# My Nontheist Politics Hypothesis

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-nontheist-politics-hypothesis/637506>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [October 12, 2012, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-nontheist-politics-hypothesis/637506 "2012-10-12T12:51:57Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Bpelta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Bpelta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bpelta)\
**Post date:** [October 12, 2012, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-nontheist-politics-hypothesis/637506/1 "2012-10-12T12:51:57Z")

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So I have a hypothesis, based totally on personal experience and anecdotal evidence.

Nontheists who identify with the Right are more likely to be agnostics or pretend they’re religious. Nontheists who identify with the Left are more likely to be atheists and be open about it.

Any evidence which refutes/backs up my hypothesis?

(I think GQ is best for this, I am looking for **factual** evidence to see if my hypothesis is correct, after all.)

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**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\
**Post date:** [October 12, 2012, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-nontheist-politics-hypothesis/637506/2 "2012-10-12T14:54:46Z")

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So, which conservatives do you think are atheists but pretending to be religious?

For what it’s worth, George Will, arguably the dean of conservative pundis, is a self-proclaimed agnostic. Has he been shunned by conservatives as a whole? Is there any reason to think he’s more popular on the right than if he were an outright atheist?

Pretending to be an agnostic seems pointlkess and silly. If you’re a coward or a BS artist, why not go all out and pretend to be a devout Christian?

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**Author:** ![Bpelta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Bpelta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bpelta)\
**Post date:** [October 12, 2012, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-nontheist-politics-hypothesis/637506/3 "2012-10-12T15:19:19Z")

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> [@astorian](#):
>
> So, which conservatives do you think are atheists but pretending to be religious?

I’ve become acquainted with some folks who pretend to be in religious in public for some pragmatic reason or other (they want to keep their job, they don’t want a divorce, they like the community, et al.), but privately don’t believe any of it. Sometimes their families know, sometimes not.

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**Author:** ![Sigene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df788c/32.png) [@Sigene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigene)\
**Post date:** [October 12, 2012, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-nontheist-politics-hypothesis/637506/4 "2012-10-12T19:31:00Z")

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I’m an absolute unhidden atheist, and pretty conservative with regards to economics.

I don’t agree to government control over private personal matters.

I consider my self right of center, and would happily be a republican if it could shake loose of the religious aspect associated with the group.

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**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\
**Post date:** [October 12, 2012, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-nontheist-politics-hypothesis/637506/5 "2012-10-12T20:12:36Z")

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Objectivists are, by and large, atheists who openly distance themselves from religious Conservatives.

(Since this is GQ, I won’t comment on this.)

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**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\
**Post date:** [October 13, 2012, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-nontheist-politics-hypothesis/637506/6 "2012-10-13T02:48:32Z")

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Well this is getting into IMHO territory. I don’t know any actual data. I am a Josephian on economics (have surpluses during the fat years and deficits during the lean ones), which is indistinguishable from Keynes. As for religion, I am an agnostic by certain knowledge and an atheist by belief. Think about that. I think the government should keep out of private lives and regulate business as necessary (channeling that famous “free marketer” Adam Smith.

I especially dislike the idea that businesses are almost always allowed to privatize their profits and socialize their costs (such as pollution). I think I am really quote conservative, but conservatives don’t.