Lewis Black on when the U.S. will have an atheist candidate

[Agnotio]

That questioner was extremely awkward. Say something properly or shut up.

[CriticalViewFilmTeam]

ask the goddamn question

[AClRCLEOFLlGHT]

Seriously? Um, I'm pretty sure at least the last 6 presidents were atheist. At least when it came to the christian god they were. Words don't equal character or integrity, people need to get that through their thick retarded skulls. Only actions determine what you are. Saying your a christian makes you as much a christian as saying your a tea pot makes you a tea pot.

The country has had 6 atheist presidents back to back, Obama included. They just say they're christian to get the votes.

[Deciblaster]

@AClRCLEOFLlGHT That's the point I think...he was referring to someone who ACTUALLY promotes a government in which religion is not a factor in making decisions.... Someone who comes out and says, I'm athiest and I am running for president because religion has no place in government at all....I think...his question was kinda hard to hang on to

[Strangerinasland]

@AClRCLEOFLlGHT You do not agree with what they did so you assume they are not christian. They might say the same of you. They are not atheist.

[truthslap]

that audience member can't form a question to save his life, what on earth is wrong with him?

[Lndmk227]

@truthslap -- Chill out, he's talking to Lewis Black, who chews *everybody* out. I'm sure he was just nervous.

[EdVidz]

jmarovich007 Looks like a menorah in the background.

[jmarovich007]

where was this video filmed.

[Bebopopotamus]

This guy asking the question doesn't represent us.

[jek21]

God I hate idiots who ask questions that don't mean anything but sounded good in their head.

[baksin]

There is no god

[Intranetusa]

@s16loco

That is incorrect. A lot of the Founding Fathers were Deists, several were possible Agnostics, but many were Christians too.

Jefferson did not dislike religion - he disliked the superstitions but believed that the moral teachings of religion were extremely valuable.

[yay78900]

Comedians , Engineers, and Scientists should be running shit, not a bunch of lying politicians and rich sociopaths

[MilesB1975]

Is there a law that the presidential candidate has to actually be living?

Look it up americans, there might be something in it...

[devilscry01]

I'd take a bag of bones over most of the people in power >.>

[loverboy9775]

their going to be a war

[RealDefentertainment]

Most presidents have been atheist but they just had to lie like they always do to be in the Office.

[Bebopopotamus]

@RealDefentertainment No, not most have been. Some - possibly. But if they have to lie about their religion (or... nonreligion) it doesn't really count, does it? If I say I'm christian to get votes. People think they're voting for a christian. If I say I'm atheist, I'm not going to get the votes. The day will come where you don't have to say you're christian, and you can say atheist (or, I guess the point is to not have a title) and get votes.

[drmoogala]

Buttcrack obumhole is an atheist!

[ootahee]

@drmoogala

Once again your homo-erotic fantasies of being anally ploughed by a black man are oozing out of your rectum-for-a-mouth face orifice.

Please check in with your local chapter of the Racist Faggots Anonymous club for a diversional therapy of Aryan man cream.

[josda1000]

what the hell... this guy was scared lol

[raem1986]

why was the guy asking the question stuttering? I really didn't understand his second question :(

[UdoShan]

Probably nervous.

[PrsFenderJackson1980]

There are only closet atheists in politics. Cause if people found out that their canidate was not a believer they would......... Fill the rest in yourself. lol.

[DrZoid99]

Just like in the movie "Contact". Such stupid people.

[niftydrummer]

I would vote for Lewis Black to become president if he ran.

[heavenshaffer]

@niftydrummer me too, but unfortanitly for us his fans and fortanitly for the U.S he doan't want to.

[chronoman14]

Wait, Abe Lincoln was an Atheist?

And is it just me, or did that questioner not seem to have it together?

[PBnJ541852]

The question was "what's the closest viable" to an atheist. Someone in the audience said Abe Lincoln. Ironically, Abe Lincoln wouldn't have a snowball's chance in hell of getting elected today.

[Vynjira]

None of the Founding Fathers would have a chance to be elected today. They were all Secularists at the very least and the majority were Deists.

[sbyrne411]

nah he was christian

[shavaldar]

yea, he was christian but he didnt believe in god or jesus or stuff like that by the time he died. If he had a couple more years, he mightve converted or something.

[Vynjira]

Abe was a Deist(An Agnostic). Deism split into Atheism because of Publications by Charles Darwin.

Remember that the reason the Founding Fathers came to the "New World" was to escape the Church of England.

[limespade]

@Vynjira

Deism ≠ Agnosticism

[Vynjira]

Abe Lincoln was an Agnostic Deist and Secularist.

