Hillary Clinton has been awarded top marks by the atheist lobby group Secular Coalition for America (SCA) in a voting guide for non-believers which gave Donald Trump the lowest score.
The SCA highlighted eight issues "important to secularist voters". Clinton, the Democratic presidential nominee, received an 'A' grade, while Trump, the Republican candidate, received an 'F'.
Questions used to assess the candidates include: "Do you support a mutual separation between religion and government?", "Would you have any hesitation in appointing a well-qualified non-theist candidate to a leadership position in your administration?", "Would your religious beliefs influence public health care policy as it relates to access for reproductive health care?", and "Do you support comprehensive, evidence-based, and medically accurate sex education curricula in public schools?"
The SCA is a non-profit advocacy organisation based in Washington DC and made up of a coalition of 18 groups that represent "atheists, agnostics, humanists, freethinkers and other nontheistic Americans." The organisation, which assessed the candidates itself, is dedicated to "amplifying the diverse and growing voice of the non-theistic community in the United States."
Its Secular Values Voter campaign is intended to "educate political candidates about the significant and rapidly growing secular constituency, the issues they care about, and the values for which they stand".
The SCA assessed the candidates using their public statements or previous actions.
Clinton's favourable score will not come as a surprise to Catholics and conservative evangelicals who have criticised the Democrat for her position on exemptions for religious institutions on equality legislation and softening the party's position on abortion.
Christopher White, the director of Catholic Voices USA, condemned both candidates in this "bizarre" election. He told Christian Today: "Both Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton present serious challenges for Catholics in this election. Neither candidate has a strong record on protecting and promoting religious liberty and both are poster children for the throwaway culture that Pope Francis has routinely denounced.
"Catholics should seize this bizarre election cycle as an opportunity to promote cultural renewal and rebuild from the ground up."
