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Faith

Congress’ Only Atheist Loses His Re-Election Campaign After 40-Year Career

Nov. 7, 2012 11:40am Billy Hallowell

It’s widely known that Rep. Pete Stark (D-Calif.), 80, is Congress’ only known atheist. The outspoken politician has touted his non-belief on numerous occasions, serving as a champion to atheists and agnostics across America. But on Tuesday, Stark’s supporters were delivered a blow when he was defeated by fellow Democrat Eric Swalwell.

Atheist Pete Stark Loses His Re Election Campaign

Rep. Pete Stark (Photo Credit: AP)

The congressman, who was first elected in 1972 and who has been in office for the past 40 years, will no longer serve as a voice for secularists. Notably, Swalwell, a 31-years-old city councilman and county prosecutor, used Stark’s vote against the national motto (“In God We Trust”) to deride his opponent.

The Los Angeles Times has more about the heated race:

Stark faced a tough race because of two big political changes in California: the political map drawn by an independent citizens commission that put him in a new district a bit less liberal, and the state’s new top-two primary system that set up the Democrat-versus-Democrat clash.

Stark finished ahead of Swalwell in the three-candidate primary, 42.1% to 36.2%. Swalwell is a deputy district attorney who was elected in 2010 to the city council of Dublin, a suburb of 46,000 people in the San Francisco Bay Area. He was an intern to former Rep. Ellen Tauscher in 2001-02.

Rep. Pete Stark (Photo Credit: AP)

The soon-to-be former congressman is known for being among the most liberal House members. Over the years, aside from his atheism, he has pushed for defense cuts and for the creation of the a so-called “Department of Peace.” During George W. Bush’s presidency, Stark notably said that troops went to Iraq to ”get their heads blown off for the president’s amusement.”

In the past, TheBlaze has reported about Stark’s public praise of the national atheist activist movement. The Friendly Atheist, a secular blogger who covers non-theism, describes some of the congressman’s attachments to the community:

Stark came out as a “non-theist” in 2007, making him the first sitting member of Congress to ever do so. In addition to recognizing the National Day of Reason on the floor of Congress, he spoke (via video) at the Reason Rally earlier this year. Stark had served in Congress since 1973, making him the longest-serving Congressperson currently from California (and fifth longest-serving overall).

With Stark poised to exit office, atheists are holding out for Kyrsten Sinema’s potential victory in Arizona. Sinema is a bi-sexual House candidate who, like the soon-to-exit congressman, is a non-theist.

–

Related:

‘He Lit Into Me’: Ex-Lawmaker Claims Atheist Rep. Pete StarkThreatened Him & Questioned His Faith

In CONTROL, Glenn Beck presents a passionate, fact-based case for guns that reveals why gun control isn’t really about controlling guns at all; it’s about controlling us. Find out more HERE.

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Comments (89)

watashbuddyfriend
Posted on November 7, 2012 at 1:42pm
To coin the black person phrase ‘you know,’ Rep. Pete Stark (D-Calif.) could be the last person to make the Right Choice, and complete the Church Age bringing forth something GOOD?

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- rickc34
  Posted on November 8, 2012 at 8:23am
  I wonder if be blamed God for losing?
  
  Report this comment
- Chatikh
  Posted on November 8, 2012 at 3:26pm
  @RICKC34
  
  Don’t be dumb. He might blame believers in God but blaming God would be like blaming the tooth fairy.
  
  Report this comment
LibzBane
Posted on November 7, 2012 at 1:40pm
His religion, from a strictly constitutional perspective is irrelevant.

The man was an . Good riddance.

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Sharon Rose
Posted on November 7, 2012 at 1:09pm
So much to do and so little time. God help America.

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davecorkery
Posted on November 7, 2012 at 12:55pm
As an atheist myself, I’m glad to see him go. 40 years is too long for anyone to be in politics. There should be term limits for all politicians.. Time to retire.

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- freedan
  Posted on November 7, 2012 at 2:12pm
  They have always had term limits. It is called the VOTE. They are still there because the cowardly electorate don’t have the backbone to be Americans.
  
  Report this comment
thibx
Posted on November 7, 2012 at 12:54pm
10 seconds after he dies he won’t be an athiast. he is going to wish for all eternity he had served God. his’s decision. hell is real.

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- davecorkery
  Posted on November 7, 2012 at 1:09pm
  Wow. you know what happens after death. You’re the first. You should tell the world. And we’ll laugh at your delusions.
  
