North Carolina legislators want to declare official state religion

[skepticscott]

Republican North Carolina state legislators have proposed allowing an official state religion in a measure that would declare the state exempt from the Constitution and court rulings.

...

The bill reads:

SECTION 1. The North Carolina General Assembly asserts that the Constitution of the United States of America does not prohibit states or their subsidiaries from making laws respecting an establishment of religion.
SECTION 2. The North Carolina General Assembly does not recognize federal court rulings which prohibit and otherwise regulate the State of North Carolina, its public schools, or any political subdivisions of the State from making laws respecting an establishment of religion.

The North Carolina state constitution disqualifies those who do not believe in God from public office. The provision has been unenforcible since the 1961 Supreme Court decision in Torcaso v. Watkins, which prohibited such bans.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/03/north-carolina-religion-bill_n_3003401.html

[Phillip McCleod]

1. holy crazy batman!

unfortunately that's no guarantee it won't *pass*.

[SpartanDem]

2. Somebody should shove the 14th Amendment up his ass.

[skepticscott]

3. They don't even have to read that far

Article VI:

This Constitution, and the Laws of the United States which shall be made in Pursuance thereof; and all Treaties made, or which shall be made, under the Authority of the United States, shall be the supreme Law of the Land; and the Judges in every State shall be bound thereby, any Thing in the Constitution or Laws of any State to the Contrary notwithstanding.

I'm sure they count on the sheeple in their constituencies not to have ever read this far either.

[sellitman]

4. Too bad there are no pictures in the Constitution

They have problems with words.

[bowens43]

5. more evidence that religion is a disease that needs to be eliminated completely.

How in this day and age people can believe in omnipotent, invisible, magical sky faeries is beyond me......

religion and the belief in gods are by far the greatest threats faced by mankind. Religion should not be tolerated, it should be stamped out.

[trotsky]

7. As much as I detest religion, I disagree.

I don't want religion to go away, I just want its power and influence to be reduced to negligible levels. I want it to be treated like a hobby or side interest.

[cbayer]

10. Hyperbole much?

[skepticscott]

13. Impractical and unconstitutional as well

Trotsky is right...the elimination of the influence of religion and religious thinking outside of the realm of believers is a more practical goal.

[hrmjustin]

14. Well no one will accuse you of being a moderate on the issue.

[raccoon]

6. Maybe they should just secede? :sarcasm: well, sort of. nt

[struggle4progress]

9. NC is not SC: the neo-confederates and secessionists have never been popular here

[Bad Thoughts]

16. This is the kind of thing that turns off people in the Piedmont

I can see this biting the GOP in the rear, just like the attempts to undermine the Wake County school system.

[cbayer]

11. It really sound like this group of legislators have thrown the gauntlet down and

it does smell secessionist.

One would hope that cooler and smarter heads in the NC legislature will prevail.

[skepticscott]

12. I doubt they're really challenging anyone

at the federal level. It's entirely possible (though not certain) that they know perfectly well that this will never pass muster and that no one will have to answer for it, but that they hope their fundy constituents won't, and will love them for even trying it.

[struggle4progress]

17. +

[struggle4progress]

8. Ford is a rightwing wackadoodle. Sadly, the NC General Assembly currently has lots of rightwing

wackadoodles: the Republicans gained control of our General Assembly in 2010, so were able to gerrymander in the redistricting, and therefore maintained control with the 2012 election.

Legislator Profiles
The Class of 2013 – Rep. Carl Ford
Posted on 1/8/2013 by Sarah Ovaska
~snip~
Who or what has influenced your politics?

Ronald Reagan, Jesse Helms and growing up a Boy Scout and Eagle Scout.
~snip~
http://www.ncpolicywatch.com/2013/01/08/the-class-of-2013-rep-carl-ford/

[EvolveOrConvolve]

15. I hope it passes

The challenge would end up at the Supreme Court, five members of which will be forced to make a vote that wack-jobs will see as "anti Christian".

[AlbertCat]

18. Our state's race to the bottom continues apace!

Hurry! Just jump in that hole!

[struggle4progress]

19. Proposal to allow official North Carolina state religion dead in legislature

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1014444990

[cbayer]

20. No big surprise, but they sure did get their 15 minutes of fame.

[struggle4progress]

21. That seems to be what they were after here