Last month, Congressman Pete Stark (D-California) made history when he came out publicly as the first non-theistic, elected official. He did this at the prompting of the Secular Coalition for America, which had run a contest asking people to nominate the highest-ranking such official.

At the time, the “second place” winner was a school board president.

Well, after the positive press given to Stark, other elected officials are slowly following in Stark’s footsteps! (That’s right– officials. Plural!) But we’ll take these one at a time.

Congratulations are in order for Nebraska State Senator Ernie Chambers, your most recent non-theistic, elected public official!

Chambers, also a Democrat, recently checked off the box on the SCA’s questionnaire that stated he “was a nontheist who would allow the SCA to announce this fact.”

Is he an atheist? I’m not sure. He left the “I identify as _________ ” line blank on the SCA’s questionnaire. Still, whatever he wants to be called, he does not believe in a Supreme Being.

Senator Chambers is the longest-serving state senator in Nebraska’s history, having first been elected in 1970.

The fact that he is the only African-American in Nebraska’s legislature– a secular African-American at all!– will also be an important piece of information as this word spreads.

To read more about this announcement, go here.





[tags]atheist, atheism, Pete Stark, California, non-theist, Secular Coalition for America, Nebraska, State Senator, Ernie Chambers, Democrat, God, Supreme Being, African-American[/tags]