L.A. Times is reporting that California Rep. Jared Huffman is one of only four openly agnostic or religiously unaffiliated members of Congress and is the most outspoken among them. The newspaper said Huffman, who represents a Northern California district, publicly revealed his nonreligious status in 2017. It said he helped establish the Congressional Freethought Caucus, which includes about three dozen members dedicated to the separation of church and state. Huffman has written a book, set for release next month, that raises concerns about the rise of Christian nationalism and calls on Americans to address it. The L.A. Times reported Huffman, a Democrat, describes himself as a humanist, defining it as "good without God" and emphasizing a moral framework without the need for an afterlife. Huffman, 62, grew up in a Mormon household in Independence, Missouri, and served in the priesthood. He began questioning his faith after his father's death at age 56 when Huffman was 19. After years of reflection and study, he embraced humanism. His political career began in 1994 with the Marin Municipal Water District, followed by election to the state Assembly and then Congress in 2012. The L.A. Times said Huffman noted that his secularism became a topic only after his arrival in Washington, where religious affiliation is often assumed.
