Even though the US Constitution is very clear about having no religious tests for any public office or any office of public trust, there is always the ultimate political test for public office… elections. According to a 2006 University o Minnesota poll, atheists are the most distrusted minority in America. Now an out of the closet atheist is running for the United States Congress.
Virginia’s 4th congressional district is currently held by Republican Randy Forbes. He has held the seat since 2001 and is know as the “culture warrior.” As a member of the secretive Christian group “The Family” Congressman Forbes is the founder and chairman of the Congressional Prayer Caucus. He is one of the most Christian Right members of the Congress and this November he will have to defend his seat against an atheist.
Democratic challenger Dr. Wynne LeGrow has issued the following statement:
"Article VI of the Constitution states that 'No religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States.' My name is Wynne LeGrow. I am the Democratic nominee for US House of Representatives in Virginia's fourth congressional district. And I am a non-believer.”
“My father was a Protestant minister and my mother was a schoolteacher. I grew up in the church. I was taught that what was important was how we treat one another. I learned from my parents a strong sense of honesty and integrity. The Golden Rule is something I still try to live by. What I did not accept were the church's teachings concerning the supernatural.”
LeGrow’s top issues include real healthcare reform, the economy, energy independence, education, and job creation. If elected, he would be the first Congressman to be initially elected as an atheist. While Congressman Pete Stark is also an atheist, he was still in the closet when he was initially elected. Since coming out of the atheist closet, he has been re-elected to office.
To learn more about Dr. Wynne LeGrow’s campaign, check out his website: LeGrowForCongress.com
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Comments
Good luck to him. We'll see how it goes.
Also, what's up with Examiner? I left a comment on you "Obama-Muslim" post and one over at the Boston Atheist Examiner and neither comment has shown up.
Maybe I'm just a pessimist but my guess would be that the 4th is one of those "safe" districts for Republicans and that the only reason(s) a self-proclaimed atheist got the local democratic party nod was either 1) because no democrat stands a snowball's chance of winning in that district anyway and/or 2) they couldn't find anyone else to run.
I'd love it if you could tell me I am wrong.
I would vote for him.
I like what I've read of him so far.
Sweet! Hope he wins!!
Good for him. I'm sure there are plenty of other atheist politicos out there, just very few willing to stand up and take the risk to say so outright. The religious vote is worth too many points.
Separation of church and state really isn't recognised strongly enough.
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