Just came across an interesting post at a blog called Left2Right, called “Atheists Need Not Apply.” Evidently, there are several states (well, at least two) whose constitutions forbid atheists from holding office.

The state constitution of Arkansas says:

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.

And South Carolina also has:

No person who denies the existence of the Supreme Being shall hold any office under this Constitution.

Compare this with the Federal constitution which says:

…No religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States.

The author goes into a bit more detail about this, and it’s worth checking out. It seems that these and similar provisions in state constitutions have been challenged in the past. Some successfully and others not. A very good line of research as rabid religion swings into ascendency in our nation.

Also, while I’m on the topic of rabid religion, I may as well link to this article about how Bill Maher recently made some statements about how religious people essentially have neurological disorders. I don’t really agree with this, but I do like to see people “stick it to the man” so to speak.