Atheism - aligned with the Left?

Do you think Atheism as an ideology is aligned with the Left side of politics?

For example, the "religious right", and Communism making atheism official?

reply to post by Donnie Darko


No, I don't think so. I've met many atheists that are conservative. Likewise, there are many people who are religious that are liberal.

It seems that political ideology stems from one's environment growing up as opposed to religious belief. For example, I'm from Southwest Florida—not exactly a bastion for liberal thought! Before I became a Christian, I pretty much held the same political beliefs that I do now. In fact, nothing really changed. I credit this mostly to the way that people think and their attitudes down there. On the other side of the coin, I have friends from down there that are staunch atheists, who, politically, see things the same way I do.

"Left" and "Right" are rather broad terms as are "Liberal" and "Conservative" and it's a sad thing they are somewhat indivisibly cross-linked. I don't think there's ever going to be a way to separate the concepts because defining them, separating them, requires division, and there is no absolute black or white (euphamism please, not racial), right or wrong to either stance.

Atheism by definition is 'non-theistic'. No control by/of/from 'dieties', or 'gods' if you will. Strange as that may sound, that does not mean many atheists don't acknowledge something "else" is influencing things- chaos for instance... random happenstance... or even a 'collective conscience' determining the path ahead. Simply, there is no omniscient being(s) controlling things. That does not mean that an atheist is anti or pro abortion, which is realistically a moral and practical standpoint, not a religious one. An atheist that believes in random chance should acknowledge that sometimes, during sex, a woman gets pregnant, and maybe chaos itself determined that child should be born... but then again chaos also tells you that maybe the child should be aborted. Who are we to second guess the underlying forces controlling things? Acknowledging "collective consciousness" in itself suggests a higher order of knowledge... think of it as the ultimate democracy where everyone that has ever been or ever will be have their say and the ultimate output is the mean (mathematically speaking).

Now having said that...

Atheists seem to want religion out of their lives (left wing). If they wanted government out of their lives (right wing), government taking anything from people and giving it to others (liberal) would not be acceptable (conservative).

[edit on 9/24/2009 by abecedarian]

NO There are plenty of religious left wingers and atheist libertarians. I see the reverse connection in my friends.

Originally posted by crimvelvet
NO There are plenty of religious left wingers and atheist libertarians. I see the reverse connection in my friends.

I agree, actually I'd say there isn't any correlation. Maybe between certain religious groups, for example Baptists are generally more on the right.

Yea, I don't think there's a correlation based on my own experiences and my atheist family.