By Mark Ellis
The son of former President Ronald Reagan made a bold declaration of his atheism in a 30-second ad campaign by declaring he is “not afraid of burning in hell.”
Ron Reagan recorded the ad for the Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF), which ran a radio version last year on “The Randi Rhodes Show.” A TV version has been running more recently on CNN and also “The Daily Show.”
ABC, NBC, CBS, and Fox decided not to run the ad, perhaps because they believe it may be offensive to their viewers.
In the ad, the 56-year-old son of the former president articulates his “unabashed” atheism. He avers that he’s worried “by the intrusions of religion into our secular government.” Then Reagan promotes FFRF, encouraging support for “the nation’s largest and most effective association of atheists and agnostics, working to keep state and church separate, just like our Founding Fathers intended.”
He signs off with a sardonic sneer: “Ron Reagan, lifelong atheist, not afraid of burning in hell.”
Reagan has been a nonbeliever since childhood and is surprised when people react negatively when they hear about it, he told the L.A. Times last year. “I think when you hold an opinion that you find entirely reasonable, you are surprised when you discover that other people don’t also consider it reasonable, and kind of get up in arms,” he told the Times.
Last year Reagan suffered a personal tragedy when his wife of 33 years died from a neuromuscular disease that she developed in 2006. Doria Reagan, a clinical psychologist, was seven years older than her husband.
Annie Laurie Gaylor, co-president of FFRF, says people often react harshly to atheists. “We get emails every day telling us we should leave the country. Very nasty stuff. Death threats,” Gaylor told the Times. “The crank mail and phone campaigns are unending and almost always in response to our work for separation of church and state–not for promoting free thought and atheism. But there’s no question that atheists and agnostics are at the bottom of the totem pole when it comes to social acceptance.”
Gaylor told the Times her foundation has been motivated to elevate its public profile by the recent successes of the homosexual rights movement. “We already have an ‘out of the closet’ movement, but we need to turn up the volume.”
Reagan, along with his mother Nancy, has promoted stem cell research, because he worries that religion “often goes hand in hand with ignorance and scientific illiteracy.”
“I think what troubles me – whether it’s religiously inspired or not – is the ignorance, foolishness, and I might say, stupidity, in this country. This championing of anti-intellectual, anti-science, scientifically illiterate theories and lack of critical thinking is disturbing. Climate change is such a handy example.”
Religion is a “delusion,” he told the Times.
“And when it morphs into believing that the Earth is 6,000 years old and insisting on teaching that to our children, that’s a very dangerous thing.”
No what’s dangerous is thinking ” I am not afraid to burn in Hell”. Well he should be!
Don’t mean to be a willy nilly and pick on your grammar, but I think you mean ‘know’. It’s also better to start out with something like “Do you know” instead of going right into it. Also because it’s a question it’s really important not to forget the question mark or people can get confused. Not me though. I caught it and I knew right away what you really meant. So anyway I’ll let you get back you what you were doing, whatever that would be, but I can see it won’t involve any thinking.
Peace 🙂
Well, that was extremely rude. Just because someone made a typing/grammar error you’re going to treat them as if their stupid. Does that make you feel better about yourself? Is that how you heighten your low sense of self esteem, by trolling Christian websites and treating the posters like they’re ignorant? I find that to be incredibly pathetic, and how easy to join all of the other pseudo intellectual liberals in the war on Christians. What an easy target, which you need, because you’re not really intellectual at all, or intelligent. If you were, you wouldn’t feel the need to bully total strangers that you know nothing about. Over spelling errors.
Well said Stephanie. Don’t worry Reagan. I’m sure the demons hear you and have a special place waiting for those so eager to go to hell. Just remember, you asked for it.
Well that is just very honestly and righteously said. They do not know what they are saying or doing. They unfortunately will one day and no one will be able to help them.
I just can’t help what this says about his parents??? Ungodly childhood, raised to think that their power surpassed all? IDK but I do know that his daddy did NOT do anything for this country that was Godly. In fact, he did just the opposite as many since Presidents have done.
The grammar police should re-read the sentence for clarity. LOL. the spelling is correct, just missing punctuation actually. See below for correct sentence, along with my added punctuation.
No, what’s dangerous is thinking, “I am not afraid to burn in Hell”. Well he should be!
