"This country is in desperate, dire need of Christian leadership."

"He fears God, said Scott Bailey…Apart from that, nothing else matters to me in a candidate."

These quotes from the article underline the two predominant characteristics of fundamentalist thinking; fear and ignorance!

What these poor rubes seem to have forgotten is that for the past eight years this country has been under the boot of ‘god fearing’ ‘Christian’ leadership and it has been an unmitigated disaster on all fronts. A two trillion dollar war, a collapsing dollar, a foreign policy that practically guarantees a rise in terrorism and the continued dismantling of democracy are just a few of the many highlights of this ‘end time’ mindset’ leading our country.

I thinks it’s probably to much to hope that the rubes in Iowa and New Hampshire that are being hornswoggled by Huckabee’s ‘down home’ affability and easily digestible piety will wake up and realize that in a country that derives a great deal of it’s GDP from innovation, science and technology, there’s a genuine danger in endorsing another corn pone simpleton with a fundamentally medieval worldview.

What's all this blubbering about Bhutto? For goodness sakes people- don't you realize that Amy Winehouse is in trouble in Norway?

They're great! And I got my box set for under five bucks in Shanghai!

“I put “atheist” in quotes because they tend to be the strongest believers (in denying anything spiritual in this universe). Sad (but true) irony.”

I’m not a “believer in denying there is anything spiritual in the world”. I’m mearly asking for some sort of empirical evidence to substantiate the claims of “believers.

An atheist is pure an simple one who is ‘a’ (without) ‘theist’ (god). I’m not trying to deny or disprove anything because the burden of proof isn't on me.

John Haught: “Nietzsche, Sartre and Camus would have cringed at "the new atheism" …The new atheists don't want to think out the implications of a complete absence of deity.”

Or they might have said, “Hey, why didn’t I think of that”.

Seriously though, I read the books in question by Dawkins, Dennett, Harris, Hitchens and Stenger and they did think out the implications of a complete absence of a deity. But Haught is so invested in his own fuzzy thinking that he can’t refute them intelligently or with any solid evidence. Instead he retreats into the same “They just don’t understand” stance that Karen Armstrong pulls every time Dawkins name comes up.

If Haught and Armstrong really want to play with the big boys then they are going to have to play by big boy rules and actually state evidence for their claims. Let’s face it; the “Your mean and I’m going to take my ball and go home” argument just isn’t working.

Imagine that— a theologian dishes atheism! Did you really expect anything else? It reminds me of that old saying about how you can’t expect someone to understand something when their livelihood is contingent on them not understanding it.

NicoleM said: “I don't believe that all religious people are delusional or idiotic. But anyone who truly, honestly buys the load of crap that Joseph Smith was selling, yeah. Delusional and/or idiotic.”

Again, cherry picking Nicole. Yes they have some whacky beliefs but is it any whackier than speaking in tongues, believing the earth is 6000 years old, drinking what some people think is literaly the blood of Christ, sacrificing animals or dancing around a holy rock seven times or any of the other nutty supersticious beliefs held by the oddly named ‘mainstream’ religions.

I don’t want to be cast as a defender of Mormonism but I don’t think you would speak of Jews the same way you speak of Mormons and there ain't a whole lot of difference in their wackiness factor.

You said: “The evidence that Joseph Smith, and by extension, the Book of Mormon, is a fraud is overwhelming. Why should the American public elect a candidate who believes in a religion that is based on demonstrable fraud?"

I think that singling out Mormonism as fraudulent is unfair cherry picking. Catholicism, Evangelicalism, Islam, Judaism and all the rest of them are equally ridiculous. I challenge you to show me how the tenets of Mormonism are any more silly or fraudulent than those of Catholicism or any of the others I mentioned.

Thanks again to Michael for his trenchant insight into the minds and motives of the candidates. Clearly Mitt is unfit to rule becaue he flubbed a stupid stat (Sorry Sox fans, it just doesn't really matter!).

Of course, I would rather die than cast a vote for Mitt Romney but my reasons have more to do with his stance on health care, privatization, military spending, Iraq and a number of other concerns.

I wish Salon would send a reporter on the road that had more of an interest in substantive policy positions and less facination with trivial matters.

"Today, you watch your Roomba scurrying around your filthy floor, digging its nose into your grime, and you hardly pause to consider its soul; the robot vacuum is a slave, and you are its master."

No Mr. Levy. It is a tool and you are the person who bought it and plugged it in--that's all!

Sure Trainman, Bush exported our industrial base to China thereby lowering our greenhouse gas emissions. Now China will suffer the ill effects of global warming while we remain a pristine paradise.

Problem solved!

"Many of you seem to grasp that this article is satire, so… Calm yourselves!"

Satire is generaly funny, ironic, has a bite or makes a point. This article fails on all accounts.

You’re absolutely right Michael, with this kind of candy assed tripe coming from Salon (as the lead story no less) anyone truly can be a campaign reporter.