Constitutions of 7 US states ban atheists from public office:

Originally posted by RJHinds
Makes sense. If a person does not acknowledge the existence of a Supreme Being then he is a fool and too stupid to hold public office.

The Instructor

LOL, ok that made me laugh, i think it was its blatant uncompromising delivery.

Originally posted by Suzianne
Maryland may have changed the wording slightly, but it's still the same result.

Most states need voter approval to change the constitutions significantly, so that could be part of the hold-up.

At least they're not being killed or imprisoned for their belief (excuse me, non-belief).

i mean is it still enforced? there are laws forbidding women from driving without supervision, but they are never actually enforced.

Originally posted by Zahlanzi
i mean is it still enforced? there are laws forbidding women from driving without supervision, but they are never actually enforced.

Well, that's a good question, there are plenty of laws on the books that are antiquated that no one pays any attention to. In Arizona, co-habitation is against a state law. Do the police go around busting every couple that lives together? No.

Originally posted by wolfgang59
Of course the persecution of atheists is nowhere near that of other groups
and I am not asking for a comparison. But I did think it alarming that some
states insist on officials believing in a Supreme Being ..........

Zahlanzi has a good point, though. Do they really insist? Or is it one of the zillions of antiquated laws in this country where they look the other way?

Another poster said it's not that big a deal because most just say they're a 'good Christian' to avoid all that, even if they're not.

I think we're probably on the verge of eliminating these laws, but it will still take time for the 'die-hards' to pass on and allow it.

Originally posted by robbie carrobie
Amen to that!

And of course you are ok with the suppression of those who proclaim agnosticism or atheism. Who would have known.

Originally posted by RJHinds
Makes sense. If a person does not acknowledge the existence of a Supreme Being then he is a fool and too stupid to hold public office.

The Instructor

What a shocker. You are also for the suppression of those who proclaim non-belief. So for you the next step would be to put the non-believers in jail and maybe execute them, maybe ship them off to a penal colony so they wouldn't contaminate your precious dogma, if you were the pope or something.

Originally posted by sonhouse
What a shocker. You are also for the suppression of those who proclaim non-belief. So for you the next step would be to put the non-believers in jail and maybe execute them, maybe ship them off to a penal colony so they wouldn't contaminate your precious dogma, if you were the pope or something.

he could have been sarcastic you know.

Originally posted by Zahlanzi
he could have been sarcastic you know.

Yeah, and he could really be an alien from Alpha Centauri trying to subvert and pacify the population for eventual takeover by those evil forces too but I doubt it.

Originally posted by twhitehead
It should be equally alarming that the country as a whole insists that the president be born within its borders. Yet nobody seems to be bothered by that.

In Zambia the made the constitution so that the presidents parents must be born in Zambia. It was a political move to exclude Zambia's first president who was born in what is now Malawi.
The funny pa ...[text shortened]... w who their mother is.

Of course a real democracy should let the people choose their leaders.

Indeed!

Probably this is a blatant method to Keep the presidency in the "old aristorcacy".

Originally posted by sonhouse
What a shocker. You are also for the suppression of those who proclaim non-belief. So for you the next step would be to put the non-believers in jail and maybe execute them, maybe ship them off to a penal colony so they wouldn't contaminate your precious dogma, if you were the pope or something.

Guantanamo Bay?

The Instructor 😀