[janruuds]

Sorry, but being a deist is not the same as being an agnostic. A deist is someone who believes in a non-personal god who set everything in motion in the beginning but isn't around anymore to watch the show unfold and an agnostic is someone who will not take a definitive stance on wether there is or isn't a god to begin with.

Just wanted to clear that issue because alot of people confuse the two these days.

[Vynjira]

Agnostic isn't really a middle ground between God and No God.. An Agnostic is someone that believes it is impossible to know. As such there are many kinds of Agnostic. Agnostic Atheist, Agnostic Christian so on..

Agnosticism is a stance about the differences between belief and knowledge, rather than about any specific claim or belief.

[Kaalec]

Actually, they weren't "escaping" the Church of England. They didn't go to the New World for religious tolerance. They went to the New World because Britain was not INTOLERANT enough. They actually wanted to restrict other people's religious freedom. That's why America is so fucked up over religion today.

[Vynjira]

Actually they were. What your talking about is New England Colonists which were primarily Puritans. They absolutely believed the Church of England had become too tolerant.

This was a small sub-section of colonists ~160 years prior to the Founding Fathers. Out of 1,787 only 49 were even protestant.

The reason America is so fucked up today is because of the Communist Threat which is when God started appearing on money. (Among other things)

[Kaalec]

You put forward some interesting facts and interpretations, but you lost me when you blamed communism for excessive religiosity in the US. "In God we trust" first appeared on a US coin in 1864 although it became an official motto in 1956 during the ramping up of the Cold War.

I believe that the Puritan influence in America, as it was in Britain, was far greater than the actual numbers of Puritans would warrant. The difference is, Britain got over it.

[Vynjira]

Legislation approved July 11, 1955, made the appearance of "In God We Trust" mandatory on all coins and paper currency of the United States. This was influenced by the threat posed by "godless Communism".

During a period where it became illegal to be an Atheist, and you swore to the bible in courts to prove you weren't a communist.

If what you believe was true, the Constitution would not have been secular.

[Kaalec]

I understand that the Godless Communist threat had an impact on religious influence in American policies. My point is that religion was a bigger presence among the citizens of the US than it was officially. I understand the separation of church and state. The problem in American society is that too many people want religion to be PART of the state.

The Constitution may be secular but not enough citizens are, or ever have been.

[Vynjira]

That is the problem but my point is it had nothing to do with the Puritans. New England colonists often banned Secular activities and didn't acknowledge secular legislation for a long time. However, New England is now the least religious state.

Meanwhile, the "Bible Belt" is in the Southern Colonies which were not Puritans at all. Slave Trade and Communism did the most to fuck up the country. Forcing the religion and then uniting them against Atheism.

[Kaalec]

I understand that the Puritans themselves didn't venture into the Bible Belt. But I maintain that they had an inordinate effect on American religious thought. In short, they established the intolerant baseline that permeates today's US society. It was certainly exacerbated by slavery and communism, but the seeds for religious influence on American politics was entrenched long before these events.

[Vynjira]

Well either way, my statement was the Founding Fathers came to escape the Church of England.

Only 3 of the 1,787 Founding Fathers were Catholic and none of them were Puritans.

The vast majority came to escape Religious Persecution.

I've always maintained the reason Christianity is the largest religion is because they were the best at killing, indoctrinating and even breeding.

[Kaalec]

May I also say how refreshing it is to have a civil and illuminating discussion about this subject without invective, rudeness or unpleasantness. Thank you.

[Vynjira]

I wouldn't understand why it would be negative. We more or less agree that Religion has fucked the Country over.

The only disagreement is over whether or not the US was doomed to fail or whether events screwed over the US.

Oh and that the Founding Fathers had come to escape the Church of England (Which is to say majority because people did come for different reasons.)

[Kaalec]

Religion has screwed up many countries. I'm a Canadian and we currently have a Prime Minister who attends a Fundamentalist Church. Seems he believes we are entering "The end of days". It may be the end of his days, but I'm quite content to live out whatever days I have left.

Often on youtube, whenever you try to have a real discussion about religion, there are usually a few "Christians" who threaten to hurt you badly, or among the very pious, threaten to kill you.

[Vynjira]

People love to believe their living in the end times. It seems that noone can accept that the Earth is gonna be around longer than them or their Children.

[eviltube1111]

"The problem in American society is that too many people want religion to be PART of the state."

Definitely. If the founding fathers had been very open about their secularism, they probably would have been hanged or killed by an angry mob. More people should be educated in politics instead of shit like civics