  Report this comment
- john vincent
  Posted on November 7, 2012 at 3:26pm
  dave-
  u may not appreciate his view, but he is correct. I have seen life from the dead-
  its called a dormant flower bulb with no life in the dead of winter, it magically comes to life in the spring- nature is a powerful teacher-
  kind of the same thing-
  but our hope is actually in someone who has been there, done that-
  
  Report this comment
- mindocdan
  Posted on November 7, 2012 at 4:43pm
  I’m already laughing at your efforts at spelling and punctuation. Arguments appear to carry more weight when presented in a literate fashion.
  
  Report this comment
- john vincent
  Posted on November 7, 2012 at 5:19pm
  mindo-
  I love having a personal spellchecker and secretary! I feel doubly honoured, thank you.
  
  You must have not noticed in your rush to criticize, that I am addressing an atheist; one who apparantly has no use for order….
  
  Now feel free to comment on the substance.
  
  Report this comment
- acidovorax
  Posted on November 7, 2012 at 5:42pm
  JOHN wrote: “u may not appreciate his view, but he is correct. I have seen life from the dead-
  its called a dormant flower bulb with no life in the dead of winter, it magically comes to life in the spring- nature is a powerful teacher-”
  
  I’ll let you in on a little secret, John. “Dormant” does not equal “dead”. The flower is still alive during the winter.
  
  Report this comment
- mindocdan
  Posted on November 7, 2012 at 5:45pm
  Fair enough, John Vincent. No one KNOWS what happens after death. In that sense, we are all agnostics. I don’t know this politician well, but he appears to have had the courage of his convictions, and it’s demeaning to suggest he’ll change them upon death. I prefer to believe in a God who will teach and correct, rather than punish.
  
  Report this comment
- mindocdan
  Posted on November 7, 2012 at 5:54pm
  It was snarky of me to criticize the spelling and punctuation, I apologize, but it doesn’t follow that atheists have no desire for order, atheism and anarchy are not synonymous.
  
  Report this comment
- john vincent
  Posted on November 7, 2012 at 5:57pm
  acid-
  Poetic liberty here. No secret with the dormancy.
  
  If you lay under ground ‘dormant’ for six months, would this not be the same as death.?
  
  I believe so, and I’m sure you do as well. The point is ‘resurrection’ in both cases.
  
  I really do not care about the politician at this heading; this is far more relevant.
  
  Report this comment
- john vincent
  Posted on November 7, 2012 at 6:03pm
  mindo-
  agreed tkx
  
  Report this comment
- acidovorax
  Posted on November 7, 2012 at 6:06pm
  JOHN wrote: “If you lay under ground ‘dormant’ for six months, would this not be the same as death.?
  I believe so, and I’m sure you do as well. The point is ‘resurrection’ in both cases.”
  
  If humans did, then yes, we would be dead. The flower, no. That’s the beauty of scientific investigation. We can determine that what looks like a “lifeless flower” is really in a state of lowered metabolic rate, awaiting more suitable conditions. So, no. No resurrection in the case of the flower.
  
  Report this comment
- Tricornes
  Posted on November 7, 2012 at 6:55pm
  @mindocdan Unless you are a teenage girl from 2005 please refrain from using the pseudo-word “snarky”.
  
  Report this comment
- mandmsgirl
  Posted on November 7, 2012 at 7:31pm
  @Dave,
  Hell is real. I have died and been there. Don’t take chances.
  
  Report this comment
- mindocdan
  Posted on November 7, 2012 at 7:49pm
  actually, tricorne, while “snarky” may be overly trendy, it is a word. Been in the dictionary since the early 1900′s, from the german, meaning to find fault with
  
  Report this comment
- January24
  Posted on November 8, 2012 at 1:17am
  You’re right, THIBX.
  
  And to Dave: The Bible is self-proving if you approach it with an open mind and an open heart.
  
  God says that those who seek Him with their whole beings WILL find Him. I hope that one day, something will motivate you to do just that. If you have the courage, ask Him to reveal Himself to you. If you really want Him to do so, He will.
  
  Report this comment
- Recceman90
  Posted on November 8, 2012 at 11:10am
  We all are NOT agnostics, some of us have faith!
  
  Report this comment
- Pontiaku
  Posted on November 8, 2012 at 1:40pm
  mandmsgirl, your body releasing chemicals and inducing hallucinations is not evidence of an afterlife.
  
