The Senators and Representatives before mentioned, and the Members of the several State Legislatures, and all executive and judicial Officers, both of the United States and of the several States, shall be bound by Oath or Affirmation, to support this Constitution; but no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States.
Pat Robertson: Wrong Again!
"And I guarantee to Mr. Robertson that Muslims will one day become part of the federal bench -- whether or not he likes it."
I can hardly wait. What a victory for "tolerance".
/sarc.
As for "no religious Test", let's just admit that islam is a totalitarian political system spread by violence and the threat of violence. If you think the Founding Fathers thought for a minute that islam was compatible with freedom or democracy, you're deluded.
It's getting to be a daily thing with ol' Pat.
Will that oath be taken while the Muslim nominee holds his right hand on a Bible?
Show us where Robertson suggested a Religious Test.
Islam is a religion + sociopolitical system.
Any Muslim themselves will tell you this.
There was an interesting thread about freedom of religion the other day. You are correct: the Constitution trumps excluding anyone from office or discharging a public function on account of religion. It's pretty damn clear in black & white, carved in marble.
But I don't think the Founders meant much more than that Catholics, Methodists and Baptists were the ones who should not be excluded. And that we ought to tolerate the occasional law abiding Hindoo, Jew or pan-spiritual savage in our midst. Please forgive the sarcasm.
This in all seriousness, however: the Founders did not live in the world of 9/11. It's time to amend the Constitution. "Members of violent and terrorist cults shall be disqualified from Office or public Trust under the United States."
How many Muslims do you think were participating in the founding of America? When these words were written, they were intended to mean the various denominations of the Christian religion.
If you do not parse the phrases in our founding documents according to the intent of the framers and conditions of the time, you can make those phrases means anything you want.
IMhO
to assess right or wrong:
1) What is the priority goal involved?
2) What is the criteria/standard of measure which determines that the goal has been reached?
3) What is the context?
1) This is war. Robertson is far more right than wrong. He is right about Islam and huge numbers of Islamists who want to see us in ruins if not wholesale conquered and taken over.
2) The priority goal ought to be our survival AS A BASICALLY (used to be) CHRISTIAN NATION
3) Given a priority goal of our survival--Robertson is right.
4) A President doesn't need to admit to anyone what his criteria for judges are.
5) If down the road there's a truly qualified, sane, non aggressive 'reformed' Islamist suitable for a judgeship after this war has been won--we can reconsider it.
Actually, that day won't arrive. Christ will return first. Islam will be utterly nonexistent.
Original Intent - "Religion" means denominations of Christianity
the "religion" of the evil pedophile muhammed (May He Burn in Hell Between 2 Pigs Forever) is an ideology, not a theology. What Pat said is comparable to saying we should not have a practicing, self-identified Communist as a Judge.