Don’t look now, but a Congressman from California has come out of the closet. But it’s not the one you’re probably thinking of. The San Francisco Chronicle has the story:

Stark’s atheist views break political taboo

Rep. Pete Stark of Fremont might have crossed what some are calling “one of the last frontiers” in politics when he delighted atheists this week by acknowledging that he does not believe in a supreme being.

Just a generation ago, says Democratic political strategist Dan Newman, “you couldn’t go anywhere near” such a statement, which “would have been political suicide.”

Stark’s frank declaration that he is “a Unitarian who does not believe in a Supreme Being” indicates, says Newman, that a significant page has been turned — and maybe it’s not such a political liability anymore.

But he adds that “time will tell whether this is a case of the Bay Area being far out front — or merely far out.”

Stark’s spiritual inclinations were sought by the Secular Coalition for America, an association of eight atheist and humanist groups, which offered a $1,000 prize to the person who could identify the “highest level atheist, agnostic, humanist or any other kind of nontheist currently holding elected public office in the United States.”

The 18-term Democratic congressman, who chairs the health subcommittee of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee, agreed to fill out the coalition’s survey on his religious beliefs. In a statement issued Monday, the 75-year-old Stark added that, “like our nation’s founders, I strongly support the separation of church and state. I look forward to working with the Secular Coalition to stop the promotion of narrow religious beliefs in science, marriage contracts, the military and the provision of social services.” [full text]

Amen to all that. And kudos to Pete Stark for demonstrating that one need not believe in a supreme being in order to be a person of honor and integrity. Godless people have morals, too—sometimes more than theists. So don’t despair about Stark’s announcement. It’s not the beginning of the end of our Judeo-Christian nation. But maybe it’s the beginning of the end of the intolerance and discrimination atheists have too long endured in this nation.