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Ronald Reagan's Atheist Son Says He's 'Not Afraid Of Burning In Hell' In Radio Ad
17th July 1972: Ronald Reagan as Governor of California arriving at Heathrow airport in London with his wife Nancy and son Ronald on July 17, 1972. (Photo by Central Press/Getty Images)
Ron Reagan, today (Freedom From Religion Foundation)
Ron Reagan, the youngest child of former president Reagan, is the voice of a new, outspoken advertisement for a group that aims to keep religious views out of the government.
The ad is airing on the radio show of progressive host Randi Rhodes. Reagan doesn't sound exactly like a chip off the old block:
I’m Ron Reagan, an unabashed atheist, and I’m alarmed by the intrusions of religion into our secular government. That’s why I’m asking you to join the Freedom From Religion Foundation — the nation’s largest and most effective organization of atheists and agnostics, working to keep state and church separate. Phone 1-800-335-4021 or visit the Freedom From Religion Foundation at FFRF.ORG Ron Reagan, lifelong atheist, not afraid of burning in hell.
FFRF Co-President Annie Laurie Gaylor said in a release, "We’re so grateful to Ron Reagan for recording this commercial for FFRF, and for being willing to speak out publicly as an atheist for so many years."Reagan, who grew up in Los Angeles and Sacramento, has long been an outspoken liberal and he rebelled against his father's political and religious beliefs from a young age as he describes in this interview from The Hill:
When did you begin challenging your father’s political beliefs?
Oh, puberty. Probably by age 12. That was when I told them [my parents] I would no longer go to church with them because I was an atheist. One thing leads to another. It wasn’t a great leap to then disagree on politics. Was he upset?
Yeah, but he wasn’t angry. He was a Christian and took it fairly seriously. He was worried that my life would be diminished if I didn’t accept Christ as my savior. We’d argue at the dinner table all the time, but I don’t think he was losing sleep over it.
Reagan said he mostly kept his views to himself during his father's presidency—especially because he didn't want to make it sound as though the pair had a cantankerous relationship. Reagan says he admired his father, even if he didn't agree with all of his policies. He became more outspoken during the Bush era, especially when he felt that Bush was trying to ride on Reagan's conservative coattails.Reagan and his mother Nancy togetherspoke out against Bush's ban on embryonic stem cell research, because the pair were interested in research that could benefit Alzheimer's patients like the former president.
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