  Report this comment
- Chatikh
  Posted on November 8, 2012 at 3:32pm
  People say they know for sure that God exists, because they “FEEL” him or something stupid. Hindus “FEEL” their gods, muslims “FEEL” allah, the ancient Nords “felt” Thor, etc. A feeling is not proof whatsoever, just ask any prosecutor. Witnesses might believe with all their being that the defendant did the crime, but feelings are worthless, you need evidence. Feelings are notoriously unreliable, so don’t believe something because you “feel” that it’s true, believe in something because the evidence points to it.
  
  Report this comment
IslandAtheist
Posted on November 7, 2012 at 12:48pm
Most of the rest are pretending for your votes.

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Gonzo
Posted on November 7, 2012 at 12:32pm
Congress’ only atheist my foot.

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- Chromo200
  Posted on November 7, 2012 at 7:37pm
  excellent point .. Take a tally of who supports abortion and how many of them go to church/mosque/synagogue. They are hypocrites.
  
  Report this comment
kinggrain
Posted on November 7, 2012 at 12:23pm
At 80 years of age, old Pete won’t be around much longer, but at his funeral, he’ll be all dressed up with no place to go.

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- JRook
  Posted on November 7, 2012 at 12:35pm
  So two crack pots were removed. This guy and Allen West. Although it didn’t take 40 years for the people to throw West out.
- texashuntre
  Posted on November 7, 2012 at 3:45pm
  JROOK Don’t hatch all your chickens in one basket.
  
  Report this comment
neoconenemy
Posted on November 7, 2012 at 12:13pm
he was just replaced with another communist….nothing to see hear.

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RaydocX
Posted on November 7, 2012 at 12:10pm
Sorry, Blaze, but remember the Dem Primary…
the only ADMITTED atheist… that’s all.

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COFemale
Posted on November 7, 2012 at 12:06pm
Hallelujah! I disliked that man. He was so arrogant and crass not to mention an A$$. In light of Romney’s defeat, this is a beacon of light. However, a Democrat still won in his place. So we could be going from bad to worse. Time will tell.

Satan may have won this battle, but he has not won the war. And we are at war right now. We need to be smart for 2012 and out smart the Democrats. Of course, when you cheat your way through elections, that may be hard to beat.
We need to start now and clean the voter rolls of illegals, non-citizens, and dead people. We can’t wait until 6 months before an election. That is what killed the Republicans.

Sometimes they are so anal, they can’t see when is not the right time for something. And for heaven sakes you male politicians keep your yap shut about RAPE. Two lost because they are anal in their beliefs. Even I cringed at your statements.

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- RamonPreston
  Posted on November 7, 2012 at 12:10pm
  Interesting comment: Jesus saw Satan fall “as lightening from heaven.” In Hebrew it could be pronounced Barack Obama (but spelled differently.)
  
  Report this comment
- Sutter Buttes
  Posted on November 7, 2012 at 12:18pm
  Stark was replaced by another Democrat, thanks to California’s open primary system. The two highest vote-getters in the so-called primary runoff in the general election. In this case, two Democrats. Unfortunately, quite common in California.
  
  Report this comment
- bonesiii
  Posted on November 7, 2012 at 12:38pm
  RamonPreston, where did you hear that? I tried to derive that on Blue Letter Bible, but no dice. Also, that’s in the NT, and was written in Greek, not Hebrew. But looking up the same English words as translated from Hebrew in OT gave no results.
  
  Off-topic, but curious. :P
  
  Report this comment
- wvernon1981
  Posted on November 7, 2012 at 12:40pm
  You know what’s awesome is that Satan always wins.
  
  Report this comment
- BrandiRae
  Posted on November 7, 2012 at 12:55pm
  FYI:
  
  Luke 10:18 reads:
  
  “And He said to them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven”.
  
  The genius in question claims that the word “lightning” in Hebrew is barak, and that the word for “heaven” is bamah.
  
  Therefore, this scripture in Hebrew would read “I beheld satan as Barack Obama”.
  
  He even relates it to Isaiah 14:12 which reads:
  How are you fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How are you cut down to the ground, which did weaken the nations!
  
  That is a blatant, outrageous LIE.
  
  Even IF his translation were correct (it ISN’T, but even IF it were], it WOULDN’T SAY “I beheld satan as Barack Obama”.
  
  It would say “I beheld satan AS barak FALL FROM bamah”.
  
  However, that’s NOT what it says. The Greek VERB for “fall” is in aorist active participle, which indicates the action HAD ALREADY TAKEN PLACE, so the LITERAL translation into English would be:
  “I was beholding satan, as barak from the bamah having fallen”.
  
  The use of the word barak means NOTHING, and PROVES NOTHING: barak is a very common Semitic name and surname. Two well known examples are Israel’s former Prime Minister Ehud Barak, and Egypt’s former President Hosni Mubarak. There’s even a famous entertainer named Shakira Mebarak.
  
