{"id":25634,"date":"2021-06-06T20:58:00","date_gmt":"2021-06-06T20:58:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/?p=25634"},"modified":"2021-06-06T23:24:09","modified_gmt":"2021-06-06T23:24:09","slug":"why-it-matters-that-7-states-still-have-bans-on-atheists-holding-office","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/why-it-matters-that-7-states-still-have-bans-on-atheists-holding-office\/","title":{"rendered":"Why it matters that 7 states still have bans on atheists holding office"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Kristina M. Lee<\/a>, Colorado State University<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tennessee\u2019s Constitution includes a provision<\/a> that bars three groups from holding office: atheists, ministers and those engaging in duels. Efforts are under way in the state legislature to remove this exclusion for ministers, but not for duelists \u2013 or atheists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In January 2021, Republican Tennessee State Senator Mark Pody proposed Senate Joint Resolution 55<\/a> to amend<\/a> Article IX of the Constitution of Tennessee to rid it of a clause that states \u201cno minister of the Gospel, or priest of any denomination whatever, shall be eligible to a seat in either House of the Legislature.\u201d No mention is made in Pody\u2019s resolution about Section 2 of the same article<\/a>: \u201cNo person who denies the being of God \u2026 shall hold any office in the civil department of this state.\u201d Nor for that matter does the current bill mention Section 3\u2019s objection to those who participate, aid or abet a duel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When Pody was asked why his resolution removes only the ban on ministers, his response<\/a> was that it is best to clean up the constitution \u201cone simple step at a time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tennessee is one of seven states that has an unconstitutional ban on atheists holding public office. Although superseded by Supreme Court rulings<\/a>, such bans are important. As a scholar of religious and political rhetoric<\/a> who focuses on the marginalization of U.S. atheists, I believe they reflect the normalization of anti-atheism that has yet to be truly dealt with, or rarely acknowledged, in the United States.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Atheists \u2018not to be tolerated\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Numerous state constitutions established laws banning both ministers and atheists when they were ratified<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The bans on ministers were framed as necessary to protect their \u201csacred calling.\u201d The prohibitions on atheists were installed for a different reason. Atheists, it was claimed, could not be trusted to be good citizens in a democracy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"An
Philosopher John Locke was no fan of atheists. Hulton Archive\/Getty Images)<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

This sentiment was expressed by early enlightenment thinkers such as Jean-Jacques Rousseau and John Locke \u2013 both of whom influenced early American politicians. Locke argued in his 1689 \u201cLetter Concerning Toleration<\/a>\u201d that \u201cthose are not at all to be tolerated who deny the being of a God. Promises, covenants, and oaths, which are the bonds of human society, can have no hold upon an atheist.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bans on atheists and ministers are now unconstitutional due to Supreme Court rulings in 1961<\/a> and 1978<\/a>. Tennessee is the last state to maintain an unenforceable ban on ministers in their Constitutions<\/a>, while seven states still have their unconstitutional bans on atheists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although unenforceable, the bans periodically impede atheists wanting to hold public office. In 1992, Herb Silverman, an atheist activist and math professor, was denied a position as a notary public<\/a> because of a ban in South Carolina. He had to sue the state<\/a> before he could hold the position.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile in 2009, Cecil Bothwell<\/a>, a local Democratic candidate, won his city counsel race in Asheville, North Carolina \u2013 but had to fight critics who claimed he was ineligible on account of his atheism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These attacks continued for years after Bothwell was elected. H.K. Edgerton, a Black Confederate activist and one of Bothwell\u2019s staunchest critics, complained<\/a> in 2014 that the council had \u201cplaced itself above the law for two terms with Cecil Bothwell sitting there passing rules and regulations and dictating law unlawfully.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

David Morgan, editor of the Asheville Tribune, claimed his criticism of Bothwell was about upholding the state constitution, arguing<\/a> \u201cIf you don\u2019t like it, amend it and take out that clause.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Atheists have tried to do just that. But politicians show little interest in removing the bans on atheists that exist in state constitutions. As Todd Stiefel<\/a>, an atheist activist, notes: \u201cIf it was on the books that Jews couldn\u2019t hold public office, or that African Americans or women couldn\u2019t vote, that would be a no-brainer. You\u2019d have politicians falling all over themselves to try to get it repealed. Even if it was still unenforceable, it would still be disgraceful and be removed. So why are we different?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Normalizing anti-atheism<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

