If true, this is an outrage! My dear friend Thomas Paine would be disallowed as well as Joseph Priestly! A link, a link. My kingdom for a link!
2006-12-14 04:47:45 · 10 answers · asked by Laptop Jesus V. 2.0 2 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
My heartfelt gratitude to the kitten with the devil horns.
This is an outrage. What are those buffoons at the Suprem Court doing with themselves? Was I not specific enough with the "seperation of church and state" concept?
2006-12-14 04:51:20 · update #1
I have something better than a link. This is a bit from my essay on that very subject:
Article XIX, Sec. 1, of the Arkansas constitution: No person who denies the being of a God shall hold any office in the civil departments of this State, nor be competent to testify as a witness in any court.
Article IX, Sec. 2, of the Tennessee constitution: No person who denies the being of God, or a future state of rewards and punishments shall hold any office in the civil department of this state.
Article XXXVII of Maryland constitution: No religious test ought ever to be required as a qualification for any office of profit or trust in this State, other than a declaration of belief in the existence of God.
Article I, Sec. 4 of Pennsylvania constitution: No person who acknowledges the being of a God and a future state of rewards and punishments shall, on account of his religious sentiments, be disqualified to hold any office or place of trust under this Commonwealth.
2006-12-14 04:50:29 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
Do we know that those claims in the Wikipedia links are true? If those states really have those rules in their Constitutions, then they are not really part of the United States (the U.S. Constitution explicitly prohibits those kinds of tests in Article VI, which states:
"The Senators and Representatives before mentioned, and the Members of the several State Legislatures, and all executive and judicial Officers, both of the United States and of the several States, shall be bound by Oath or Affirmation, to support this Constitution; but no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States."
If those claims are really true, it's worse than an outrage: someone committed an act of treason in passing those laws, and those states have attacked the United States.
2006-12-14 12:54:41 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Thomans Paine was a Deist, not atheist. Here is more info from an athiest website (see his essay on the existence of God).
Contemplating the universe, the whole system of Creation, in this point of light, we shall discover, that all that which is called natural philosophy is properly a divine study. It is the study of God through his works. It is the best study, by which we can arrive at a knowledge of his existence, and the only one by which we can gain a glimpse of his perfection.
http://www.infidels.org/library/historical/thomas_paine/
Here is info on the Texas constitution:
http://www.religioustolerance.org/texas.htm
The Bill of Rights of the Texas Constitution (Article I, Section 4) allows people to be excluded from holding office on religious grounds. An official may be "excluded from holding office" if she/he does not "acknowledge the existence of a Supreme Being."
2006-12-14 12:49:51 · answer #3 · answered by Aspurtaime Dog Sneeze 6 · 1⤊ 2⤋
NO SUCH THING? Read the state constitutions before posting what you THINK
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Discrimination_against_atheists#State_Constitutions
Elphaba lists more that are not in the link. Go Wiki that Elphaba
2006-12-14 12:49:21 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 5⤊ 0⤋
if you went back about a century, your dear friend Thomas Paine would not be allowed to testify in court, so help me God!
2006-12-14 12:53:00 · answer #5 · answered by whirlingmerc 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I never heard of this, but if its true I am going to run for office there and change it!!!
2006-12-14 12:51:43 · answer #6 · answered by ♫ giD∑■η ♫ 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Are you sure you're not looking for the Missing Link ?
2006-12-14 12:49:49 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 3⤋
no. LOL. that would be illegal.
hateful christians will never vote for them, but one cannot be barred from running for office for religious reasons.
there are a few messed-up southern bible-moron states that have that in their constitutions, but if challenged, they would be stricken.
2006-12-14 12:49:24 · answer #8 · answered by Jeebus is my Rectum 3 · 2⤊ 3⤋
Well fancy that. I'm an illegal atheist alien!....Cool!
2006-12-14 12:51:58 · answer #9 · answered by Eso_ uk 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
No such thing.
2006-12-14 12:49:30 · answer #10 · answered by Answergirl 5 · 0⤊ 4⤋