Why do you suppose that the founding fathers placed," no religious test ever be required" in the constitution?

Question

if you have to say stupid things, please just don't say them

Answer 1

At the time of the framers, England had only recently come through 2 civil wars, a regicide, a revolution, and produced many of the documents now making the foundation for the English Constitution.  A large undertone of the civil war (phase I) was that William Laud, the archbishop of Canterbury and head of the State Church had tried to reform the Book of Common Prayer.  At the time, since the Church of England was a state religion all modifications had to be pushed through Parliament.

The changes Laud made were wildly unpopular but passed with a respectful majority in parliament.  This was entirely because large segments of the population were excluded from Parliament.  Catholics were not allowed to serve at all, dating to the days on Henry the VIII.  Quakers could not serve because their religious beliefs would not let them swear oaths upon the word of god.  Puritans were also excluded by their religious beliefs, and the Scottish Presbyterians were excluded by a purely political maneuver.

So essentially, much like the cry of taxation without representation, the framers wanted to ensure all sects of religion had a fair chance to be represented and to voice their opinions.  The framers were also deathly afraid of a tyrannical majority deciding at some future point to exclude a religion merely because the minority religion was unpopular.  The Framers had seen heaps of civic abuse heaped, lawfully, on small and large sects by operation of law.  They thought one of the best guarantees of liberty was to allow all sects an equal opportunity to serve in government office.

Answer 2

So that the government may not establish a state religion; HOWEVER, this does not mean that no religious references are allowed in public by private people. Your argument has been used many times to shut up religious people, and I will debunk it every time I see it.

Answer 3

They knew better than to install a theocracy.  The Founding Fathers wanted a secular government while giving people to the freedom to exercise their religion.

The Constitution does not state "no religious test ever be required".  The Constitution, specifically the Bill of Rights, gives man certain rights that neither the state or the majority can take away.

It also places the federal government in a small, confined compartment (unfortunately we are getting away from this idea).

Answer 4

I don't remember ever seeing that in the constitution.  However, the founding fathers wanted a nation of laws.

Answer 5

The clause you're talking about appears in Article VI, section 3 of the Constitution.  It states that:

“...no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States.

I think the founding fathers were trying to communicate that you didn't need to have particular religious beliefs to hold a public office.

Answer 6

They didn't. You fabricated that.

Answer 7

You state a quotation, but do not cite your source...?

Answer 8

the Constitution does not GIVE rights to anyone.

it ACKNOWLEDGES rights man bestowed upon every man at birth.

there are those that may think that is a picky distinction, but since the acknowlegement of rights that are inherent and thus cannot be abridged, that distinction IS the entire reason for the Constitution.