Posted on 01/19/2006 3:56:16 AM PST by ComtedeMaistre
Most conservatives are religious. But there is a small minority of non-religious individuals, who were attracted to the conservative movement because they were influenced by secular movements such as Ayn Rand's objectivism.
Should atheists be welcomed into the conservative movement? Do atheists make good conservatives?
Makes no sense. Many atheists are libertarians, and support a far more limited view of government than social conservatives do.
Would atheists allow any religion if they were in control?
>>Leo Strauss, perhaps the most influential conservative thinker of recent decades, was an atheist<<
I think Russell Kirk had a more important influence on conservative thinking than Leo Strauss. And Kirk was deeply religious.
"Would atheists allow any religion if they were in control?"
That's a fair question, but it's also not a good question. There is no central set of beliefs that atheists share. I know a few atheists besides myself, and not a single one has any problem with the religious beliefs of others.
I certainly do not. I do not share those beliefs, but it is my opinion that people should be able to hold whatever beliefs they have and to practice whatever religious ceremonies they wish to, as long as those practices do not involve preventing anyone else from having differing beliefs or practices.
I happen to share that opinion with the authors of our Constitution. Everyone has the freedom to believe and worship as they choose. Nobody has the freedom to insist that anyone else share their particular beliefs, however. Both things are protected by our Constitution.
The answer is yes.
GO ahead, ask me any test question and see whether a FUndamentalist Baptist can be a true conservative.
The answer is yes.
GO ahead, ask me any test question and see whether a Fundamentalist Baptist can be a true conservative.
I have never argued that there is no role for government. Democracy is a form of government. It is just that the basis of democracy is that people rule government and not the other way around.
I disagree with your comment "Without government to assure the rights given under Christianity, Christianity would not exist as it does today."
Christianity has existed under oppressive governments, supportive governments and indifferent governments. God does not need government to do His work.
I unequivocally endorse the above statement.
- another atheist FReeper
For the same reason that not all Christians believe that. Not all Christians are pro-life.
I don't see that the thread limited the discussion to the Republican platform. Conservatives aren't exclusively Republican.
True, and unfortunately, Republican's aren't exclusively conservative. I don't think being a conservative requires belief in sin. I am a conservative and I don't believe in "sin", at least not in the religious sense of "a transgression against God's will."
Why is stealing immoral? You said It just requires the ability to use reason and logic.. If a thief believes that if he want something he ought to be able to have it. His "logic" is the justification for what he does. Why is another person's opinion more valuable or correct than that of the thief?
Words have meaning. The meaning of logic is "the art of non-contradiction". If logic were just whatever each individual wanted to call logic, the term would be wholly without meaning. It is true that a person can extrapolate from a faulty premise using the rules of logic, however, the result will not be logical because the premise is false. Just as a brick is a sturdy building material, not all buildings that use bricks are sturdy. If the foundation and first five floors are made of pine, the bricks add nothing except weight and danger.
I won't find out tomorrow that there is no God. I just talked with Him this morning and He isn't planning on going anywhere.
Did he actually tell you that? Wow. You see, that is why I don't believe in god. I have never been confronted with that sort of extraordinary evidence to support the extraordinary claim. If there really is a god I would love to get to know him, and I mean this sincerely. I just can't pretend to believe or force myself to believe in god. If I could force myself to I probably would. I wouldn't be so heartbroken at the death of a friend. I could make more sense out of the senseless. But I just can't. To me, god is nothing more than Santa Claus for adults. A mythical figure used by society to inspire moral behavior amongst the masses. I believe that morality does not require religion, it simply requires logic.
But either way, I don't have a beef with religious folks. My wife is religious, my kids are baptized, and most of my employees are religious. Religion has been one of my greatest interests for most of my life. I have spent a ton of time searching for god. I haven't found him, but I bear no ill will to those who believe they have found him.
I'll agree with that
I want to follow Gods laws thus I am "conservative" and NOT a republican/liberal
If I were not a Christian I think I would still lean toward "conservative" views due to the logic of liberalism, I just can't seem to wrap my brain around it.
God Bless anyone who stands for what our country was built on, regardless of their stand with God. That is between them and God. As Christians we show the love and mercy of Christ through us and let the Holy Spirit do the rest.
>>Not a newbie, but still a trolling post<<
Hardly. The post has stimulated intense intellectual debate. Debating issues vigorously is the purpose of FR.
>>Not a newbie, but still a trolling post<<
Hardly. The post has stimulated intense intellectual debate. Debating issues vigorously is the purpose of FR.
Click on the pic and it will take you to the website where I got it...the home page of the Flying Spaghetti Monster. :-)
Sometimes "Christians" don't make "good conservatives" (hello Jimmy Carter.)
Your question is more relative to the definition of "conservative."
Simply, that means pro-life, pro-gun, pro-America, pro-capitalism, anti-socialism, pro-mom & apple-pie.
Certainly, like all generalizations, this generalization is not ALWAYS true.
However, note that Communist countries ALL tend to be atheistic and socialistic. China may try to become more capitalistic but the USSR couldn't pull it off and I doubt that China will be able to pull it off either.
Also as Europe has become more socialistic, they have become more atheistic.
In America, over 70 percent of those who never attend church vote Democrat and over 65 percent of those who go to church at least once a week, vote Republican. The Democrat Party has always been more sympathetic to communism and socialism than Republicans.
Libertarians would be the exception to the rule.
Amen...great post
Its been the experience that atheists in general desire to push religious folks practices out of any public display or discussion. Why would Christians trust atheists to protect their rights to talk about God in public, to wear and display Christian symbols when so many atheists stop at nothing to end these practices?
It is my belief that although we are united in conservatism, Christians would not willing trust atheists to rule over them. Therefore they will not receive majority support from Christians in the republican party and if they did get majority support the Christians would leave the republican party.
We agree again...
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.