S.E. Cupp: Why Being a Conservative Atheist Isn't a Contradiction

It's no secret that TheBlaze's S.E. Cupp is an atheist. The conservative commentator has regularly spoken openly about her theological views. But in a promo for her gig on CNN's relaunch of "Crossfire," the co-host focuses on why she believes being both a conservative and an atheist isn't a contradiction.

In the video, posted Sunday, Cupp explains why there’s no real cognitive dissonance when it comes to her political and theological worldviews.

"I know that it strikes a lot of people as odd that I could be both conservative and an atheist. To me, it never seemed like a contradiction," she said. "Like most believers, I think murder is pretty terrible. Like most believers, I agree with pretty much all the 10 commandments. We have the same values. I just believe that I get them from somewhere else."

Cupp differentiated herself from "militant atheists" -- individuals she believes inappropriately dismiss the vast majority of the world as "crazy" for embracing the existence of a higher power.

As for her own faith journey, the conservative commentator said she has always had an infatuation with religion, saying that even as a child she was fascinated by faith systems and their associated ceremonial elements. Still, Cupp said she was never able to truly embrace God.

"There wasn't some trauma where I wrote God off," she said. "But I think I was always, always curious about religion."

At the age of 15 or 16, she said her mind was made up that she didn't believe. Despite rejecting faith, Cupp has spent the last 20 years working to "get to a place for better understanding" on the religious front. It's a journey she said is ongoing.

Some of Cupp's past sentiments on the faith front have surprised atheists and believers alike.

Last summer, while speaking about electoral politics on MSNBC’s “The Cycle,” Cupp stunned her fellow co-hosts when she said, "I would never vote for an atheist president. Ever." She defended it by explaining, "Because I do not think that someone who represents 5 to 10 percent of the population should be representing and thinking that everyone else in the world is crazy, but me."

(H/T: CNN)

--

[related]