Openly gay POTUS or openly atheist POTUS, which will be the first?

[relativetruth]

As a Brit who is interested in American politics I has always been curious as to why with your secular constitution religion still plays a huge part.

I was brought up as Christian and I thought the message of Jesus was

1. Not to have prejudices towards people different to yourselves [good Samariton story].
2. Have social awareness [do unto others that you would have them do unto you]
3. Do not worship wealth cause you won't get into heaven [needles and camels]

It seams to me that a large proportion of the Republic party, and many Democrats,  do not hold the all above three values.

I feel that the world is changing and eventually the we will accept all sorts.

I know that Barney Frank is an openly gay congressman.
I suspect that Barack Obama is actually atheist [although being first black POTUS should be enough].

So will an openly gay POTUS precede an openly atheist POTUS?

[Nick]

I'm going with a gay atheist.

[nogodsforme]

I'll bet we have a woman (straight, happily married of course) before we have either. Like Hillary Clinton, although we may have to revise the "happily" part. I'm sure she just winces when she looks at Bill sometimes. The lovable skit-chasing rogue persona gets old fast.

[Graybeard]

There are probably more atheists than gays by a short head - I vote atheist.

[Gohavesomefun]

Let's meet half way, overly camp athiest?

[lotanddaughters]

I would say that atheism has already crept into the minds of some past POTUS, even if their religiosity was only diminished to deism. If you define an atheist as "any person who is not a theist", then you could say that a deist is an atheist, just like a man is an ape.

I don't know what it is like to be born gay. At what point of childhood does the realization that you are gay manifest itself in your mind? I'm sure it varies from child to child. I haven't heard of any suspected gay POTUS. Would they have been able to keep it in the closet and out of the history books if they were gay? It would be difficult, but I would have to leave open the possibility. Let's just say it wouldn't be science-fiction.

I vote "Atheist".

[Quesi]

Well, there is pretty clear documentation that Eleanor Roosevelt was a lesbian.  And she was kind of POTUS. 

[Garja]

Just out of curiosity, is Jefferson usually considered a deist?

[lotanddaughters]

Well, there is pretty clear documentation that Eleanor Roosevelt was a lesbian.  And she was kind of POTUS.

I never knew that. Thanks for posting.

[Death over Life]

Just out of curiosity, is Jefferson usually considered a deist?

I remembered on the Huffington post about what our Founding Father's believed, they classified Jefferson as an Episcopal, but when Jefferson was vying for President, the opponents constantly tagged him as an atheist, and he never attempted to refute those claims, so it's kind of hard to tell.

With that being said, we may have had a few atheist Presidents in the past.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religious_affiliations_of_Presidents_of_the_United_States

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Jefferson_and_religion

I know people call him undoubtedly Deist, but there could have been suggestions Abraham Lincoln was full-fledged atheist before he was assassinated.

[nogodsforme]

Didn't Lincoln sleep with male companions who liked his legs? Saw it on American Dad, so it must be true.

[Garja]

Didn't Lincoln sleep with male companions who liked his legs? Saw it on American Dad, so it must be true.

One of the great American documentaries.

[Nam]

I am with Nick. It's what I thought of in my reply to this.

-Nam

[Hatter23]

I would say that atheism has already crept into the minds of some past POTUS, even if their religiosity was only diminished to deism. If you define an atheist as "any person who is not a theist", then you could say that a deist is an atheist, just like a man is an ape.

No a Deist is a theist, essentially an almost agnostic theist.

[Hatter23]

Just out of curiosity, is Jefferson usually considered a deist?

He proclaimed himself to be a Christian, repeatedly, however when you actually analyze his proclaimed beliefs...essentially a Deist.

[Betelnut]

Wiki:

Franklin Steiner lists four presidents as "not affiliated" and six others as "religious views doubtful":[9]

    James Madison
    James Monroe
    Martin Van Buren
    William Henry Harrison
    John Tyler
    Zachary Taylor
    Andrew Johnson
    Rutherford B. Hayes
    Chester Arthur

Despite this, I voted gay because atheism is a choice versus gayness which isn't.  People don't like it when someone chooses to totally disregard their cherished beliefs.  Lots of gays are theists so I think they have a better shot.