  While the word barak in
  
  Report this comment
- BrandiRae
  Posted on November 7, 2012 at 1:01pm
  While the word barak in Hebrew does mean “lightning”, the word bamah DOES NOT MEAN “heaven” or “sky”.
  
  The word “bamah” means “high place” [Ezekiel 20:29].
  
  ANY “high place” here on earth would be a bamah, including the altars where sacrifices to idols were made.
  
  The Hebrew word for “sky” or “heaven” is shamayim.
  
  Furthermore, shamayim is also the Hebrew word used in Isaiah 14:12,13, when it says “how are you fallen from heaven, O Lucifer”, which is the second scripture they give as “evidence” for their ludicrous theory.
  
  Therefore the CORRECT translation of Luke 10:18 into Hebrew is:
  
  “I was beholding satan, as barak from the shamayim having fallen”.
  
  NOWHERE does it say in that passage that Jesus saw satan as Barack Obama.
  
  Report this comment
- BrandiRae
  Posted on November 7, 2012 at 1:06pm
  @ramonpreston
  
  I want to clarify hat I’m not implying that you are the idiot that I referred to. The idiot I referred to is the person on YouTube who started the lie that interprets this scripture to fit his theory……
  
  Report this comment
Walkabout
Posted on November 7, 2012 at 12:05pm
Rep. Stark: “The federal government, yes, can do almost anything in this country.”

Bye-Bye Good Riddance!

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TJexcite
Posted on November 7, 2012 at 12:03pm
Little ray of sunshine in a the middle of a storm.

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2MINUTESTOMIDNIGHT
Posted on November 7, 2012 at 12:01pm
test
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Walkabout
Posted on November 7, 2012 at 12:01pm
Pete Stark said during a Townhall meeting that Congress could do basically whatever it wanted to do.

He didn’t say anything about working within the framework of the Constitution, Amendments or Constitutional Conventions. He implied they could pass laws willy nilly regardless if the conflicted with the Constitution or its’ Amendments.

He should never have been elected & should have been voted out long ago.

Good Riddance!

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- RamonPreston
  Posted on November 7, 2012 at 12:04pm
  This is news how??? Congress is above the law. The law is for us folks.
  
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- Walkabout
  Posted on November 7, 2012 at 12:06pm
  Rep. Stark: “I think that there are very few constitutional limits that would prevent the federal government from rules that could affect your private life …”
  
  http://startthinkingright.wordpress.com/tag/pete-stark/
  
  Report this comment
bonesiii
Posted on November 7, 2012 at 11:59am
That’s encouraging. :) Amidst a storm of bad news, at least God has not been forgotten in this country, as sadly He has been in many others.

Let’s all pray (and work) to spread remembrance of God to the rest of the world as well, especially the UK and other countries that have largely forgotten.

It’s not all bad out there. ^_^

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freeberty
Posted on November 7, 2012 at 11:56am
Atheist lost, cult Mormon lost, black professed Christian won. Maybe God really was involved in this election.

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- Southerner01
  Posted on November 7, 2012 at 12:01pm
  SO just claiming to be Christian puts God on your side?
  
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- RamonPreston
  Posted on November 7, 2012 at 12:03pm
  You mean black professed Muslim. Obama said it with his own mouth. It is illegal for a Muslim to change religion. How do you know when Obama is lying? His lips are moving.
  
  Report this comment
- RamonPreston
  Posted on November 7, 2012 at 12:07pm
  @Southerner01 Nope. It is not the hearers of the words but the doers that shall be justified. Professing to “Believe in Christ” just doesn’t impress God.
  
  Report this comment
- Kaoscontrol
  Posted on November 7, 2012 at 12:09pm
  …And idiots like FREEBERTY can still post nasty comments on the Blaze. Bye Bye Starky!
  
  Report this comment
- freeberty
  Posted on November 7, 2012 at 12:12pm
  Every Christian seems to think so, of all the “Christians” I have ever seen, heard or met they all “claim” to be but I have never been able to tell the difference between them and anyone else.
  
  I believe Christian means Christ-like, perhaps you could tell one that is.
  
  Report this comment
- 2MINUTESTOMIDNIGHT
  Posted on November 7, 2012 at 12:19pm
  “Freeberty” is an odd name for a bigot. Perhaps you should reconsider your ignorant values or at least change your name to fit them.
  
  Report this comment
RightUnite
Posted on November 7, 2012 at 11:55am
Good… One kook down, many millions more to go….

