did you know its illegal for an atheist to run for government office and or testify in court in 7 diffrent states.
arkansas
maryland
pennsylvania
tennessee
south carolina
north carolina
texas
for those who think we live in a free society
http://youtube.com/watch?v=w4fQA9mt-Mg
2007-02-12 19:26:09 · 14 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
for you who think that the federal constitution overrides this, think again, lawyers can easily state that as americans we have freedom OF religion NOT freedom FROM religion.
im moving to britian when i can get the cash...
2007-02-12 19:34:10 · update #1
I am Christian and I think that is dumb. Why should atheists be able to run for government office or testify in court? Thank goodness those are old laws and probably rarely used today.
Geez, that is total discrimination, and it really ticks me off lol. I feel silly for being so upset about something that a) doesn't affect me and b) probably affects 1 in a million atheists, but still that just isn't right.
2007-02-12 19:59:00 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Umm...yeah. I don't think the court thing is true. I looked it up.
From www.atheist-community.org:
Fortunately, The court of law in this country isn't as desciminatory. Many atheists think that because almost everyone swears in on the Bible, that it is law to do so. This is not the case. Atheists and other non-theists do not have to swear an oath on the Bible, they can affirm. This is equal to being under oath. So if an atheist lies, the crime of perjury still applies. But this was not always the case. The Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution which guaranties equal protection to all citizens, came about after the Civil War. Before that, atheists were not permitted to give testimony in court ("Law and Unbelief" 395).
Unless the Atheist community website is wrong (and that's possible I suppose) you might want to check your facts. Not sure about the public office thing though. That sounds like a huge civil rights violation and if it's true, it should be changed.
2007-02-12 19:35:07 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Sorry dude, but the U.S. Constitution overrides all those state laws, which specifically states that there shall be no religious test to hold office.
Apparently none of those states are enforcing such laws or they would wind up in court, where they would lose their arses.
It does not matter what the lawyer states, s/he can state anything s/he wants. The decision is made by the Judge(s), not the lawyer. The provision of the U.S. Constitution that I am referencing is not the first amendment. It is Article VI:
"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."
That's the American spirit, don't fight for your rights, move. Have a safe move to Britian.
2007-02-12 19:30:55 · answer #3 · answered by Dr. Gnostic 2 · 3⤊ 0⤋
We all need to wake up and realize that in the USA, there will never be freedom FROM religion unless we do something about it!
We need to find a state in this country that is most atheist-friendly and get a large number of atheists to populate that state and elect an atheist senator, congressman or governor.
2007-02-13 06:56:49 · answer #4 · answered by ALeC.... 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
There is religious freedom but, only if you are a believer. The government wants the people to be believers (that's why Pres. Bush gives us Jesus) as religion serves as 'Prozac' for people while the government pulls the wool over their eyes.
2007-02-12 19:38:10 · answer #5 · answered by liberty11235 6 · 1⤊ 1⤋
I thought America was the land of the free? Such a law wouldn't last five minutes in the UK before a court overturned it.
2007-02-12 19:31:37 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 0⤋
Free does not always mean Free ... Just as America is often referred to as a democracy , yet it is technically a republic and we refer to it as a republic when we recite the Pledge.
2007-02-12 19:31:51 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
well you have to keep in mined that the constitution was founded and designed by GOD fearing men . (hints 1 nation under god)
You know if you where to look in to the bible you would find that Jesus dose not ask much of you mostly to love every 1 as he loves you and to give to those less fortunate than your self .
As fare as the commandants of GOD most are covered by the law .
SO all i am saying to you my friend is that you should at least look in to it . Because your dead allot longer than you are alive and if you just have to be good to add to your meir at best 100 yeas.
MAY GOD BLESS US ALL MY FRIEND
2007-02-12 19:49:08 · answer #8 · answered by A_GUY 3 · 0⤊ 3⤋
If there was a legal challenge, those laws would be over-turned.
However they are symptomatic of the anti-atheist bias in the US.
2007-02-12 20:55:47 · answer #9 · answered by The Truth 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Maybe there is some reason behind this but it is hard to see.
2007-02-12 19:39:35 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