Atheists face uphill climb with new political party

[rug]

January 3, 2012
By Kimberly Winston

(RNS) How viable is a political party with the word “atheist” in its name?

Troy Boyle, a corporate legal representative for a finance company, thinks very viable. Last March, he and a friend founded the National Atheist Party, which they believe to be the first American political party organized on the belief that God does not exist.

Boyle, 45, got the idea to start the party while watching an interview with Richard Dawkins, the British evolutionary biologist and author of several “New Atheist” manifestos, including the best-selling “The God Delusion.” In the interview, Dawkins wondered why atheists did not organize to influence politics.

“It struck me like a bolt of lightning when he said it,” Boyle recalled. From his home in Elsmere, Ky., he started researching atheists in politics. “And I found nothing. So I picked up the gauntlet. I decided to start a political party.”

http://www.religionnews.com/index.php?/rnstext/atheists_launch_own_political_party_in_all_50_states1/

In case you may be wondering, I neither advocate for nor support this third party.

[laconicsax]

1. Dumb.

I don't think Mr. Boyle understands much about what he's doing.

[LeftishBrit]

2. Makes no sense

A political party cannot function just on NOT believing in a God. Atheism is not an ideology; it is a lack of a particular sort of belief. It tells one nothing about what should be done about the economy, public services, social justice, defence, etc. It may rule out some specific policies, but it does not determine any.

[Eliminator]

5. As opposed to a party BELIEVING in god?

What, exactly, does believing in god have to do with "the economy, public services, social justice, defence, etc"? How does believing in god determine ANY of those things?

[LeftishBrit]

6. Well, IMO it doesn't

'What, exactly, does believing in god have to do with "the economy, public services, social justice, defence, etc"? '

Not very much IMO; but some parties do take their ideology from a particular religion. Usually it's not 'believing in God' but Christianity, Islam, etc. And often it's just an excuse for authoritarianism.

[lindysalsagal]

3. If you really want to be a dart board for hysterical fanatics

this might be amusing. But it won't get you anywhere politically.

[dmallind]

4. a PAC makes more sense, and already exists. nt

[Taverner]

7. Atheism =/= Politics. Politics =/= Atheism

This is like starting a knitting circle made up of people who aren't stamp collectors

[Napoleon838]

8. Makes total sense

I think an atheist political party is a good idea. The Republicain party is basically a group of Christian fanatics only pushing their religious views into politics. The Democratic party is good about keeping their personal views out of politics, but a party based on purely the views of regular people is needed in congress today to stop the bills that infringe on peoples rights. Rights such as the right for a woman to have an abortion. We need more free thinkers in congress, not less.