Ron Reagan on Religion and Atheism

Monday July 5, 2004

A year ago, I don’t think that most people really cared; today, however, Ron Reagan’s atheism and ideas about the relationship between religion and politics has been receiving a great deal of attention. I think that this is a good thing because he does a good job of representing a secularist perspective, even though it has led to some nasty attacks.

In The New York Times, Deborah Solomon interviews Ron Reagan:

Now that the country is awash in Reagan nostalgia, some observers are predicting that you will enter politics. Would you like to be president of the United States?

I would be unelectable. I'm an atheist. As we all know, that is something people won't accept.

What would you do if Senator Kerry asked you to be his vice president?

I would question his sanity.

Do you ever go to church?

No. I visit my wife's sangha.

So you sometimes practice Buddhism?

I don't claim anything. But my sympathies would be in that direction. I admire the fact that the central core of Buddhist teaching involves mindfulness and loving kindness and compassion. ... One thing that Buddhism teaches you is that every moment is an opportunity to change. And we will have a moment in November to make a big change.

As I said, I think that Ron Reagan does a good job at representing secularist views about religion and politics. He doesn’t act extremist, shrill, annoying, or in any of the ways that some in the spotlight can get. He sounds like he’d be a great person to know and talk to.

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