These anti-atheist clauses and the failure to remove them reflect a phenomenon I call \u201ctheistnormativity<\/a>,\u201d which is the normalization of the belief in God as being tied to good and moral citizenship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To many Americans, beliefs in God and Americanism has become synonymous. A 2015 survey found that 69%<\/a> of respondents thought it was important to believe in God to be \u201ctruly American.\u201d And Americans are expected to embrace national slogans such as \u201cIn God We Trust\u201d and \u201cone nation, under God.\u201d Politicians are regularly asked to participate in public prayers<\/a> to God before official meetings. And while they can request otherwise, the default assumption is that Americans will make an oath to God when taking public office or testifying in court.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While there is no ban on being an atheist in the United States, atheists have long been framed as un-American<\/a>. When Democratic Representative Louis Rabaut proposed adding \u201cunder God\u201d to the Pledge of Allegiance in 1954, he argued<\/a> that an \u201catheistic American\u201d is a \u201ccontradiction in terms.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even President Barack Obama simply acknowledging the existence of \u201cnonbelievers<\/a>\u201d in his 2009 inaugural address led critics to question whether the acknowledgment was \u201coffensive<\/a>\u201d and could lead to dangerous misunderstandings about \u201cour true nature as a nation<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And it isn\u2019t just the political right. When Bernie Sanders was running for president in 2016, leaked emails<\/a> from Democratic National Committee leadership revealed a plot to try to out him as an atheist to negatively influence perceptions of him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Impediment to power<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

This political environment makes it difficult for open atheists to gain much political power. In a 2021 survey of Congress\u2019 religious identity, only one person, Senator Kyrsten Sinema, identified<\/a> as \u201creligiously unaffiliated.\u201d Eighteen members replied \u201cdon\u2019t know\u201d or refused to answer the question.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Polling shows 4% of Americans identify as atheists<\/a>, and about 23% identify more broadly as nonreligious<\/a>. While identifying as \u201cnonreligious\u201d does not necessarily mean not believing in God, research suggests<\/a> that as many as 1 in 4 Americans is atheist, but that most are unwilling to reveal this, even in anonymous polls.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As such, there are likely more atheists in Congress \u2013 they\u2019re just not open about their beliefs. In fact, in 2014, the American Humanist Association claimed that 24 members of Congress<\/a> privately stated they did not believe in God but would deny it if outed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Political analysts have long wondered<\/a> if an atheist could become president. It would take a brave one to try, given that polls indicate<\/a> that only 60% of Americans would be willing to contemplate voting for one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nhttps:\/\/datawrapper.dwcdn.net\/rvdZe\/2\/\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Even theist presidents get criticized if they fail to show proper homage to religion. Biden, a Catholic, was the first president to not include \u201cGod\u201d in his National Day of Prayer proclamation<\/a>, a move Evangelical leader Franklin Graham called \u201cdangerous<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Everyday anti-atheism<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

This anti-atheism extends beyond politics. Atheists face discrimination in the workplace<\/a> and hiring practices<\/a>. Parents who are religious often have an advantage in custody cases<\/a>. Even though atheists are no more likely to commit crimes than theists, stereotypes surrounding<\/a> atheist criminality and untrustworthiness<\/a> persist. In court, atheist rape victims are less likely to be believed<\/a> than Christian or religiously ambiguous victims.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is in this context that the bans on atheists \u2013 although unenforceable under Supreme Court ruling \u2013 must, I believe, be examined.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While these bans may seem harmless, they represent anti-atheist prejudices that are ingrained in America. They remind atheists that, despite their beliefs being protected by the first amendment, being open about not believing in God has consequences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kristina M. Lee<\/a>, Ph.D. Student in Rhetoric, Colorado State University<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This article is republished from The Conversation<\/a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Kristina M. Lee, Colorado State University Tennessee\u2019s Constitution includes a provision that bars three groups from holding office: atheists, ministers and those engaging in duels. Efforts are under way in the state legislature to remove this exclusion for ministers, but not for duelists \u2013 or atheists. In January 2021, Republican Tennessee State Senator Mark Pody […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":44,"featured_media":25635,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[2450],"tags":[3964,10032,10029,364,8156,6610,10030,10031,10028],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25634"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/44"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25634"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25634\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":25637,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25634\/revisions\/25637"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/25635"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25634"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25634"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25634"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}