Pew Confirms Non-Religious Americans Under-represented in Congress
The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life has worked with Congressional Quarterly to gather information about the religious identities of members of the 112th Congress. Upon completion of that survey, the Pew Forum observes that non-religious Americans are poorly represented on Capitol Hill. The organization reports:
“Some small religious groups, such as Hindus and Jehovah’s Witnesses, are not represented at all in Congress. Perhaps the greatest disparity between the religious makeup of Congress and the people it represents, however, is in the percentage of the unaffiliated – those who describe their religion as atheist, agnostic or ‘nothing in particular.’ According to information gathered by CQ Roll Call and the Pew Forum, no members of Congress say they are unaffiliated. By contrast, about one-sixth of U.S. adults (16%) are not affiliated with any particular faith.”
The Constitution of the United States of America prohibits any religious test for public office. Nonetheless, it seems that members of Congress are either unusually religious or unwilling to be honest about the non-religious nature of their lives.
As one who always jokes that I am an “apathetist” (as in “really, who cares if there is a god, creator, divine being?” I feel under-represented in congress.
1) I am a rationalist. I believe in the power of knowlege and science. This position seems extremely to be an extremely rare one in Washington.
2) I am a humanist. I believe in the dignity and sancity of the human being–all humans. This position also seems to be an endangered position on the Hill, where most politicians seem to me to be xenophobic, homophobic, and/or misogynists.