My opinion is because intelligence doesn't trump religious dogma in 2018. It is much better than it was in 1998 and even better than it was in 1888 but we still have a ways to go. There are actually people out there, in many areas the majority, who WILL NOT VOTE FOR AN ATHEIST no matter their policies or party. Now you can get a pretend christian like Trump, and as long as he pretends to be anti abortion and occasionally mentions god, and I mean rarely... the christian right will fall all over themselves and vote for him, regardless of his morals and ethics. It's actually sickening to watch
Good answer, my friend. Good answer. As a fellow unrepentant Agnostic for over 20 years (much to the horror of my Catholic parents) we may not be that far in regard to our reasoning process even though we come to quite different ideas. But you are quite right, in any system based on faith, rather than proof, emotions play a large part in one's conclusions. I've seen this played out many times in real life. Even my own father, who was far superior insofar as pure cognitive abilities, would grow angry and frustrated when his cognitive dissonance was clearly proven by his own reasoning. A typical example would be the issue of abortion which Catholics believe is murder. Though they may say that. Think they believe that. They don't really. Not by their own reasoning when posed with some basic questions about life and the taking of an innocent life.
And though I believe that some may not vote for an Atheist no matter what. I don't believe it's the majority. At least when it comes to Conservatives. I think Conservatives takes a more realistic approach to issues. Gun control is a typical one. Most Conservatives accept the fact that in life it's not always between good and bad but between bad and worse. Trump wasn't my first choice but when the alternative was Hillary, it wasn't even close.
And I never presume to know a man's heart. And neither should you nor anyone else. I would not be so fast to call someone a "pretend" this or that.