Ohio Governor John Kasich insults Daniel Radcliffe for being an atheist.

Kasich, Governor of Ohio and former 2016 GOP presidential candidate, went off on actor Daniel Radcliffe earlier this week in New Hampshire because Radcliffe is an atheist.

Kasich was in New Hampshire to endorse fellow Republican Chris Sununu for Governor. After the endorsement Kasich toured downtown Exeter with Sununu and some of his campaign aides. After the entourage wandered into a local bookstore Kasich looked at the latest Harry Potter book, and without prompting, went off on actor Daniel Radcliffe for being atheist.

Kasich said:

You know that Daniel Radcliffe has declared himself an atheist? I’m serious. What a weird thing. Why would a guy who has had all that success just, I mean, what the hell is wrong with him?

Wow. What a despicable thing to say. Imagine the outcry if instead of insulting atheists Kasich had insulted Muslims, Jews, or Christians?

I mean, what the hell is wrong with him? Why does he think he can insult people for being atheists?

In addition to insulting atheists, Kasich is also assuming that success is somehow dependent upon a god that does not exist. This is childish. In reality, the belief that the wealthy and successful are chosen by God is a naive and silly world view that most intellectually competent Christians eschew.

As for Radcliffe, made famous by his recurring role as Harry Potter in the blockbuster movie franchise, he has been quite open and vocal about being an atheist. In a 2012 interview Radcliffe declared:

I’m not religious, I’m an atheist, and a militant atheist when religion starts impacting on legislation.

Radcliffe deserves credit for being out and open about being an atheist, even if it means being insulted by intellectually incompetent idiots like Kasich.

As for Kasich, he has made a habit out of insulting the godless. Last year the conservative Christian Kasich warned that “secularists” lack values and “the sense of right and wrong that comes from the great religions.”

Bottom line: The fact that Kasich, the Governor of Ohio, can casually insult all atheists without consequence is disturbing. If he had publicly insulted a popular figure for being a Muslim, or a Jew, or a Christian, the media outrage would have been deafening. Yet when he insults an atheist: crickets.

(H/T Friendly Atheist)