[Tailgunner Joe]

"It had a higher object; to cut off for ever every pretence of any alliance between church and state in the national government."

But not in the several states. Many states did indeed continue to have religious tests, which were not considered to be unconstitutional. The ban on religious tests on the national level was actually meant to protect state religious tests from encroachment by some national test.

[tacticalogic]

The ban on religious tests on the national level was actually meant to protect state religious tests from encroachment by some national test.

Can you provide any supporting evidence that the Founders considered such "tests" to be desireable, that they wanted them protected?