# How many of our presidents were athiest or agnostic, or simply non-churchgoers. Any?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-our-presidents-were-athiest-or-agnostic-or-simply-non-churchgoers-any/22598>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [June 16, 2000, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-our-presidents-were-athiest-or-agnostic-or-simply-non-churchgoers-any/22598 "2000-06-16T16:07:08Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\
**Post date:** [June 17, 2000, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-our-presidents-were-athiest-or-agnostic-or-simply-non-churchgoers-any/22598/21 "2000-06-17T18:57:45Z")

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> [@](#):
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> \*\*  
> Clinton is nominally a Southern Bapist, although given his attitudes and conduct, I wouldn’t be suprised to find out he’s really an atheist.  
> \*\*

Ya know, I hate to look like one of those people that takes offense at everything, but you do realize that Atheism does not equal “loose morals”?

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**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\
**Post date:** [June 17, 2000, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-our-presidents-were-athiest-or-agnostic-or-simply-non-churchgoers-any/22598/22 "2000-06-17T21:13:27Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> Ya know, I hate to look like one of those people that takes offense at everything, but you do realize that Atheism does not equal “loose morals”?

Yeah, I know. But look at his views regarding abortion, gay rights, etc. They are all exactly 180 degrees opposite those of the highly conservative Southern Baptists. I know you’re going to come back with a “free thinker” argument, but IMHO Clinton’s religious afilliation is purely a political choice. He chose “Southern Baptist” because he would never have gotten elected governor of Arkansas as anything else, and certainly not by proclaiming atheism.

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**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\
**Post date:** [June 17, 2000, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-our-presidents-were-athiest-or-agnostic-or-simply-non-churchgoers-any/22598/23 "2000-06-17T22:21:42Z")

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Diceman, my only “offense” was that you equated his actions (which although not explicitly stated, I took to mean his immoral actions, correct me if I made a wrong assumption) with atheism.

I don’t know or care what Clinton claims is his religion, and whether he is a “free thinker” or not.

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**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\
**Post date:** [June 17, 2000, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-our-presidents-were-athiest-or-agnostic-or-simply-non-churchgoers-any/22598/24 "2000-06-17T22:38:52Z")

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I think we’re veering off from the realm of GQ, but Clinton’s conflicts with the Southern Baptists are probably not much different than JFK’s conflicts with Catholicism or Nixon’s with Quakerism.

American religions might aspire to be large monolithic groups where everyone behaves and believes the same, but that doesn’t happen in nearly any religion with a lot of members.

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