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/put-an-atheist-on-the-supreme-court

YES!

Please put one in the White House someday, too.

I think we've probably had a few closet atheists as president, don't you? You just want a self-professed atheist?

Absolutely, it's a sign of tolerance and progress for society.

[chuckjames]

http://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/put-an-atheist-on-the-supreme-court

YES!

Please put one in the White House someday, too.

I think we've probably had a few closet atheists as president, don't you? You just want a self-professed atheist?

Yes, it's hard to imagine people bright enough to be on the Supreme Court actually believing in fairy tales

I've never understood this mindset, if someone wants to take comfort in a faith, why do you care?

[star seed 7]

I don't think I said I care 

[michigancat]

http://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/put-an-atheist-on-the-supreme-court

YES!

Please put one in the White House someday, too.

I think we've probably had a few closet atheists as president, don't you? You just want a self-professed atheist?

Yes, it's hard to imagine people bright enough to be on the Supreme Court actually believing in fairy tales

I've never understood this mindset, if someone wants to take comfort in a faith, why do you care?

The mindset is that supreme court justices should be rational thinkers, and blind faith is not rational. With someone on the street, it's generally not an issue, but it makes sense to care when the supreme court is involved.

[Dugout DickStone]

Here comes the "the smartest person I know is very religious" crew

[K-S-U-Wildcats!]

http://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/put-an-atheist-on-the-supreme-court

YES!

Please put one in the White House someday, too.

I think we've probably had a few closet atheists as president, don't you? You just want a self-professed atheist?

Yes, it's hard to imagine people bright enough to be on the Supreme Court actually believing in fairy tales

I've never understood this mindset, if someone wants to take comfort in a faith, why do you care?

The mindset is that supreme court justices should be rational thinkers, and blind faith is not rational. With someone on the street, it's generally not an issue, but it makes sense to care when the supreme court is involved.

Huh. Is there a difference bw "blind faith" and just plain ol "faith?" And are you suggesting that religious people are not, by definition, rational? Huh.

[Dugout DickStone]

Is it rational to believe that someone was killed and came back to life 3 days later?

[michigancat]

And are you suggesting that religious people are not, by definition, rational? Huh.

Absolutely. Believing something that you know can never proven is irrational on some level. Obviously there are different levels of irrationality, and I don't think the presence of religious beliefs should necessarily disqualify someone from serving on the supreme court. But I totally understand the mindset of someone who thinks it should.

Here's an interesting read:

http://www.npr.org/sections/13.7/2013/09/16/222907684/can-faith-ever-be-rational

[The Big Train]

It has been shown in various studies that you are must less likely to believe in religion the more intelligent you are.  Mich and dickstone are spot on the last few posts

[Fake Sugar Dick (WARNING, NOT THE REAL SUGAR DICK!)]

Notwithstanding their sophomoric idea of what religion is, it's hilariously ironic for a group of people with unyielding blind faith in the altruism of government to criticize and question the rationale of someone who believes in a higher power.

Libtards gonna libtard

[michigancat]

Notwithstanding their sophomoric idea of what religion is, it's hilariously ironic for a group of people with unyielding blind faith in the altruism of government to criticize and question the rationale of someone who believes in a higher power.

Libtards gonna libtard

I think you're one of those closet atheists

[michigancat]

Also lol at thinking I have blind faith in government

[chum1]

I always think of rationality as consisting of something like an ability to legitimately infer true statements from other true statements. And I don't think someone who believes in God necessarily has less of this type of ability than someone who does not.

[chum1]

Come to think of it, I'd say calling someone less rational because they believe in God is an example being less rational in the sense that it is poor reasoning.

[Fake Sugar Dick (WARNING, NOT THE REAL SUGAR DICK!)]

Also lol at thinking I have blind faith in government

You compared religion to fairy tales. You deserved that.

[star seed 7]

Also lol at thinking I have blind faith in government

it's one of my favorite regresocon talking points

[michigancat]

Also lol at thinking I have blind faith in government

You compared religion to fairy tales. You deserved that.

I didn't do that, atheist.