# Who is the least religious of the candidates? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [January 29, 2016, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-least-religious-of-the-candidates/744570 "2016-01-29T14:14:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2016, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-least-religious-of-the-candidates/744570/1 "2016-01-29T14:14:15Z")
It seems publically expressing one’s religious beliefs is a hard requirement of any candidate. I can usually get past it, but listening to Cruz and Rubio fellating the evangelicals is a turn-off for me. While all candidates play this card on both sides, I got to thinking who does this the least? It would be nice if someone affirmed support for secular government, regardless of their own religion, but I know that is a long shot. As is courting the “unaffiliated” voting block. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2016, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-least-religious-of-the-candidates/744570/2 "2016-01-29T14:22:07Z")
Very good question. I wish I knew the answer. My gut feeling is Clinton, Sanders or Trump. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2016, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-least-religious-of-the-candidates/744570/3 "2016-01-29T14:22:14Z")
Probably Sanders. Why, that dude’s not even a Christian! ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2016, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-least-religious-of-the-candidates/744570/4 "2016-01-29T14:27:59Z")
> [@Happy\_Lendervedder](#): > > Probably Sanders. Why, that dude’s not even a Christian! Agree - at least he doesn’t get all meshugenah about it, altho he has mentioned it on occasion. Considering the pull of the evangelicals, it’s probably not something he should play-up anyway. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2016, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-least-religious-of-the-candidates/744570/5 "2016-01-29T15:13:12Z")
I’d bet Trump. I can’t imagine he has one religious bone in his body. With Clinton, it’s hard to tell the difference between what she believes, and what she does for appearances. I’m not sure even she knows. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2016, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-least-religious-of-the-candidates/744570/6 "2016-01-29T15:14:30Z")
None of my business. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2016, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-least-religious-of-the-candidates/744570/7 "2016-01-29T15:31:30Z")
Huckabee ---
**Author:** ![tim-n-va](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim-n-va/32/3001_2.png) [@tim-n-va](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tim-n-va)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2016, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-least-religious-of-the-candidates/744570/8 "2016-01-29T15:37:10Z")
Not sure about his personal beliefs but Rand Paul, with his libertarian leanings, would be most likely to not use religious views for policy. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2016, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-least-religious-of-the-candidates/744570/9 "2016-01-29T15:41:42Z")
Carson. Someday he’ll peel back his human skin to reveal his robotic interior after his programming fails. More seriously, I don’t think Clinton or Trump are particularly religious, not sure if Rubio or Paul or Fiorina care that much about it. But really, wouldn’t it be nice if nobody gave a rat’s ass what faith, if any, a candidate professes? ---
**Author:** ![Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/f04885/32.png) [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qin_Shi_Huangdi)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2016, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-least-religious-of-the-candidates/744570/10 "2016-01-29T18:37:16Z")
TRUMP-which is one more reason it’s fascinating that the atheists of the Dope aren’t shilling more for him in order to break the grip of the Christian Right on the GOP. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2016, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-least-religious-of-the-candidates/744570/11 "2016-01-29T18:42:56Z")
> [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](#): > > TRUMP-which is one more reason it’s fascinating that the atheists of the Dope aren’t shilling more for him in order to break the grip of the Christian Right on the GOP. There ARE worse things than being a Christian, though at the moment I’m not coming up with any. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Lobohan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobohan/32/79_2.png) [@Lobohan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobohan)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2016, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-least-religious-of-the-candidates/744570/12 "2016-01-29T18:46:11Z")
> [@tim-n-va](#): > > Not sure about his personal beliefs but Rand Paul, with his libertarian leanings, would be most likely to not use religious views for policy. He’s anti-abortion and anti-gay marriage. Which might be due to secular reasons, but generally not. ---
**Author:** ![Lobohan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobohan/32/79_2.png) [@Lobohan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobohan)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2016, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-least-religious-of-the-candidates/744570/13 "2016-01-29T18:47:57Z")
> [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](#): > > TRUMP-which is one more reason it’s fascinating that the atheists of the Dope aren’t shilling more for him in order to break the grip of the Christian Right on the GOP. Atheists understand we only have the life here on Earth. Why would a rational atheist want to entrust the most powerful position in the world to a fucking whack-a-doo? ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2016, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-least-religious-of-the-candidates/744570/14 "2016-01-29T19:06:29Z")
