{"id":2215,"date":"2007-03-14T13:50:00","date_gmt":"2007-03-14T13:50:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/reformedchicksblabbing\/2007\/03\/congressman-admits-to-being-an.html"},"modified":"2007-03-14T13:50:00","modified_gmt":"2007-03-14T13:50:00","slug":"congressman-admits-to-being-an","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/reformedchicksblabbing\/2007\/03\/congressman-admits-to-being-an.html","title":{"rendered":"Congressman admits to being an atheist"},"content":{"rendered":"

Well, the atheists finally have their guy, they’ve been waiting for an officeholder to come forward and admit that he doesn’t believe in God and now someone has done it<\/a>:<\/p>\n

A U.S. Congressman has caused a stir by becoming the first member of the legislative body to declare himself not to believe in God.
\nThe announcement by Rep. Pete Stark (D-Calif.) was celebrated by atheist and humanist groups Tuesday, while one Christian group described his proclamation as “unfortunate.”
\nStark, a member of Congress since 1973 and a senior member of the House Ways and Means Committee, made the unprecedented disclosure in response to an inquiry by the Secular Coalition of America (SCA). Stark acknowledged that he was a Unitarian – a creedless system that does not require belief in a deity.
\nThe SCA held a contest offering $1,000 to the person able to identify the nontheist holding the highest public office in the country. Four elected officials were willing to announce their status, but as a member of Congress, Stark trumped the other three – a school board president, a school committee member, and a town meeting member.
\n[…]
\nBrown said that the SCA applauds Stark’s decision especially since it could hurt his chances at re-election, an outcome she said was “very sad … but it’s also the political reality in our nation.”
\n[…]
\nStark won his 2006 reelection against Republican George Bruno by a 48 percent margin, winning 83,909 of the 113,102 votes cast.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I think this guy is probably safe for re-election.<\/p>\n

Tags: atheist<\/a>, Congressman<\/a>, Stark<\/a><\/span><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Well, the atheists finally have their guy, they’ve been waiting for an officeholder to come forward and admit that he doesn’t believe in God and now someone has done it: A U.S. Congressman has caused a stir by becoming the first member of the legislative body to declare himself not to believe in God. 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