State Constitutions that Discriminate Against Atheists

• Arkansas State Constitution, Article 19 Section 1 ("Miscellaneous Provisions")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.
• Maryland's Declaration of Rights, Article 36"That as it is the duty of every man to worship God in such manner as he thinks most acceptable to Him, all persons are equally entitled to protection in their religious liberty; wherefore, no person ought by any law to be molested in his person or estate, on account of his religious persuasion, or profession, or for his religious practice, unless, under the color of religion, he shall disturb the good order, peace or safety of the State, or shall infringe the laws of morality, or injure others in their natural, civil or religious rights; nor ought any person to be compelled to frequent, or maintain, or contribute, unless on contract, to maintain, any place of worship, or any ministry; nor shall any person, otherwise competent, be deemed incompetent as a witness, or juror, on account of his religious belief; provided, he believes in the existence of God, and that under His dispensation such person will be held morally accountable for his acts, and be rewarded or punished therefore either in this world or in the world to come."
• Massachusetts' State Constitution, Article 3 "Any every denomination of Christians, demeaning themselves peaceably, and as good subjects of the commonwealth, shall be equally under the protection of the law: and no subordination of any one sect or denomination to another shall ever be established by law." (Comment: Apparently Non-Christians are not "equally under the protection of the law.”)
• Mississippi State Constitution. Article 14 ("General Provisions"), Section 265No person who denies the existence of a Supreme Being shall hold any office in this state.
• North Carolina's State Constitution, Article 6 Section 8"Disqualifications of office. The following persons shall be disqualified for office: First, any person who shall deny the being of Almighty God."
• Pennsylvania's State Constitution, Article 1 Section 4 "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 or profit under this Commonwealth."
• South Carolina's State Constitution, Article 4 Section 2"No person shall be eligible to the office of Governor who denies the existence of the Supreme Being; ..."Note: If you continue reading you will find that (in Section 8) the Lieutenant Governor must also meet the same qualifications as the Governor.
• Tennessee's State Constitution, Article 9 Section 2"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."
• Texas' State Constitution, Article 1 Section 4"No religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office, or public trust, in this State; nor shall any one be excluded from holding office on account of his religious sentiments, provided he acknowledge the existence of a Supreme Being."

LSB: Article VI, Clause 3 of the United States Constitution says: "... but no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States." So how do these laws still exist? Whether or not these laws are enforceable, as a Christian I find this intolerance intolerable. We recently witnessed the effrontery that one Muslim member of Congress had to endure when he requested to take his oath of office on the Quran. While he was not denied his seat in Congress, this type of religious bullying was disgusting to watch.

This is not Iran or Afghanistan or some other theocracy; we have a separation of Church and State in this country… freedom of religion and freedom from religion. It is always when we attempt to overlap the two that conflict arises. The Religious Right will always remind us that this country was founded by Christian men and women; what they seem to have is a fuzzier understanding that majority of these men and women were seeking religious freedom from the Church of England.

My faith is just that – MY FAITH, – and it is not found in any worldly institution symbolized by Fred Phelps, Jerry Falwell, Pat Robertson or those goofballs at Focus on the Family. This is just as much my country as theirs, and I get a little pissed that these and other wingnut neocons think there should be some sort of litmus test for who should get the rights and responsibilities of citizenship the Constitution guarantees all of us.