In this article from the N.Y. Times, recently elected Asheville city councilman Cecil Bothwell is being harangued over his lack of faith:
"The question of whether or not God exists is not particularly interesting to me and it's certainly not relevant to public office," the recently elected 59-year-old said.
His opponents raise question on his being fit for office:
"My father was a Baptist minister. I'm a Christian man. I have problems with people who don't believe in God," said Edgerton
...
who cite a little-noticed quirk in North Carolina's Constitution that disqualifies officeholders "who shall deny the being of Almighty God."
The lawsuit they are threatening to remove Bothman from office will inevitably be overturned:
Bothwell can't be forced out of office over his atheist views because the North Carolina provision is unenforceable, according to the supremacy clause of the U.S. Constitution.
But the federal protections don't necessarily spare atheist public officials from spending years defending themselves in court. Avowed atheist Herb Silverman won an eight-year court battle in 1997 when South Carolina's highest court granted him the right to be appointed as a notary despite the state's law.
This sort of petty religious bigotry in a country that prides itself on being one of the most free countries on the Earth really annoys me.
You know, it's free will and all that crap. Why are you so much better then them? It's not your place to judge anyone in anyway. I'm fine with pedophiles as long as they stay within the law. Don't subject a child to the mental trauma, and really, what is the problem? Think about it all you want, just like I think about how hot that girl I saw on the bus is. It's YOUR thoughts, just like a child's body is theirs and not to be used. It's the same with gays. Don't affect my freedom, and is there anything wrong? No.
