Atheist Asks Marco Rubio if He’s Running for “Pastor-in-Chief” or “Commander-in-Chief”

By Gary Nguyen --
20 Jan 2016 --

Marco Rubio tells an atheist he can believe whatever he wants and will not be forced to change.

Senator Marco Rubio, the presidential hopeful from the Republican Party, was questioned by a self-described atheist in Iowa when Rubio was trying to broaden his appeal to the evangelical voters. The man questioned Rubio on how he will represent atheist rights if he gets the presidency. The question was made with the preface that many believe that the senator from Florida was running the race to be the “pastor-in-chief” instead of “commander-in-chief.”

Atheist Asks Marco Rubio if He’s Running for “Pastor-in-Chief” or “Commander-in-Chief”[/tweetthis]

Rubio, himself a Roman Catholic, and as a candidate who expanded his outreach to include social conservatives in speeches and television advertisements, instantly defended the right to talk about faith. He also said that he believed that in U.S., nobody is compelled to compromise when it comes to their conscience.

To the lay person, Rubio's religiosity can be overwhelming. His in-your-face religion even surpasses Mike Huckabee, an ex-presidential candidate who took part in the 2008 race. Prior to joining politics, Huckabee was Baptist minister. This showed in his 2008 campaign where he was shown in front of a bookcase, whose frame had an uncanny resemblance to the Christian cross. Critics, at that time, alleged that he played dog whistle politics while sending subtle signals to the Christians. For Rubio, there was blatant asking of support from Christians. Huckabee for his part was doing his bit by saying that most leaders are not Christians for caring only about collecting funds and not anything else.

Rubio replied by saying that the atheist can believe whatever he wants to believe. The senator added that no other person is going to compel him to believe in a higher power and then said that no person will succeed in stopping the senator from talking about any higher power.

Rubio further elaborated by saying that he will not force the atheist to pray or force him to visit any church. He will also not compel the atheist to promote anything that he does not believe in. The senator said that no person is going to take away his right and the right to believe in the teachings of his or anyone else’s faith.

Rubio is not exclusive in making appeals directed at evangelical voters. Donald Trump, the billionaire Republican presidential candidate and real estate mogul, also practiced the same strategy, only to misquote the venerable New Testament.