• spaceghoti@lemmy.oneOP
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    1 year ago

    What do you think the Constitution means when it says “no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States.”

    • Melllvar@startrek.website
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      1 year ago

      That you don’t have to profess any particular religious beliefs in order to qualify as a candidate for office.

      • spaceghoti@lemmy.oneOP
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        1 year ago

        This is precisely what Johnson is advocating. If you’re not a Christian, if you’re not his kind of Christian, he thinks you shouldn’t be eligible for office. He’s explicitly telling people not to vote for people who don’t share their religious identity.

        That’s a religious test.

        • Actaeon@artemis.camp
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          1 year ago

          I think you misunderstand what the constitution does and doesn’t do. It defines the structure, powers and limits of the Government.

          The clause means that the Government cannot instate a religious test on candidates for office. It does not dictate how individuals are allowed to decide which of those candidates they vote for.

        • Melllvar@startrek.website
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          1 year ago

          He’s telling voters what he’d like them to do. He’s allowed to do that, and voters are allowed to take religious beliefs into account when casting their ballots.

          How would you even enforce a rule that prohibited voters from doing that? Particularly on a secret ballot?

          • spaceghoti@lemmy.oneOP
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            1 year ago

            When preaching from the pulpit, people assume the authority of their god. He’s not suggesting, he’s telling them how they have to behave in order to be good Christians.

            Don’t make excuses for villains like this.

            • Melllvar@startrek.website
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              1 year ago

              I’m not making excuses, I don’t even support this guy. And if I were in his district, I would take his religious beliefs into account and vote against him. As would be my right.

              I’m simply pointing out what is and is not covered by the US Constitution. The Constitution pertains to the government, not the people. It limits what the government can do, to include making religious tests a qualification for office, but does not say a damned thing about what the voters are allowed to consider.

            • FuglyDuck@lemmy.world
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              1 year ago

              If he’s preaching politics from the pulpit…

              There’s a good chance a 501c corp needs to loose it’s 501c status