" No Religious Tests" and Apple Pie

[Nevada]

Help refresh my memory! Is it the US Constitution, or The Bill of Rights, which prohibits religious tests for those holding public office? From Notary Publics to the US President.

I see Mitt Romny's Mormonism is alarming some.

Personally, I'd be more alarmed with another Roman Catholic. JFK was OK, and promised to not use the Presidency for that church's gain. However, looking around, I see that of 9 Supreme Court Justices, 5 are Roman Catholics. I see that in April, the Chaplain of the US House of Representatives resigned after 11 years of service. He was a Roman Catholic priest. In short order, the Roman Catholic speaker of the House, Ohio's Boehner, got another Roman Catholic priest the job.

That is a church well connected, politically.

Anyway, where is that prohibition against religious tests for public office?

 

[Ruiz]

The United States Constitution requires no test of religion. that does not mean individuals cannot have a litmus test, but that we cannot disqualify someone based upon religion. This is from Article 6 Paragraph 3

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.

 

[Crabtownboy]

The Bill of Rights is the first ten amendments to the Constitution and thus are part of the Constitution.

 

[Earth Wind and Fire]

Help refresh my memory! Is it the US Constitution, or The Bill of Rights, which prohibits religious tests for those holding public office? From Notary Publics to the US President.

I see Mitt Romny's Mormonism is alarming some.

Personally, I'd be more alarmed with another Roman Catholic. JFK was OK, and promised to not use the Presidency for that church's gain. However, looking around, I see that of 9 Supreme Court Justices, 5 are Roman Catholics. I see that in April, the Chaplain of the US House of Representatives resigned after 11 years of service. He was a Roman Catholic priest. In short order, the Roman Catholic speaker of the House, Ohio's Boehner, got another Roman Catholic priest the job.

That is a church well connected, politically.

Anyway, where is that prohibition against religious tests for public office?

Scared of the big bad Papist are ya? Too funny!:laugh:

 

[Zenas]

However, looking around, I see that of 9 Supreme Court Justices, 5 are Roman Catholics. Anyway, where is that prohibition against religious tests for public office?

The Supreme Court is a little more unbalanced than you think. Six of the justices are Catholic: Scalia, Kennedy, Thomas, Roberts, Alito and Sotomayor. The other three are Jewish: Ginsburg, Breyer and Kagan.

Ruiz got it right about the religious test. No one can be disqualified from office on account of his religion. However, we as voters can still use the person’s religion as the basis for voting for or against him. Moreover, the President may do the same in making appointments. If he wants to, he could systematically refuse to appoint Catholics, Jews, Baptists, etc.

I think the Romney thing is much ado about nothing. Mormons don’t believe like we do but they are genuine authentic Americans who really love this country. That’s more than I can say for Mr. Obama.

 

[Nevada]

The United States Constitution requires no test of religion. that does not mean individuals cannot have a litmus test, but that we cannot disqualify someone based upon religion. This is from Article 6 Paragraph 3

I found it. It's in the Constitution. (Ruiz, you have it backwards; rather than it being that The Constitution does not require a religious test, The Constitution prohibits a religious test.)


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No_Religious_Test_Clause

 

[Nevada]

The Supreme Court is a little more unbalanced than you think. Six of the justices are Catholic: Scalia, Kennedy, Thomas, Roberts, Alito and Sotomayor. The other three are Jewish: Ginsburg, Breyer and Kagan.

Ruiz got it right about the religious test. No one can be disqualified from office on account of his religion. However, we as voters can still use the person’s religion as the basis for voting for or against him. Moreover, the President may do the same in making appointments. If he wants to, he could systematically refuse to appoint Catholics, Jews, Baptists, etc.

I think the Romney thing is much ado about nothing. Mormons don’t believe like we do but they are genuine authentic Americans who really love this country. That’s more than I can say for Mr. Obama.

If we kept religion and politics "totally separate" as James Madison advocated in one of his writings, it wouldn't make any difference what religion an official was. Because they couldn't mix the two things.

 

[Nevada]

Scared of the big bad Papist are ya? Too funny!:laugh:

Well. It's awfully coincidental that enrollment at Catholic elementary and high schools is up 70% in the state of Indiana, with the taxpayer footing the bill.

Never would have happened throughout most of US history. (In fact, Baptists were a leading force in the organization "Americans United for Separation of Church and State" for many a year.)

http://www.archindy.org/criterion/national/09-01-vouchers.html

 

[Earth Wind and Fire]

Well. It's awfully coincidental that enrollment at Catholic elementary and high schools is up 70% in the state of Indiana, with the taxpayer footing the bill.

Never would have happened throughout most of US history. (In fact, Baptists were a leading force in the organization "Americans United for Separation of Church and State" for many a year.)

http://www.archindy.org/criterion/national/09-01-vouchers.html

Come to New Jersey....LOL

 

[Nevada]

South Bend Indiana Tried to Give $1.2 million to the Catholic Church

I see the Indiana city of South Bend voted to spend 1.2 million dollars of taxpayer money on an old "Family Dollar" store. The plan was to then resell it to the local Catholic high school for $1. The Catholic High school was going to turn the site into a stadium.

Such is why the Protestant Reformation happened, don't you think? I don't see Mormons doing this over and over, around the nation as Roman Catholicism does. (In California it wanted taxpayers to refurbish centuries old mission churches.) In short, a Catholic US President scares me a lot more than does a Mormon one.

That's all I have to say. I'm done with this topic, and hope I've stimulated a little thought.

http://www.fox28.com/story/15278006/organizations-file-suit-over-st-joseph-high-school-stadium-plans