
Interesting piece in the Washington Post discussing the religious beliefs (or lack thereof) of Bernie Sanders. The article speculates that he may be an agnostic.
I contacted his office a few years ago on this subject in connection with work I was doing for secular nonprofits. I asked his office staff if we could discuss his religion. The response I got: “Bernie doesn’t like to talk about religion.”
At the time Rep. Pete Stark (D-CA) was the first and only open atheist in Congress. He has since retired, so now there are none, though we know that there are at least a couple dozen who are closeted atheists and agnostics. Like Bernie, however, those who are personally secular tend to not like talking about religion. Too bad, as openly secular candidates and office holders could help change the hyper-religious atmosphere in politics, and that could have a big effect on public policy.