> [@tim-n-va](#): > > Not sure about his personal beliefs but Rand Paul, with his libertarian leanings, would be most likely to not use religious views for policy. He’s quite outspoken about his religious beliefs and how they influence his ideas about public policy. He might lean a wee bit libertarian on a few things, but not much. Plus he’s probably learned his lesson that he can’t get TOO libertarian about social issues or he’ll alienate too large a segment of the Republican base. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2016, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-least-religious-of-the-candidates/744570/15 "2016-01-29T20:11:23Z")
> [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](#): > > TRUMP-which is one more reason it’s fascinating that the atheists of the Dope aren’t shilling more for him in order to break the grip of the Christian Right on the GOP. 😕 I WANT the GOP in the grip of the Christian Right. That party needs to stop existing. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2016, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-least-religious-of-the-candidates/744570/16 "2016-01-29T20:14:32Z")
> [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](#): > > TRUMP-which is one more reason it’s fascinating that the atheists of the Dope aren’t shilling more for him in order to break the grip of the Christian Right on the GOP. Well, PRETENDING to be a devout christian may be one of the few things worse than actually being one. ---
**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:** [January 29, 2016, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-least-religious-of-the-candidates/744570/17 "2016-01-29T21:30:09Z")
> [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](#): > > TRUMP-which is one more reason it’s fascinating that the atheists of the Dope aren’t shilling more for him in order to break the grip of the Christian Right on the GOP. Although I believe the Christian Right (and religion in general) is more of a threat than the Socialist Left, religion is not the only issue. A Trump presidency would terrify the bejesus out of me. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2016, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-least-religious-of-the-candidates/744570/18 "2016-01-29T23:02:46Z")
> [@Happy\_Lendervedder](#): > > Probably Sanders. Why, that dude’s not even a Christian! Not much of a Jew, either. Amanda Marcotte writes: [The popularity of Bernie Sanders speaks volumes about Americans’ rejection of organized religion.](http://www.salon.com/2016/01/28/the_popularity_of_bernie_sanders_speaks_volumes_about_americans_rejection_of_organized_religion/) > [@](#): > > “I am not actively involved with organized religion,” Sanders told the Washington Post on Wednesday. > > “I think everyone believes in God in their own ways,” Sanders, who is Jewish and went to Hebrew school when he was young, continued. “To me, it means that all of us are connected, all of life is connected, and that we are all tied together.” > > As Ben Mathis-Lilley at Slate points out, this is not the first time that Sanders has provided an “elliptical” answer on the subject of religion. When asked about God by Jimmy Kimmel, Sanders deflected, saying, “what my spirituality is about, is that we’re all in this together.” > > The whole thing is quite fitting with Sanders’ larger campaign argument that the United States is ready to be more like western Europe. When he invokes countries like Denmark, Sanders is generally speaking about economic policy and the social safety net, but it’s also true that his attitudes towards religion are similar to what you’d find in countries like Denmark or the Netherlands, where a lot of people have some nominal faith but aren’t really church-going believers. > > It’s long been believed that such an attitude is a non-starter in American politics, however, where it’s assumed that people are a lot more churchy than our western European counterparts. Certainly, most mainstream politicians, particularly those with eyes on the White House, are not only religious but are members of traditional churches that hold standard-issue Christian beliefs: That Jesus was a real person, that he was literally born of a virgin, etc. > > Already Sanders is outside of that norm, simply by being Jewish. But if he held more traditionally Jewish beliefs, that would fit into the long-standing expectation that national politicians kow-tow to the American belief in their own religiosity. Rejecting organized religion, however, is a bold choice. > > That said, Sanders may be more in line with where Americans are actually at when it comes to religion than what long-standing stereotypes about America religiosity would have you believe. Which is to say, Americans aren’t nearly as religious as we think we are. ---
**Author:** ![ElderSign](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eldersign/32/8263_2.png) [@ElderSign](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElderSign)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2016, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-least-religious-of-the-candidates/744570/19 "2016-01-29T23:11:39Z")
Bernie may reject organized religion, and not like to be labeled as a Jew, but he is spiritual. Trump seems to worship himself, money, and status as opposed to any higher power, no matter what he says about being a Christian. Rand Paul is still his father’s son, and quotes Jesus when it comes to being anti-war. Clinton is a shape shifting alien, so…whatever they believe in. ---
**Author:** ![Stoneburg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@Stoneburg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoneburg)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2016, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-least-religious-of-the-candidates/744570/20 "2016-01-30T04:50:41Z")
> [@](#): > > “To me, it means that all of us are connected, all of life is connected, and that we are all tied together.” If you want to put a label on it, that would fit with both Buddhism and Hinduism, as well as Sikhism and the mystical schools of the western religions (Christian Mysticism, Kabbalah and Sufism). So apparently, he’s a Mystic! May he achieve self-liberation in this life time for the benefit of all sentient beings. 😉 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-least-religious-of-the-candidates/744570.md?page=2)