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NC Constitution -- No Atheist Allowed to Serve
I find it interesting that the NC Constitution (Article 6, Section 8) disqualifies from office "...any person who shall deny the being of Almighty God". This and similar constitutional provisions in various states were "nullified" in 1961 by the U.S. Supreme Court. As such, NC has never been allowed to enforce it. However, despite ample opportunities to remove this "disqualification," NC has refused (the NC constitution was revised numerous times in the 1960s and 1970s, but article 6, section 8 remained untouched). In order to amend the constitution, NC voters must approve it, and a constitutional amendment can only go to the voters if 60% of the NC legislatures agree to it. I am wondering if we, as a united group of NC citizens, are interested in creating a movement to repeal Article 6, section 8. If we can find a friendly "soul" :-) in the NC legislature to support our cause, it would be interesting to see our elected officials go on record as supporting or not this repeal. I think it would make for interesting discussion around the state. Thoughts?
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by tom arcaro on -
So, what would you put into a letter to your Congressperson re the NC State Constitution? Any lawyers out there? Sponsor a bill to rewrote the Preamble AND Art. 6 Sec 8?
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Permalink Reply by Tony Thompson on -
I agree with Tom; with an election coming up this fall, we should try to bring attention to this. For one, as a group, we should try to draft a general letter to the editor regarding the Preamble and Art. 6, Sec 8 that each of us could then fine-tune for our own local newspapers. Also, if you any of us gets the opportunity to go to a town hall meeting where the candidates are taking questions from the audience, ask them if they would support a constitutional amendment removing the ban against Atheists serving in public office. Also, local newspapers often pose questions to candidates; each of us should ask our local newspapers to include this question in their list of questions they pose to the candidates. I think these types of activities would put the issue in the public eye; from there, we can take more direct action such as letters to our state legislators, petitions, etc. Most bigotry is based on ignorance, and it's important we began having conversations with out fellow citizens and educate them on who we are. I am a member of the Freedom from Religion Foundation (ffrf.org). It's a really wonderful organization for Atheists. I'm sure they would be happy to assist us; for example, many communities around the country put up billboards regarding Atheism; maybe they can assist us with something similar in key cities around the state. Just a thought. Thanks for the input everyone!!!!
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Permalink Reply by Rikka on -
Let's not forget this lovely event!
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Permalink Reply by Tony Thompson on
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Thanks for the article link, Rikka. This article really shows us how important it is that we began to act; atheist should not be harassed and threatened with lawsuits if they run for public office.
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