The fine people of Arizona have elected someone new to congress.  They have elected Congress Woman Sinema (D-AZ).

It has been reported that she is bisexual.  I don’t actually care what she wants to do in her private life and that is the point.  She got elected without lying about herself.  The other interesting fact is that,  ”…she simply believes in a secular approach to government.”

She has now done another new thing…

 Kyrsten Sinema was sworn into Congress Monday, but with a twist: She didn’t swear on a Bible. The newly elected representative for Arizona’s 9th district swore her oath of office on a copy of the Constitution instead. Sinema refuses to confirm she is an atheist, as many believe, saying merely that she is “not a member of a faith community” and that all Americans deserve both “freedom of religion and freedom from religion.”

I am really starting to like her.  I think all congress members should swear their oath to the constitution (or nothing).

My good friend Hemant Mehta over at the friendly atheist got this message from Sinema’s Communications Director…

While Sinema’s campaign was initially unavailable for comment after Tuesday’s election, spokesman Justin Unga said Friday that Sinema does not consider herself a nonbeliever, adding that she prefers a “secular approach.”

“Kyrsten believes the terms non-theist, atheist or nonbeliever are not befitting of her life’s work or personal character,” Unga said in email. “She does not identify as any of the above.”

So, maybe she is not an atheist.  In the end a person that prefers a secular approach is fine with me!

Even better news – she may not be alone.  Pew forum recently released this piece of news.

The new, 113th Congress includes the first Buddhist to serve in the Senate, the first Hindu to serve in either chamber and the first member of Congress to describe her religion as “none,” continuing a gradual increase in religious diversity that mirrors trends in the country as a whole.

However, we still have a long way to go.

Perhaps the greatest disparity, however, is between the percentage of U.S. adults and the percentage of members of Congress who do not identify with any particular religion. About one-in-five U.S. adults describe themselves as atheist, agnostic or “nothing in particular” – a group sometimes collectively called the “nones.” But only one member of the new Congress, Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.), is religiously unaffiliated, according to information gathered by CQ Roll Call. Sinema is the first member of Congress to publicly describe her religion as “none,” though 10 other members of the 113th Congress (about 2%) do not specify a religious affiliation, up from six members (about 1%) of the previous Congress.² This is about the same as the percentage of U.S. adults in Pew Research Center surveys who say that they don’t know, or refuse to specify, their faith (about 2%).

The good news is that it is getting better!