McCain vs Obama

From CNN:

Muslim and Jewish groups on Monday sharply criticized Sen. John McCain's comments that he would prefer a Christian president to lead the United States.

The Arizona Republican's remarks came in an interview with Beliefnet, a Web site that covers religious issues and affairs.

"I just have to say in all candor that since this nation was founded primarily on Christian principles, personally, I prefer someone who has a grounding in my faith," the GOP presidential hopeful told the Web site in an interview published Saturday.

Its hilarious that other religious groups are attacking him for emphasizing his religion and excluding theirs, and not because this is blatantly false.

On the other hand, Barack Obama seems to take a more reasonable stand:

Whatever we once were, we're no longer just a Christian nation; we are also a Jewish nation, a Muslim nation, a Buddhist nation, a Hindu nation, and a nation of non-believers. (http://www.cbn.com/CBNnews/204017.aspx)

Here is another quote:

Democracy demands that the religiously motivated translate their concerns into universal, rather than religion-specific, values. It requires that their proposals be subject to argument, and amenable to reason. (from http://obama.senate.gov/speech/060628-call_to_renewal/)

US Presidential Candiates on Politics vs Religion

I was returning from a social trip to Jakarta. While at the airport, wondering how to kill time, I ran into a bookshop and spied Richard Dawkin's "The God Delusion". I bought it immediately. Honestly, I did it more to dig up interesting factoids to tell my religious wife than because I thought the book would have any new perspectives for the godless geek that I am.

However, I had forgotten that Richard Dawkins writes very well, and it has been quite an entertaining read so far.

I could feel indignation bringing blood rushing to my eyes when I read chapters on how atheism is discriminated against in American politics and how the religious are blatantly lying in the press regarding the United States being founded as a Christian nation.

The chapter "Arguments for God' existence" does a very good job of summarizing the very few arguments from first principles put forward to justify the existence of God.

And the book led me to discover two blogs:

• Pharyngula, a blog about "Evolution, development, and random biological ejaculations from a godless liberal", belonging to PZ Myers, a bilogist and associate professor at the Univertisty of Minnesota.




• Atheists of Silicon Valley