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Reader question: Please explain “third rail”, as in “atheism is the third rail of American politics”. My comments: Atheism, by the way, is the belief system of atheists who, as the word implies, are non-theist. These people don’t believe in the existence of God, as in the Christian God or gods, as seen in Greek mythologies. In other words, no supreme or divine being. No deity. American politicians, though, are believers. Most of them are at any rate. Most believe in Christianity in one form or another. Others believe in Judaism, Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam and what have you. Atheist politicians are few and far between. We may infer, therefore, if you are to run for public office while declaring yourself as an atheist, your chance of winning is very little, if your chance of winning exists at all. I, an atheist, believe it exists. Hence, in our example, we hear people say that “atheism is the third rail of American politics”. In other words, it is a doomed cause. Don’t even go there. The third rail, you see, refers originally to the additional rail that provides electricity to power trains on an electric railway. There are two running rails on which the train travels. The additional rail, which runs alongside the running rails, is known as the third rail. As the third rail is electrically charged, it is dangerous. Anyone who touch it is, literally, electrified. | 
