Of the thousands of atheists I have conversed with, especially in the United States and United Kingdom and it seems to a much lesser extent those in Canada, politics plays an important part of atheist thinking. No wonder, because especially where I come from, the U.S.A. Christianity has served as a powerful tool for political structuring. Throughout history this has been the case with Christendom and Islamic states with devastating consequences.

Christ was no part of the world. When the Jews wanted to make him a political leader, a messiah in the sense that David had been, he literally ran away from them. When Satan offered him all of the kingdoms of men of all time he rejected them, and perhaps more interestingly, he never questioned Satan's authority over them in making the offer.

Jesus insisted his followers be no more a part of the world they were forced to temporarily live in, to be separate from it. For this reason the Jehovah's Witnesses along with myself don't vote or try to influence society through legislation or politics. We don't support or fight in the wars of nations. We don't meddle in important societal issues like abortion, gay marriage, stem cell research or prayer and evolution in schools.

The Bible teaches us to respect our governments and to obey them unless their laws interfere with Jehovah God's laws, and only then do we attempt to have any sort of impact. For example, if the country we live in forbids worship or proselytizing.

Likewise we ask that the Christian congregation be left to peacefully live by their own standards according to their Christian regulations, for example, on homosexuality.

How do you as an atheist, non-theist, anti-theist or agnostic etc. view the importance in politics according to your personal perspective? Do you simply see as a minority the fairness of the majority having more impact?