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Dushman Kush
Posted on November 7, 2012 at 11:54am
Our Founder, the late Comrade Lenin, stated to the Comrades: “We will find our most fertile field for infiltration by Communists within the field of religion because religious people will swallow anything if it is hidden in religious terms.” Long Live our memories of Comrade Lenin !!! Long Live Comrade Swalwell and his staff !!! Long Live the Communist International !!!

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- SacredHonor1776
  Posted on November 7, 2012 at 12:12pm
  Vladimir Lenin: “A Marxist must be a materialist, i. e., an enemy of religion, but a dialectical materialist, i. e., one who treats the struggle against religion not in an abstract way, not on the basis of remote, purely theoretical, never varying preaching, but in a concrete way, on the basis of the class struggle which is going on in practice and is educating the masses more and better than anything else could.”
  
  http://www.marxists.org/archive/lenin/works/1909/may/13.htm
  
  Report this comment
- Dushman Kush
  Posted on November 7, 2012 at 12:29pm
  Thanks for the refresher, Comrade. Paperbacks before me as I keystroke: Masters Of Deceit (Hoover) and None Dare Call It Treason (Stormer).
  
  Report this comment
grimmster
Posted on November 7, 2012 at 11:51am
One commie-rat,beaten by another commie-rat, the only difference is God, i dont think so…….

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GlennaBeckski
Posted on November 7, 2012 at 11:51am
This really surprises me! It couldn’t be because of his beliefs as he is a poster boy for this godless society.

More likely someone was considering his age. Once Obamacare is in full swing this guy will disappear along with millions of others who will be considered excess baggage.. too taxing on the system.

Why keep him in office when his days or months are numbered.

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- AmericanStrega
  Posted on November 7, 2012 at 12:17pm
  You are incorrect. Congress does not fall under Obamacare.
  
  Report this comment
PIGSWILLNEVERFLY
Posted on November 7, 2012 at 11:51am
One good thing.

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golfer8805
Posted on November 7, 2012 at 11:46am
He most likely isn’t the only atheist in congress. Im sure there are others who stay quiet for fear of not being reelected.

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- Southerner01
  Posted on November 7, 2012 at 12:03pm
  I was thinking the same thing. There are most likely other members of congress who are not believers in God.
  
  However, Stark’s views are not just atheist, they are anti-theist. It isn’t just that he doesn’t believe in God, he is against the concept of belief in God, which is something else entirely.
  
  Report this comment
Biff_Poindexter
Posted on November 7, 2012 at 11:46am
I guess God gave him a pass the other 39 years he was in office, but finally, the mean ole Atheist was stopped…..He won’t be stopping anyone else from believing in God anymore…..

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- Papa
  Posted on November 7, 2012 at 11:56am
  Wow, Biff. You must be tired from erecting that straw man.
  
  Report this comment
- Biff_Poindexter
  Posted on November 7, 2012 at 12:01pm
  You and I both know that the only reason this story is even relevant is because the guy was an Atheist…however, he has served 40 years, so i highly doubt being an Atheist had much of anything to do with it……but that was not the gist of the article…
  
  Report this comment
- Papa
  Posted on November 7, 2012 at 12:30pm
  I won’t say it’s the only reason this story is relevant. Pete Stark is one of those foaming at the mouth, hater libs like Franken and Olbermann. I didn’t even know the guy WAS an atheist. I’ve just seen him in a half dozen articles for being a total douche. No doubt the word “atheist” did get many to click it though. I was curious who they were talking about. They could have gotten traction just using Stark’s name, IMO. Does it surprise me that someone like Stark is an atheist? Not at all.
  
  Regardless, no one claimed he “stopped them from believing in God.” Straw man.
  
  Report this comment
copatriots
Posted on November 7, 2012 at 11:45am
There are clearly more atheists in Congress than this guy He’s just the only one who was honest about it.

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- JeffDouglas
  Posted on November 7, 2012 at 12:01pm
  Exactly; and what room is there for honesty in Congress? The atheists in Congress who claim to adhere to some form of Christian faith may as well be identified as Satanists. I don’t recall Jesus putting $16 trillion in debt on the backs of his disciples, so it is unclear to me what part of the scripture they exemplify with their leadership.
  
  Report this comment
- momrules
  Posted on November 7, 2012 at 12:21pm
  The ones who claim to be Christian and work directly contrary to God’s word are the ones I would worry about the most. There are a lot of them on Capitol Hill.
  
  By the by……..Good Morning Copatriots.
  
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