Many politicians profess a belief in God but few celebrate their atheism. California Democrat Rep. Jared Huffman however, made his views on the nonexistence of God extremely clear in pretaped remarks during the Freedom From Religion Foundation’s recent convention. The group regularly files suits against schools and government entities.
“I feel like I have sort of become the surrogate representative for countless folks across the United States that identify as nonreligious,” he said. “As many of you know, I am the token humanist in Congress. I’m a humanist, and I don’t believe in God.”
This revelation isn’t entirely surprising considering past statements and advocacy. A 2017 article proclaimed Huffman wasn’t sure if there was a God. He said he used to ignore questions about his faith but has changed course in recent years.
“I don’t believe in religious tests, I don’t believe my religion is all that important to the people I represent and I think there’s too much religion in politics,” Huffman said at the time. “For those reasons, I felt good about not even answering it.”
Rather than embrace the atheist label, though, he called himself a humanist. Humanism, of course, is the belief system for Communism and Marxism.
“I’m not hostile to religion, and I’m not judging other people’s religious views,” he said. “ “I suppose you could say I don’t believe in God. The only reason I hesitate is, unlike some humanists, I’m not completely closing the door to spiritual possibilities. We all know people who have had experiences they believe are divine, and I’m open to something like that happening.”
He has been awarded by atheists and secularists for his vocal expression of nonbelief. The American Humanist Association named Huffman the “2020 Humanist of the Year,” and he cofounded the Congressional Freethought Caucus in 2018, a group devoted to promoting “public policy formed on the basis of reason, science and moral values.” Also listed in the caucus’ mission is an effort to “oppose discrimination against atheists, agnostics, humanists, seekers, religious and nonreligious persons and to champion the value of freedom of thought and conscience worldwide.”
Huffman won re-election Nov. 8 with 72% of the vote.
–Alan Goforth | Metro Voice
