"The God Requirement"

**Red_Lizard2** · 03-07-11, 08:46 PM

I saw this a few days ago and was surprised that states actually have kept these. I can see, kind of, why they may of been in the original documents (considering the times some of these were probably drafted), but to have them still there in 2011? Doesn't seem right.

The site in the link is bias, BUT they do provide links from the state sites for most of them if you don't trust the site
State Constitutions that Discriminate Against Atheists

What is it with the U.S. and what seems our mentality that you must believe in a god (and often a certain type of god) to ever be more then a citizen? I believe there was a poll done awhile ago that should majority of people (we are talking about a LARGE majority) would not vote for an Atheist. I don't really get why belief in a god would matter?

Maybe its just due to me being agnostic that it bugs me, I don't know. What do you guys think? Do you think belief in a god should be a requirement? Do you care if a person running for office believes in Jesus, Buddha, Flying Spaghetti Monsters, or no one at all?

And I suppose the biggest question, why do you think religion seems to be a big issue for a candidate?

**Red_Lizard2** · 03-07-11, 08:57 PM

by the way he is one poll that shows it (though they don't include Muslim in there which is another interesting one)
Some Americans Reluctant to Vote for Mormon, 72-Year-Old Presidential Candidates

this is an interesting one as well, the religions members of the 112th congress declare themselves:
Faith on the Hill: The Religious Composition of the 112th Congress - Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

**DJ Ms. White** · 03-07-11, 08:58 PM

**Kraker Jak** · 03-08-11, 02:52 AM

People tend to think the belief in god is synonomous with good morality

**HeavyG** · 03-08-11, 05:03 AM

Originally Posted by Kraker Jak

People tend to think the belief in god is synonomous with good morality

And those people scare me...

**Gumby** · 03-08-11, 05:18 AM

I am totally voting for the first candidate that is openly a Discordian.

**Beige Lantern** · 03-08-11, 05:22 AM

Samuel Huntington's extremely influential "A Clash of Civilizations" cites religion as the key determinant of cultural identity and division, taking precedence even over language. According to Huntington, America only survived the influx of Irish and Italian immigrants because it adapted its view as a Christian nation to include catholics.

In other words, this doesn't surprise me and it's not apt to change any time soon. It's part of the human psyche.

And honestly, I get it. To quote Palmer Joss in Contact (and yes, I get the irony), "Our job was to select someone to speak for everybody. And I just couldn't in good conscience vote for a person... who honestly thinks the other ninety five percent of us suffer from some form of mass delusion."

I'm not saying I like it. I don't like anything that prevents the "You can be anything you want to be" message to children. I'm just saying I get it.

**~~hawgballs~~** · 03-08-11, 06:48 AM

**triggerhappy2005** · 03-08-11, 07:52 AM

This guy is funny. 'God forgot to tell the guy writing the bible to mention that the Earth was round.' Hilarious!

**WickedTribe** · 03-08-11, 07:54 AM

Originally Posted by Non Sequitur Persona

Samuel Huntington's extremely influential "A Clash of Civilizations" cites religion as the key determinant of cultural identity and division, taking precedence even over language. According to Huntington, America only survived the influx of Irish and Italian immigrants because it adapted its view as a Christian nation to include catholics.

In other words, this doesn't surprise me and it's not apt to change any time soon. It's part of the human psyche.

And honestly, I get it. To quote Palmer Joss in Contact (and yes, I get the irony), "Our job was to select someone to speak for everybody. And I just couldn't in good conscience vote for a person... who honestly thinks the other ninety five percent of us suffer from some form of mass delusion."

I'm not saying I like it. I don't like anything that prevents the "You can be anything you want to be" message to children. I'm just saying I get it.

I'd never heard of that theory, and I don't hold much esteem for Political Science as a science. After reading about it for a few minutes, it kind of sounds like the kind of pop-science that makes sense to us because it agrees with our intuitions, but doesn't necessarily have a scientific basis. Did he actually do research to measure the effects on language vs. religion on solidarity? Is culture an important unifying force? Yes, of course. Is religion a stronger cultural unifier than language? I'd be hard pressed to buy that. And is it hard-wired into our psyche? Considering that organized religion hasn't existed for any significant amount of our evolutionary history, I'd be extremely skeptical about that.