How have these survived into the 21st century?

Constitution Of The State Of Arkansas Of 1874.

Article 19. Miscellaneous Provisions. § 1. Atheists disqualified from holding office or testifying as witness.

No person who denies the being of a God shall hold any office in the civil departments of this State, nor be competent to testify as a witness in any Court.

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PART IV. CRIMES, PUNISHMENTS AND PROCEEDINGS IN CRIMINAL CASESTITLE I. CRIMES AND PUNISHMENTS CHAPTER 272. CRIMES AGAINST CHASTITY, MORALITY, DECENCY AND GOOD ORDER Chapter 272: Section 36. Blasphemy Section 36. Whoever wilfully blasphemes the holy name of God by denying, cursing or contumeliously reproaching God, his creation, government or final judging of the world, or by cursing or contumeliously reproaching Jesus Christ or the Holy Ghost, or by cursing or contumeliously reproaching or exposing to contempt and ridicule, the holy word of God contained in the holy scriptures shall be punished by imprisonment in jail for not more than one year or by a fine of not more than three hundred dollars, and may also be bound to good behavior.

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The Texas Constitution, Article I, Section 4: No religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office, or public trust, in this State; nor shall any one be excluded from holding office on account of his religious sentiments, provided he acknowledge the existence of a Supreme Being.

(Full List)

We are seeing this sort of antiquated thinking in the current election.  All the candidates are busy pandering to the religious voters, trying to outdo each other in their profession of devotion to and belief in a “higher power”.  Shouldn’t the office of President of the United States be awarded to the candidate who shows the keenest intelligence, the deepest understanding of world issues, the greatest ability to apply logic and rationality to our country’s problems?  Does it matter what form of superstition they also embrace?  Shouldn’t their profession of belief in an invisible superman in the sky actually be a disqualification from office?

Radical Atheist