Are Atheists Welcome in Your Political Party?

by Justin Scott, founder and director of the Eastern Iowa Atheists

Of all the elephants in the "room of politics" in 2017, one of the biggest is the role that atheists will play in politics going forward.

Atheists are here, they're motivated, they vote and they're ready to shape public policy. On top of that, according to reporting by the Washington Post last fall on poll results from a Pew Research Center study, for the first time in a presidential election year the religiously unaffiliated became "the nation's biggest voting bloc by faith". According to American Atheists, there are currently 56 million atheist voters in our country and that numbers continue to grow (as we shared with conservative voters at last year's CPAC event near Washington, D.C.).

I'm no James Carville or Karl Rove but there's a very good chance, according to the seismic shift in the United States that is occurring right now, that a political party's ability to win and lose going forward will come down to how well political parties appeal to atheists, from the national level down to the county level.

This leads me to the point of this blog post:

Is your party, on any level, aware of this and what specifically, if anything, is it doing to appeal to the rising number of atheists in your county, your state and across the country? 

Atheists and the religiously unaffiliated are no longer a group that can be ignored. We're not a fringe group that can be laughed off. Sure, we're not as loud or unified as some more well established groups but that doesn't mean we're not here, ready to be welcomed into the world of politics. We aren't going away and just the opposite, we are growing--exploding--in numbers and it's just a matter of time before more atheist begin becoming the leaders of local parties, the candidates running for office, the elected officials that shape public policy, the governors that lead states and (gasp!) the godless that lead our country as President of the United States.

Let me repeat that.

One day there will be an openly atheist President of the United States. 

It may not be in the next year. Or five year. Or even 20 years. But it will happen and the roadmap to that moment is being drawn right now, in front of our eyes.

And you know what? Big deal.

This is not something to fear, loathe or complain about. There was once a time in this country where having a Catholic President was frightening and just recently we experienced our first black President that so many apparently feared. Having an atheist President would benefit all Americans, religious or not. If anything, our country could afford to have a President that cares more about what the evidence states on a given issue, rather than what their religious background tells them they should feel on a given issue no matter how anti-science that stance on a position may be. And despite the fact that no two atheists are the same (believe it or not, there are conservative atheists just as there are liberal atheists), there are many issues that would unite us within your local party.

I encourage this change to start now but it has to start on the local, county level. A grassroots effort to embrace atheists, that begins on the local county level, can be what sparks a change that is needed in this country. It'll be much harder to see the change to embrace atheists by national parties happen then it will with county parties but by embracing atheists as voters, activists and leaders within your party, you can not only help to rally more atheists to help your cause but you'll be sending a message to the rising number of religious nones that their presence, input and efforts are not only welcome but needed. This will have a trickle up effect as the state and national parties will have to follow the will of the people who help vote these atheist candidates into office.

Think about how your party has been conducting business lately and ask these questions to assess whether it's done anything to appeal to the rising numbers of atheists that can help your party have success in future elections. Not only will considering the following questions help your party better understand how to better appeal to atheists but it will hopefully help your party generate more involvement from atheists. Your party will be better off by being inclusive to atheists and will be better positioned in the future to realize the benefits of having atheists on your team.

- Has your party invited atheists in specifically and asked them to help mold your party platform or did it scoff at them for being godless and not adhering to a specific religious belief? Parties don't get to claim that they've done anything to appeal to atheists just because there happens to be atheists involved with the party nor do they get to say that they provide an inclusive experience for atheists for the same reason. Specifically stating that atheists are welcome in your messaging, that it's okay to be an atheist candidate and that the party will support an atheist candidate in your platform would be great ways to attract more atheists.

- Does your party give off the impression that is hostile to atheists by promoting religion/Christianity in requiring all involved to take part in a pre-meeting prayer? Does your party or its leaders make statements that the party openly promotes the myth that "we're a Christian nation" or "one nation under god"? While it's an individual's right to think or say these things, it's not the best way to appeal to atheist voters. Atheists are all about an individual's religious freedom and right to believe whatever they want but at the same time, when we sign up to help something politically, we don't want to feel like we're unwanted guests at a Christian revival and we sure as hell don't want to feel anymore on the outside than we already feel simply because central committee members want to take part in some archaic religious ritual before getting down to business.

- Does your party ever speak about defending the rights of atheists or speak to secular issues or how you plan to uphold or strengthen the Constitutional Separation of religion and government? Try mentioning that you're against religionists and theocrats in your state capitol or in Washington D.C. trying to impose discriminatory legislation in the name of a specific religion and that one of the your party's top issues is the separation of church and state and I guarantee you that Atheists will be fired up to join you in that fight!

- Does your party make public education a top priority? Does it demand a robust, fact-driven science curriculum or push for an evidence-based sex education program in your public schools? Atheists generally are not supportive of junk science or religious based explanations for the world around us. And don't get us started on the joke that is abstinence only sex ed programs. The next generation deserves a real conversation about sex.

- Has your party embraced a secular and evidenced-based approach to your organization and its activities or does it continue to intertwine religion and religious rituals, creating a divisive atmosphere and one that doesn't lend itself to party building? One of the fastest ways to make us not feel part of the group is to make us take part in religious activities at a political event OR attempt to make us either arrive late or wait outside while you do these things. This is now how you build party unity. Dump prayers and move on. Your party will be better off without it and your meetings won't be any less productive.

- Has your party come to terms with the fact that America is becoming less religious and more secular? Has it adjusted its priorities and strategies for moving forward or is your party unwilling to break away from tradition, even if it means driving a wedge between your party and the next generation of voters? Just remember, it's truly up to you whether this torch is handed over with respect, admiration and excitement or if the next generation of godless Americans will be forced to pry it out of your....well, you get the point.

From county level politics here in Iowa all the way up to the national politics, political parties had better start including atheists in their discussions of how they plan to win elections in the future. At this point, it's just stupid not to. The evidence is overwhelming that atheists will be the next leaders in this country and it's up to your party right now, today, to start making the changes necessary to appease these future members of your party.

Despite what you've been told about the "religious right," it is now the "religious nones" that should be catered to. Okay, so catered to sounds like a huge demand. How about starting this month by just striking up a conversation with an atheist voter and ask them what issues are important to them. Invite them to your meeting. Political parties, especially small county ones, could benefit tremendously from encouraging atheist members to their ranks.

As I mentioned earlier, of all the elephants in the "room of politics" right now, the role of atheists is a big one and one that political parties are going to have to try to figure out if they hope to have any success in future elections.

So it's with this blog post that the Eastern Iowa Atheists are now committed to helping political parties across Eastern Iowa first and then across Iowa understand the importance of actively welcoming atheists to their ranks. We plan on corresponding with every county political party in Iowa--Republican, Democrat and everywhere in between--on whether atheists are welcome in their party, if they have any open atheists serving in their group and how they plan to tailor their messaging as well as their activities to be more inclusive for atheists. 

If your party has implemented a strategy for including atheists, we want to hear about it! Please email us with details at easterniowaatheists@gmail.com. The same goes if you have ideas for how political parties can cater to atheist voters.

Let's work together to make Iowa a leader in atheist involvement in politics, regardless of where you fall on the political spectrum!