"The party consistently appears to be led by extremist religious nuts."
As opposed to social justice nuts? Anyway, the religion/state relationship is fascinating. Here are a few church/state policies that were in effect after the Constitution was signed. * From 1780 Massachusetts had a system which required every man to belong to a church, and permitted each church to tax its members, but forbade any law requiring that it be of any particular denomination. This was objected to, as in practice establishing the Congregational Church, the majority denomination, and was abolished in 1833. * Until 1877 the New Hampshire Constitution required members of the State legislature to be of the Protestant religion. * The North Carolina Constitution of 1776 disestablished the Anglican church, but until 1835 the NC Constitution allowed only Protestants to hold public office. From 1835-1876 it allowed only Christians (including Catholics) to hold public office. Article VI, Section 8 of the current NC Constitution forbids only atheists from holding public office. Such clauses were held by the United States Supreme Court<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supreme_Court_of_the_United_States> to be unenforceable in the 1961 case of Torcaso v. Watkins<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torcaso_v._Watkins>, when the court ruled unanimously that such clauses constituted a religious test incompatible with First<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Amendment_to_the_United_States_Constitution> and Fourteenth<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fourteenth_Amendment_to_the_United_States_Constitution> Amendment protections. * The 1776 Constitution of New Jersey that was replaced in 1844 said the following: That there shall be *no establishment* of any one religious sect in this Province, in preference to another; and that *no Protestant inhabitant* of this Colony shall be denied the enjoyment of any civil right, merely on account of his religious principles; but that all persons, professing a belief in the faith of *any Protestant sect*, who shall demean themselves peaceably under the government, as hereby established, shall be capable of being elected into any office of profit or trust, or being a member of either branch of the Legislature, and shall fully and freely enjoy every privilege and immunity, enjoyed by others their fellow subjects. * The 1776 Constitution of Pennsylvania stated that all new legislators had to say the following: I do believe in one God, the creator and governor of the universe, the rewarder of the good and the punisher of the wicked. And I do acknowledge the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament to be given by Divine inspiration. And no further or other religious test shall ever hereafter be required of any civil officer or magistrate in this State. This was amended in 1790 to say the following: That no person, who acknowledges the being of a God and a futurestate of rewards and punishments, shall, on account of his religioussentiments, be disqualified to hold any office or place of trust or profitunder this commonwealth. In 1838 it was changed to: Section IV. 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. In the Pennsylvania Constitution of 1874, which stood until it was changed in 1968, said the following: 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. That's just a sample of state/religion relationships that were in effect after the Constitution. Some persisted into the 1900's. This Bill looks like something from then. I agree with Hatton though. It will not come close to being law, but it will get publicity and draw the ire of the those who are intolerant of religion, particularly Christianity. J - Ninety percent of politicians give the other ten percent a bad reputation. - Henry Kissinger Politicians are people who, when they see light at the end of the tunnel, go out and buy some more tunnel. - John Quinton ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~| Order the Adobe Coldfusion Anthology now! http://www.amazon.com/Adobe-Coldfusion-Anthology/dp/1430272155/?tag=houseoffusion Archive: http://www.houseoffusion.com/groups/cf-community/message.cfm/messageid:362359 Subscription: http://www.houseoffusion.com/groups/cf-community/subscribe.cfm Unsubscribe: http://www.houseoffusion.com/groups/cf-community/unsubscribe.cfm
