Are there as many non-believers

[fshrink]

among conservatives as among progressives?

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1. HEY!! That's important! nt

[Longhorn]

2. It's a good question.

I just don't know the answer but it seems I've read polls that would say the answer is no, conservatives are more likely to be regular church-going believers. :shrug:

[immoderate]

3. Hard to know.

I think there are church goers who hide their disbelief, even from themselves. They don't fully believe, but go through the motions. They don't want to be seen as sacreligious. And maybe they can fool god.

Play out Pascal's wager. You go through the motions.

--IMM

[fshrink]

4. A (missing!) link... Not to miss!

http://www.objectivethought.com/atheism/iqstats.html

Found also a poll from Harris (secondary source) indicating that 7.1 % of US voters declared being atheists, while 10 % were in the "Non-religious/No answer" category...

Any other sources?

[Rhiannon12866]

5. I read a post on FR once

That compared Republicans and Democrats for various qualities, like gun ownership, urban-rural, belonging to organized religion, etc. They had these little pie charts. It did stick in my mind that Republicans were significantly more religious. They also had more guns, LOL! As Bill Maher always says, for the right, it's all about God, Guns and Gays.:shrug:

[fshrink]

6. What's FR? nt

[Rhiannon12866]

8. Sorry, Free Republic

The largest conservative forum on the web. Nasty place, and our arch nemesis, LOL!:D

http://www.freerepublic.com/home.htm

[leftofthedial]

7. I know zero conservative nonbelievers

although I know many conservatives for whom religiosity is a sham.

[immoderate]

9. If you take cognitive dissonance into account...

The numbers may be deceiving.

Coincidently, there is an article on this by Brad Radcliffe that explains it nicely.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/articles/04/11/20_frat.html

Faith is the ability to believe in what you know is false.

--IMM

[vet_against_Bush]

10. I have met conservative nonbelievers, strange experience...

but only two and have talked to hundreds of nonbeliever progressives. Why? Church and State...

[YankeyMCC]

11. All I know is

That my conservative friends from NH are also atheists. Perhaps not coincidently I was also able to convince them to vote for Kerry.

[politicat]

12. I know two... both Libertarians of the most misguided sort.

Poor things... they think that roads should be toll and fire departments a pre-paid service, rather like insurance.

Nice enough people, but loony on the money issues. We don't talk economics.

Pcat