And in the future…please make sure you read things twice before you are going to put yourself out there. Remember…when you have 1 finger pointing to someone, there are 3 pointing back at yourself. I really hope you found worth in the time it took you to correct someone’s small grammar error, which, in point of fact, wasn’t really. There are SO many more important issues we have in the world today. Shame on you.
Yikes! Not very nice, Heyzeus. It was a few commas that were missing, not spelling. If you knew what she meant, your comment was meant only to belittle another, and not to add any thoughtful insight into the article.
Aren’t we condescending?
Why should he be? Hundreds of religions and beliefs including Hindu, Buddhist, Zoroastrian, Muslim, and atheist all have no belief in your version of hell. It’s like telling someone that your imaginary friend will beat them up if they don’t tell you that you’re beautiful. It’s a hollow threat.
Wheather you believe or not, is not going to subtract it, its still there (hell) The point is you WILL believe WHEN you go to heaven or hell.
I would venture to say that smarter people than any of us have spent countless hours pondering the existence of God. If you are correct Akage, then nothing is lost and there are no consequences. But if you are wrong, you are terribly wrong with unimaginable consequences. Pascal’s Wager is the smart move for unbelievers, in my opinion.
u don’t yet know what’s coming to you,you better be afraid.
You have a right to believe what you want but you don’t have the right to take my right to believe. I believe in God and Jesus with all my heart and I won’t ever stop believing and for you to call anyone stupid for what they want to believe makes you wrong in so many ways. We as Americans have the right of freedom to believe just as you have the right to choose not too.
Excellent article, and excellent unbiased journalism!!
I love this Reagan guy!!!! 🙂
He should run for president.
Peace!
I’m assuming you are being “tongue in cheek” when you state Mr. Reagan should run for president. The article does not point out any qualifications to be president and we certainly shouldn’t consider him for such a position based on this article alone and whether or not he believes in science over God.
Evil has blinded both of you to the truth……
You do have a right to believe whatever you want. We can both call each others thought and beliefs wrong. Isn’t it great that we live in a country where we wont get arrested for discussing these things! (^_^)
So far… “we won’t get arrested for discussing”. I don’t think that will be the case for long, however. And the ones who will be arrested will be believers.
You are correct BusyMom. America is moving in that direction. Look at that poor lady that has to close her flower shop in Seattle just because she won’t give in to the gay agenda. The gays couldn’t simply find another florist. No, that’s too easy. They have to try and destroy her business and her views in front of all America to be an example of whats happens if you dare appose the agenda.
All I can say is that I feel sorry for him. He doesn’t know what’s going to happen he needs Jesus he needs to be saved. Praying for his salvation
He knows just as much about what happens after life as you do. It’s nice of you to send nice thoughts his way via prayer, but it’s not needed or called for.
You just pointed out that Jenny and Ron Reagan are on equal playing fields since neither knows “for sure” about God and the afterlife. Given your position you cannot say with certainty that “prayer isn’t needed”….it might be if Jenny is right.
You know, I often think we develop spiritually in a similar way to how we develop mentally and physically. Though not all these developments take place in the same time frame.
It would appear the son of President Reagan is in the teenage stage of development spiritually. If he lives long enough, with the help and Grace of God he will look back on his attitude like teenagers do when they reach their twenties, and he like them will wonder how on earth he ever thought he knew it all at his current retarded state of spiritual development.
God have Mercy on Mr Reagans’ son and those like him.
I’m like him. Thanks for your kind thoughts, but it’s a waste of your time. Please enjoy your time on Earth while you can. I wouldn’t want you to waste it on me when there is no afterlife waiting for you. This is our brief moment in the sun. Let’s enjoy it for all we can (^_^)
I really like the way you put that Julia. Hope you don’t mind but I’m going to use that.
The problem I have with atheists using science to justify their atheistic beliefs, is they really aren’t looking at the scientific and historical evidence at all. When I put the scientific evidence of miracles known to occur in history in front of an atheist, they inevitably claim someone lied about the science. Any other time, they act like science is always fact when it is often nothing more than theory.
Read the message of Fatima, and the 70,000 people who witnessed the Miracle of the Sun.
The testimony of the children visionaries who saw souls falling into hell should be enough to cause anyone to re-think his or her views of eternity.
Sadly, it is Mr.Reagan who is ignorant to history, science, and religion.
Who founded the world’s first universities, hospitals, and developed theories such as The Big Bang and heliocentrism?
Answer: The Catholic Church and her priests.
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