Athée Canadien
Politics and Atheist Organizations
By Brent
How should Canadian atheists vote? Which party should they vo
te for? What policies should they support, and why? Is there any underlying political philosophy or ideology that connects all atheists?
If you’re looking for answers to those questions, you need not look far. Fellow CA author and atheist activist extraordinaire Ian Bushfield (and his associates) have been doing a bang-up job starting the secular municipal party Reason Vancouver. There are not many specifically atheist (or secular, or freethinker, etc) political parties out there yet. Nevertheless, the pioneers are already tackling extremely difficult policy questions, such as the ones at the beginning of this post.
This has got me thinking a little bit about politics amongst atheists. Atheists seem to inhabit all areas of the political spectrum, from right to left. Libertarians, Anarchists, Social Democrats, Communists; you name it, we got it. Such diversity of political thought suggests that it might be difficult to unify atheists under a single banner, as perhaps Reason Vancouver or other atheist (secular?) parties are attempting to do. Nevertheless, diversity of political thought amongst atheists is not a bad thing, necessarily. If anything, it points out the rich individualism of atheists, which I think underscores their willingness to not just go with the flow, but rather, to find their own path. Of course, not all atheists are die-hard individualists.
A recent post on this blog by Ian Bushfield I think highlights this issue rather nicely. Needless to say, atheists don’t agree on all things political or economic. As such, I think that in my governance of CFI Edmonton and other atheist/skeptic organizations it would be pertinent for me to facilitate (daresay accommodate?) a diversity of political beliefs, since all the atheist/skeptic organizations I’m involved with are non-profit organizations and are therefore unable to endorse any political party. However, not all political positions can be accommodated, nor should they. A stand will have to be taken on some issues. For example, CFI takes stances on abortion and gay rights, but yet does not endorse any political party. Either way, it’s interesting and complex, and I’d like to hear the thoughts of the readers and fellow posters on this site. What do you think about atheists and politics? Who should atheists vote for (besides other atheists, obviously) and why?
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about 1 year ago
I think.. that as hard as I tried to really be involved or even remotely interested in politics, I continue to be entirely and apparently apathetic as I’ve always been for many, many, many years now. I think I’ve voted in one election in my entire life.. I think. I can’t even remember any more.
I’m not sure where this apathy came from, but I know I still have it, and I’ve fought tooth and nail to dispel it yet I’m pretty damn sure I still won’t vote in the next election, be it provincial, federal, or just plain old municipal.
What do I think about “Atheists and politics”? I think that there’s no such thing. I don’t believe in “atheists and politics” — I believe in people and politics. I sort of have an aversion to lumping people as a group into a category and saying “This is what [x-group-of-people] should do and how [x-group-of-people] should vote”.
I think.. as an atheist.. one should vote for the person or people who best represent their ideas of what government and politics should accomplish I suppose. Sometimes this is nothing more than a choice between the lesser of two evils.. The thing is? That definition isn’t just about atheists and politics. That really is about -everyone- and politics. This is, in the end, what everyone must do.. whatever our label may be, I don’t think it really changes how an individual interacts with his or her idea or ideal of politics.
For the record, I support Reason Vancouver and its endeavors and I always, always will. I believe in what they are trying to accomplish. If there must be politics (and there must), then let reason and logic prevail at the very least.
But.. at the end of the day, that blasted apathy of mine just can’t be dispelled it seems. So as for -me- and politics.. I gotta say I just don’t care these days.
Who should atheists vote for?
Whomever they feel is best.
about 1 year ago
try visiting a country without a democratic government. That should get you voting.
about 1 year ago
I’d say the problem with atheist politics is that atheism is centered around one core belief… or I suppose lack thereof, where as politics actually has a more diverse ideological framework. All ideologies are based on certain assumptions, so any attempt at logic will be based on these. Lefties are concerned about the wellbeing of the group, conservatives about the status quo, libertarians about personal freedoms. Different premises about what is important will lead to different conclusions, even if reason is applied thoroughly. Big problem, but I wish them luck.
about 1 year ago
In Canada religion almost never seems to play a role in any election. I am a member of the Liberal Party, federally and provincially, because I agree with the majority of their values. They are far more of a pro-woman party than the Cons, which is very important to me. That being said there are a few things that would stop me voting for a Liberal candidate and one would be talking about religion. If they were to bring it up along the campaign trail, that’d be it for me; I’d pick somebody else (basically the NDP cus I’ll die before I vote Con).
about 1 year ago
The only kind of politics that’s incompatible with atheism is explicitly faith-based politics. I don’t think a viable political party could be JUST about atheism, because atheism has absolutely nothing to say about most political issues. However, a party inhabiting almost any part of the political landscape could have atheism as part of its worldview. In my opinion a long-term goal of the atheist movement in Canada should be to work towards a political system in which all the major parties are run by people who are as willing to affirm that there are no gods as they are to affirm that the Earth is round.
