Veterans Urge Candidates to Stop Using Religious Test

[struggle4progress]

Military Religious Freedom Foundation

WASHINGTON, Oct. 30 -- ... Veterans for Common Sense (VCS) and the Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF) called on all candidates to issue an immediate "cease fire" on negative ads exploiting religion.

The television ad, aired by U.S. Senator Elizabeth Dole's campaign against State Senator Kay Hagan, can be viewed at this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1lf2vDk-4Ag

In Article VI, Section 3 of our Constitution, our nation's founders specifically required that there be "no religious test" for public office.

VCS and MRFF are outraged that U.S. Senator Dole, who swore an oath to protect our Constitution, invoked a clearly prohibited unconstitutional religious test. "We are also disappointed that State Senator Hagen did not denounce Sen. Dole's ad on Constitutional grounds," said a statement from both organizations ... http://www.sunherald.com/448/story/920375.html

[Libertyfirst]

1. In the writing the Constitution ...

we know of only a few attempts to lobby the constitutional convention. There was was a petition from a group of Jewish citizens asking that no religious test be required for public office. The authors of the Constitution concurred.

[struggle4progress]

2. Thanks. I hadn't been aware of the letter of Jonas Phillips

https://www.policyarchive.org/bitstream/handle/10207/10321/Church-StateDilemmas.pdf?sequence=1
http://gwpapers.virginia.edu/articles/conroy_3.html