Osler's Razor

Professor, what are your thoughts about an atheist on the high court?
 

TJ, I'm as curious as you are.

Further, I think I would make an excellent candidate for a diverse court. We've never had a heathen justice, and that has to anger Thor. Thor seems like the type of guy you wouldn't want angry. Dude's got a big hammer.

(Other religions that have not, to my limited research, ever held a spot on the federal bench: Theravada or Mahayana Buddhist, Bahai'i, Zoroastrian, Hindu, Jain, Sikh, Wiccan/neo-pagan, Daoist, Shinto. Some of these may never even have held a national public office in the United States. What gives?)
 

I can't focus on this when K-Strass has totally captured my attention. He realy doesn't have good muscle memory.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DBzWHudBoiA
 

How do we know if Kagan is a practicing Jew? Just because she was born Jewish doesn't mean she isn't agnostic, or even an atheist.

The same could be said about many of the past Justices. How many of the current 9 regularly attend services or consider themselves religious?
 

TJ-- I'd be ok with an atheist. That would make the Court more like this country, too. However, the Protestant thing is a bigger disparity at the moment.
 

The reason I specifically ask about atheists is that there is one thing that the vast majority of those religions listed have in common. Whether you're Jewish, Catholic, Mulsim, or Hindu, you believe in some sort of creator or higher power. Those first three believe in different versions of the same guy (or gal?). Regardless, that's a stark difference between them and the atheist, who doesn't believe in any supernatural creator.

It would seem to me, in terms of representation on the court, the Hindu and the protestant are much more represented on the court than the atheist.

And, if you want to talk about bringing a new perspective or being able to empathize, it would also seem to me that a catholic and a jew could much more easily empathize with a protestant or a hindu than they could an atheist because they have more in common.

Finally, in terms of numbers, according to Wikipedia (take that for what you will), atheists make up anywhere between 6% and 15% of the population of this country depending on which poll you look at. Probably no where near the size of protestants, but still a sizable chunk of our population.

My larger point is that, I think, too much emphasis is given to what religion people are. In the end, all the religions have a lot in common with each other -- and sometimes, folks tend to focus on the differences between the religions. Though, and excuse the rambling, but I suppose that would be expected. Religions tend to be competing for followers. And you win over people by focusing on the differences, not on the similarities.
 

I'm not willing to sanction Obama's Kagan nomination until I know what her views on 9/11 being an inside job are. Also, does she drive a truck, and has she ever hunted an animal from a helicopter? What is the best kind of bear? Did she cry when Littlefoot's mom died? How many chicken nuggets can she fit in her mouth at once? What's her favorite Rambo movie? Who did she like better, N'Sync or Backstreet? I have little faith that the Senate will answer any of these questions.