Most of the atheists I encounter (online or in the real world) seem to be more or less on the political left. This suggests to me that we should be reaching out more to conservatives in some way, although I don’t claim to know how to accomplish this. (If it matters, my own views are all over the map. I’m equally appalled by the religious right, the politically correct left, and – sorry, Riz – the apathetic middle.) Still, it’s probably counterproductive for an atheist organisation to take positions on things like abortion and gay rights, beyond pointing out that religious opinions on these matters don’t deserve to be taken seriously.
about 1 year ago
I think it’s important that atheists publicly support, and get elected from, multiple parties. In that way, it’s most likely that parties will compete against each other to advance issues important to atheists, and perhaps more importantly will oppose things that would be harmful to atheists, as religion is unfortunately playing an increasing role in Canadian politics and government.
While a party may start with a single issue, Canada’s first-past-the-post system makes that a dead-end path. Even for the Green party, which has a platform covering the usual spectrum of political issues, they are perceived as a single-issue party. So I think an atheist party would only be useful in attracting attention, which atheists already have, so I’d advise against it.
I think it’s reasonable for any atheist organization to take positions representative of its members’ views. If most members support access to abortion, and equality for LGBT people, then it’s reasonable to support those positions via the group. The risk in not doing so is isolation from other groups. Politically, and in court, it helps to have other groups on your side. Atheists will find most support on the left, but this won’t always be the case, and should work with the right when there is agreement.
about 1 year ago
While I applaud Reason Vancouver it is because I applaud anyone willing to take a stab at starting a new political party – even wackadoos whose politics I find repugnant.
That said, I question the need for an atheist party and think we’d be better off if more open atheists entered the political realm regardless of political affiliation.
We are fortunate that here in Canada a political candidate’s religious beliefs rarely enter into the picture, and I’d be worried that a party identified as atheists might change that relatively neutral stance.
I’d like to see some of the remaining vestiges of Christianity removed from the political landscape in Canada, but I think that can be done by non- religious members of any party.
about 1 year ago
One thing we’ve discussed as a motivation for this movement is that it is very difficult to challenge the entitlement of religion from within existing political structures. By having our own civic party we can, for example, question the basis for tax exemptions of church properties and also try to show a skeptical alternative to politics that doesn’t exist yet.
about 1 year ago
To be clear, Reason Vancouver is not an “atheist party”. We rejected that idea at our first meeting – the idea is to be a party that is explicitly based on evidence and trying things out, rather than being adherents to one particular ideology. We won’t hide the fact that we are atheists, but that’s not the central component of our platform, or even a component of our platform at all.
about 1 year ago
QFT
about 1 year ago
I’m agnostic, a democratic socialist and social libertarian who most closely associates with the NDP. I tend to associate athiesm – whether correctly or not – with the political left. I admit that I often over-generalize and am therefore taken aback when athiests express right-wing leanings, the same way I’m surprised when a devout Christian tells me they’re a gay-loving, abortion-supporting socialist. Perhaps my “problem” (or confusion, I guess) with conservative athiests is that it is the right-wing/reactionary political parties that are doing things like publicly funding private religious schools.
I believe that secularism, rather than atheism, is what’s most important in politics. While atheism is certainly an important part of self-identity, it is hardly a platform for a set political ideology. I’d love to see more athiest politicians, but athiesm just isn’t a political ideology and of the things athiests can come together over I don’t think politics is one of them. To be honest, a politicians religious views (or lack-there-of) isn’t as important as their policy. I’d vote for a devout Christian (who supports a secular government, of course) who supports increased public funding for public, secular schools and hospitals over a fiscal/social conservative who also happens to be an athiest.