I did some research and found some statistics. Overall, about 16% of Americans say they are not affiliated with any religion. However, this non-religious minority can hardly be called politically relevant considering their representation in government. Mormons, who make up a mere 1.7% of the country, hold much more sway in congress with 11 representatives and 4 senators (did you know Harry Reid is Mormon?).
I guess it doesn’t really surprise me that many voters would not vote for an outspoken atheist, but what I do wonder is this: what is the future of the secular minority in American politics?
Although comprising only 16% of all voters, 25% of voters under the age of 29 identify as having no religion, showing that the demographic is changing. In fact, the non-religious population is the fastest growing among all beliefs. American voters seem to be in the habit of requiring their elected officials to have some kind of religion, but will that tradition remain forever if the demography keeps changing? I’d love to know the thoughts of the class.
Though I don't have the data to support this notion, I think that the rise of the term "secular humanist" as a synonym for atheist or agnostic has changed and will continue to transform the public image of secularists. It reaffirms in some people's minds that a system of morality and a disbelief in a supernatural order can coexist. Additionally, organizations that formally identify themselves as secular or that appeal to secularists are on the rise. As a generally individualist demographic, secularists have traditionally been against organization-- but this stereotype is deteriorating, particularly with the proliferation of online forums, explicitly secularist or otherwise (e.g. Reddit-- a majority of frequent users consider themselves atheist, though it is not an explicitly atheist site). Of course, public perception of atheists and agnostics still varies widely depending on which communities one is in-- some places have a long way to go before they would embrace a secularist political leader. That said, I firmly believe that it's only a matter of time before secularism is a non-issue for political candidacy.
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