As far as justified, I suppose it depends on the level of justification you’re talking about.

On the one hand, people can cast their vote for any reason they choose. People sometimes vote for politicians because they like their smile or their voice; is that justified? Intellectually, probably not. But as far as whether that’s a legitimate basis for voting, sure.

On a practical or policy level, of course, I would say not — voting for or against someone based on any single trait doesn’t make logical sense. There’s no reason to think a given believer is any more or less moral than a given atheist, for instance. And who would you consider more moral: A man who has been divorced three times but was faithful to each spouse, or a man who has been married to the same woman for 30 years but carries on myriad affairs?

Anyway, even with Sean’s definition of agnosticism, a “No” answer to the question, “Do you believe in God” still seems like a rejection of the existence of a supreme being, and If I was given this survey, I would assume it meant that the candidate was an athiest. Perhaps the pollsters should make the distinction next time.

Lets assume it does mean athiest and not agnostic. How would that affect peoples opinions, and would they be justified?

So I don’t believe in God, but I also don’t *disbelieve* in God. I don’t acknowledge his existence, but I acknowledge the possibility of his existence.

No, a lack of belief is also applicable to agnostics. An absolute conviction that God does not exist is what defines atheism.

To me, thats even worse. If you acknowledge the existence of God, but you don’t “believe” in him, it sounds like you have spite for the Creator of the Universe, or you know better than He does. To have “belief” in someone implies that you have confidence in that person, or you agree with him somehow; therefore, for an agnostic to say you don’t believe in God is sort of like saying, “Ya, I know He is there, I just think He is kind of a douchebag.”

Not believing in God � which, defined that way, applies to agnostics like me

I don’t see that such a correlation is made in this survey. If a politician says, “I don’t believe in God,” that sounds more like an atheist. That is a pretty harsh position to have - an unyielding faith in absolute nothingness, and a commitment to believing there is no higher purpose to “creation,” if you could even call it that.

About all this chart reflects is what general prejudices and level of tolerance the population admits to. But as for how they would actually vote? When it comes down to actual candidates, even people who say they would be less likely (or more likely) to vote for someone with a particular characteristic are going to turn out to care rather more about track records and their reaction to what the individual says and how he says it. A 75 year old gay athiest might well get elected mayor of a conservative small town . . . if he’d spent a couple of terms on the town council and done well. Not based on the survey, but in the real world.

That’s because two-thirds of the population are what I call “clueless Christians.” Not all Christians are naive or clueless, but it has become clear that a good share of them are.

These are the types of Christians that watch the 700 Club and believe every word Pat Robertson SAYS, the Christian version of a “jihadist.” These are the types of Christians which believe so strongly about life (Pro-Lifers) that they wholeheartedly support the war in Iraq, which, no matter what you’de like to say about it, kills 10’s of thousands of children.

Let’s face it, a good share of America is made up of these “critical” thinkers. They elect people like Bush because he’s a “man of God.” Is it any wonder why the rest of the world thinks of America as a backwater for the most part?

Religion should be able to be practiced throughout America, all religions as long as they don’t become radical, religion shouldn’t have the ear of the president or the reigns of our government. Most Americans are ignorant and Christian. I dare say they are ignorant because they are Christians. I don’t believe all Christians are ignorant but the vast majority of American Christians (Protestant and Catholics alike) are.