Is Gordon Brown an atheist?

[Undesired Walrus]

I like Gordon Brown. I think he is everything a politician should be.
Rational, wise, practical, slightly boring, and relies on evidence.

It is an elitist argument, I understand, but I refuse to believe Gordon believes in God. Or is at least a FSM sympathiser.

I could just ask him if I ever see him, but wise JREF, what do you reckon?

Has a politician ever been a non-believer in the closet?

 

[Mid]

Reading through a number of paper articles about him I get the impresion that it's generally believed that he believes in god. However I can't remember reading about him ever mentioning it and a quick google didn't bring up much stuff, there is this article though if you want to check out abit more about his background:

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/motori...objectid=19362525&siteid=66633-name_page.html

He is the son of a Rev. so make of that whatever you will.

 

[brodski]

Brown is a committed Presbyterian. His father was a CoS minister, and Brown has followed in him in his faith.

Given the distinct disadvantage which string religious views are for UK politicians, I can think of any closeted Atheists in parliament now or in the recent past.

 

[ImaginalDisc]

Has a politician ever been a non-believer in the closet?

How would we know?

 

[christie malry]

Given the distinct disadvantage which string religious views are for UK politicians, I can think of any closeted Atheists in parliament now or in the recent past.

The reverse is almost true though - Blair didn't make a thing out of his Catholicism (e.g. Campbell's famous 'we don't do God' intervention), and I can't imagine Brown mentioning it unless directly asked. How many past PMs have we had who were proper say-it-loud atheists though? As opposed to keeping your religion away from public policy justification?

I've always thought that in British politics it detracts from your credibility to justify an argument with an appeal to a deity, rather than the religious belief itself being necessarily a problem. It would probably play quite well with the Daily Wail or the Torygraph...

 

[ceo_esq]

Has a politician ever been a non-believer in the closet?

As ID suggests, we wouldn't necessarily be able to tell. There have been some notable "out" MPs, though. I understand that the late former leader of the House of Commons, Robin Cook, was openly atheist. And let's not forget Charles Bradlaugh, who paved the way.

 

[The Atheist]

Helen Clark describes herself as agnostic.

"I don't expect everybody to share my beliefs and I don't expect others to expect me to share theirs.



Brodski - I know what you're saying about christianity in a social sense in UK, it's very much the same here, but how do you think an atheist PM would work when the Queen is head of the CoE? Little conflict of interest there, on occasion?

 

[christie malry]

She managed to cope when Tony Benn was a minister, and he's a republican (in the constitutional rather than American sense of course )

 

[sophia8]

Brown is a committed Presbyterian. His father was a CoS minister, and Brown has followed in him in his faith.

To avoid alarm and distress amongst our US members, I should explain that in Britain, "CoS" means Church of Scotland.

Not Church of Scientology!

 

[modecom]

[URL]http://www.internationalskeptics.com/forums/imagehosting/1037746bbc591ac812.gif[/URL]

Helen Clark describes herself as agnostic.

"I don't expect everybody to share my beliefs and I don't expect others to expect me to share theirs.

Three cheers for Helen Clark.


Australia's ex ex prime minister (1983-1991) is also agnostic.

"Until I get some evidence one way or the other which is compelling to me, I'm going to have to remain an agnostic..." - Bob Hawke


Our ex ex ex head of state, the Governor-General of Australia (1989-1996), is an atheist.

"Being an atheist - as I am - is not a necessary pre-condition for being a humanist..." – Bill Hayden


Unfortunately, our current politicians, on both sides, are chasing the christian vote.

http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,22226219-421,00.html

Disgusting.

 

[The Atheist]

"Until I get some evidence one way or the other which is compelling to me, I'm going to have to remain an agnostic..." - Bob Hawke

Cheers, I didn't know about Bob Hawke, but I always liked him. I like him more now!

As to the current mob, none could be worse than Peter Garrett - the traitorous, sell-out scumbag.

 

[mummymonkey]

"He's not religious, he's a protestant."



/Scottish joke.

 

[PenguinWarrior]

The reverse is almost true though - Blair didn't make a thing out of his Catholicism (e.g. Campbell's famous 'we don't do God' intervention)

I believe Blair is Church of England, actually. There has been a lot of talk of him converting to Catholicism, but even if he did convert already and I missed it/forgot, he was CoE through his Premiership.

Not that this really matters, as religion and politics in the UK generally have a don't ask/don't tell thing going on. It's quite hard to find out a MPs religion often (well unless it's Ruth Kelly, who is the most senior person for whom it has been an issue - she wouldn't work on a health brief as she is opposed to abortions, and fought hard, but unsuccessfully, against the law that would make it compulsory for all adoption agencies - including religious ones - to give equal consideration to gay couples. Amusingly, she is a member of Opus Dei).

Having said that, I'm not sure we've had an atheist lead our country yet, though googling around has both John Major (!) and Winston Churchill (who is said to be variously an Anglican, an Episcopalian and an "optimistic agnostic") described as such (I doubt the first claim strongly, and am somewhat uncommital on the second), though we have had at least one atheist (Michael Foot) and one agnostic (Neil Kinnock) as leaders of the opposition.

 

[christie malry]

Whilst he was indeed CofE throughout his premiership, I remember t'Grauniad reporting on his impending conversion as soon as he left office, and I remember there being a lot of fuss about his sympathising with the Church, as Cherie was already Catholic.

As you say, not that it particularly matters in UK politics. If we're trying to find atheist/agnostic PMs, what about Attlee? his wikipedia entry says he was 'raised' anglican but I would have suspected he'd be a pretty good candidate for agnosticism/atheism, what with the socialism and all.