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Religious qualifications for public office in the United States

6 points by cofeecup 6y ago

cofeecup 6y ago
Posting because I just found out the surprising fact that some states have laws on the book that prevent atheists from holding elected office.
- AnimalMuppet 6y ago
  And interesting in context of people claiming that being Catholic (or Catholic of a certain flavor) disqualifies one for the Supreme Court.
  - cofeecup 6y ago
    Can you please point me to where that's happening? At least from a legitimate official and not crazies on Twitter? I assume you are discussing the supreme court nominees, and the only thing that I have heard is the pretty valid complaint that one of them has made some concerning comments in the past with respect to separation of church and state. It's OK to be religious. It is not OK to force your religion on others, especially when your religion (Catholicism) represents a minority (<20%) of the US population.
    - AnimalMuppet 6y ago
      https://www.politico.com/news/2020/09/24/amy-coney-barrett-faith-420928 https://www.politico.com/news/2020/09/24/amy-coney-barrett-f... The article is more nuanced than the headline. If you're just reading headlines, though (because you're skimming a news aggregator, say), then you get the idea that people think she can't be a Supreme Court justice because she's Catholic. Down in the article, you find that people think that she can't be a Supreme Court justice because they think it's problematic the kind of Catholic that she is. (Or at least because of the political implications of the kind of Catholic she is.) That's coming from people in office, not just from random crazies on Twitter.
      - rbecker 6y ago
        Even that politico article is missing pertinent details: "Judges cannot—nor should they try to—align our legal system with the Church's moral teaching whenever the two diverge. They should, however, conform their own behavior to the Church's standard. Perhaps their good example will have some effect," the paper [by Coney] concluded. When asked during the 2017 Senate hearing how she would weigh her faith with her responsibilities as a judge, Barrett said, "It's never appropriate for a judge to impose that judge's personal convictions, whether they derive from faith or anywhere else on the law." https://www.newsweek.com/what-has-amy-coney-barrett-said-about-separation-church-state-1533862 https://www.newsweek.com/what-has-amy-coney-barrett-said-abo...
      - cofeecup 6y ago
        I'm reading it, and from what I can tell she is being criticized for her politics. What's happening, according to the article, is that conservative leaning media and religious groups are framing those questions as anti-Catholic. It's a nice time honored political move of screaming "discrimination!" whenever people speak badly about you. It might fire up some demographics, but I don't see it. The complaints about her have been purely about her political views and never about her religion directly.

6 points by cofeecup 6y ago

Posting because I just found out the surprising fact that some states have laws on the book that prevent atheists from holding elected office.

AnimalMuppet 6y ago
And interesting in context of people claiming that being Catholic (or Catholic of a certain flavor) disqualifies one for the Supreme Court.
- cofeecup 6y ago
  Can you please point me to where that's happening? At least from a legitimate official and not crazies on Twitter? I assume you are discussing the supreme court nominees, and the only thing that I have heard is the pretty valid complaint that one of them has made some concerning comments in the past with respect to separation of church and state. It's OK to be religious. It is not OK to force your religion on others, especially when your religion (Catholicism) represents a minority (<20%) of the US population.
  - AnimalMuppet 6y ago
    https://www.politico.com/news/2020/09/24/amy-coney-barrett-faith-420928 https://www.politico.com/news/2020/09/24/amy-coney-barrett-f... The article is more nuanced than the headline. If you're just reading headlines, though (because you're skimming a news aggregator, say), then you get the idea that people think she can't be a Supreme Court justice because she's Catholic. Down in the article, you find that people think that she can't be a Supreme Court justice because they think it's problematic the kind of Catholic that she is. (Or at least because of the political implications of the kind of Catholic she is.) That's coming from people in office, not just from random crazies on Twitter.
    - rbecker 6y ago
      Even that politico article is missing pertinent details: "Judges cannot—nor should they try to—align our legal system with the Church's moral teaching whenever the two diverge. They should, however, conform their own behavior to the Church's standard. Perhaps their good example will have some effect," the paper [by Coney] concluded. When asked during the 2017 Senate hearing how she would weigh her faith with her responsibilities as a judge, Barrett said, "It's never appropriate for a judge to impose that judge's personal convictions, whether they derive from faith or anywhere else on the law." https://www.newsweek.com/what-has-amy-coney-barrett-said-about-separation-church-state-1533862 https://www.newsweek.com/what-has-amy-coney-barrett-said-abo...
    - cofeecup 6y ago
      I'm reading it, and from what I can tell she is being criticized for her politics. What's happening, according to the article, is that conservative leaning media and religious groups are framing those questions as anti-Catholic. It's a nice time honored political move of screaming "discrimination!" whenever people speak badly about you. It might fire up some demographics, but I don't see it. The complaints about her have been purely about her political views and never about her religion directly.