How would the USA be with a non-Christian President?

[NkrumahWasRight Is Wrong]

I was thinking about this scenario.

Let's for the sake of conversation ignore the unlikeliness of it happening in the near future.

Would we become more pacifist? Would we become more aggressive? Would foreign relationships change with countries abroad? Would citizens of different countries have a more favorable view of the country?

Would there be more division in the country or more acceptance and tolerance of others? Would Supreme Court nominees be significantly different?

I'm starting to wonder if some Christians believe so adamantly in the rapture and return of Jesus that there may be some propensity to be willing to escalate tensions with volatile foreign actors. To be fair, I think that aspect is very subtle.

Feel free to comment on an atheist, agnostic, muslim, hindu, jewish, taoist, buddhist etc becoming President if you are so inclined.

Thanks

 

[Cuban Pete]

Jewish president is gonna happen for sure sometime down the line

Not sure about any other religion tho

Americans only really tolerate Catholicism and Judaism outside of their Protestant faiths

 

[Take It In Blood]

Obama isn't religious regardless of what he claims to be

 

[NkrumahWasRight Is Wrong]

Obama isn't religious regardless of what he claims to be

Maybe, maybe not. He identifies as Christian though and it was an electoral issue. OP thought experiment has to do with a President that openly identifies as something else.

 

[NkrumahWasRight Is Wrong]

Jewish president is gonna happen for sure sometime down the line

Not sure about any other religion tho

Americans only really tolerate Catholicism and Judaism outside of their Protestant faiths

If Bernie made it and had his druthers he would probably be more pro Palestine than prior Presidents have been. I'm not sure he would have been able to actualize that policy much though.

A Jewish nominee would have to be very pro Israel in order to win over the evangelical bloc...who are just as if not more so pro Israel than members of the jewish community are. There is a sizable albeit quiet portion of the Jewish community that does not approve of the treatment of Palestinians but I would also doubt this group of people would support giving away too much of Israel either

 

[get these nets]

Jewish president is gonna happen for sure sometime down the line

Not sure about any other religion tho

Americans only really tolerate Catholicism and Judaism outside of their Protestant faiths

Not sure about that.
Biggest election controversy in our lifetime occurred with an orthodox Jew on the Dem. ticket

Clinton/Gore carried the state of Tenn. twice. Gore's father was a powerful politician in their home state. Had he won it, it would have carried him over the required amount of votes. Wasn't surprised that he lost TN.

Jews are consistently well represented in Cabinet positions, and in key govt. decision making offices, but not sure that a candidate could be elected president.

 

[Pressure]

If Americans elected him he'd do just fine. No different than when the losing side thought Obama was a Muslim.

 

[NkrumahWasRight Is Wrong]

Not sure about that.
Biggest election controversy in our lifetime occurred with an orthodox Jew on the Dem. ticket

Clinton/Gore carried the state of Tenn. twice. Gore's father was a powerful politician in their home state. Had he won it, it would have carried him over the required amount of votes. Wasn't surprised that he lost TN.

Jews are consistently well represented in Cabinet positions, and in key govt. decision making offices, but not sure that a candidate could be elected president.

Good post and I tend to agree with you on that

But again I was hoping we would ignore the chances of any of the above listed possibilities happening and rather discuss the dynamics after they were to happen.

 

[NkrumahWasRight Is Wrong]

If Americans elected him he'd do just fine. No different than when the losing side thought Obama was a Muslim.

Would a Buddhist President support Tibetan Independence from China or deem it as a non-secular issue and maintain status quo? Would a Confucianist cozy up to China and be discredited as a Chinese Puppet in a future landscape that has China as the pre-eminent power? Or be harsher against them to prove a point that his true allegiance is to the american people

 

[Pressure]

Would a Buddhist President support Tibetan Independence from China or deem it as a non-secular issue and maintain status quo?

 

[NkrumahWasRight Is Wrong]

I apologize for trying to start a discussion on something that hasnt been discussed on the board

 

[Pressure]

I apologize for trying to start a discussion on something that hasnt been discussed on the board

You're operating under the assumption that US policy is faith based.

If that's the case, and religion is the priority, why would a mostly Christian country elect a religion hardliner of another faith?

 

[NkrumahWasRight Is Wrong]

You're operating under the assumption that US policy is faith based.

If that's the case, and religion is the priority, why would a mostly Christian country elect a religion hardliner of another faith?

Again, I said to ignore the electability issues and just assume one has been elected. And if one has been elected then that perhaps mean the makeup of the populace has changed enough to allow it. Even if its 50 years from now.

I do think certain aspects of our government is faith based though they refuse to acknowledge it. Its evident in the nomination of pro-life supreme court justices for example and I think it's common for people to link Israeli funding to Christian's sympathetic to a jewish state as opposed to the muslim majority countries that surround it. I wager that it is mostly tactical for military functionality but I also think it's fair to assume that if the demographics of the country enabled a Muslim to be president that there may be a significant change of landscape in middle east relations. Also possibly a shift towards Pakistan rather than India or neutrality

 

[ORDER_66]

Why is this stiII a thing?!!?

 

[NkrumahWasRight Is Wrong]

Why is this stiII a thing?!!?

If it wasnt a thing we wouldnt have had so many Protestants as opposed to Catholics or Christians instead of anyone else