Candidate for the Sixth Court of Appeals, Ben Franks, is reported to be a professed atheist and apparently believes the Bible is a “collection of myths."
All elected or appointed officials in Texas must take the oath prescribed by Art. XVI, Section 1(a) of the Texas Constitution:
"I, _____, do solemnly swear (or affirm), that I will faithfully execute the duties of the office of _____ of the State of Texas, and will to the best of my ability preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution and laws of the United States and of this State, so help me God ."
Should Franks be elected in November, one would have to conclude that he will hold true to his out of touch “atheist” belief system and ignore the laws and Constitution of Texas.
34 comments
Well, it's not just atheists/agnostics who are apparently affected by this "so help me god" thing. If I was a theist and had to take this oath, I'd ask the court to specify which of the multitudinous gods I was supposed to be invoking. It's no good having a Muslim say "so help me god" if the court is Christian either, is it?
The phrase "so help me God" basically means "may God save my ass if I'm lying". Since an atheist doesn't believe God exists, he shouldn't have any problem making that statement, especially if he isn't lying anyway.
Well, in this case disregard the first ammendment. OH NO, what if the president is a catholic, like JFK?
All he has to do is name his cat "God," and everything is fine :)
As long as his cat helps him defend the Constitution, that is. Hmmm....this is Texas....maybe he better name his gun "God" instead.
Well, if it is a Battle Cat... He just has to make sure to keep Orko well away from his courthouse ^^
Which 'god' does that refer to exactly? I don't see anything to align this statement with any particular deity so I'm picking Xochipilli.
So by this logic I should assume that EVERYBODY that has sworn on the bible in court has told the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?
Dumbass.
In Torcaso v. Watkins (1961), the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that oaths requiring use of the phrase "under God" were unconstitutional. The decision was unanimous. A number of states still carry the "under God" phrasing for oaths in their constitution, but they are, in fact, in violation of the U.S. Constitution. Like many archaic laws, they're still on the books simply because they are never invoked. I can guarantee you that the Republican Party of Texas is fully aware of that fact, but it's easier to appeal to emotion than plainly state the facts.
That oath is unChristian. It says TWICE in the New Testament that one is NOT to swear oaths, not to mention that it's taking the Lord's name in vain. My MIL is Christian and has testified many times in court, and doesn't swear.
Aaaah, fixed it - so help me God has always been optional...
"I, _____, do solemnly swear (or affirm), that I will faithfully execute the duties of the office of _____ of the State of Texas, and will to the best of my ability preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution and laws of the United States and of this State, so help me Google ."
What does being an atheist have to do with upholding the law?
Oh, and the previous posters are correct, requiring a person to believe in god to serve in office violates the 1st and 14th Amendments of the U.S. Constitution.
No Religious Test ...
US Constitution trumps Texas' ...
Reality trumps bullshit. (No!)
All these idiots will be dead in less than a millennium.
Hell, I was hoping to be dead before it got THIS bad.
Party on!!
I say "Jesus", "Jesus Christ" and "God" numerous times a day. Doesn't mean I believe in any of that shit.
It's just words, dude (although I'm sure it could be challenged constitutionally should anyone choose to make an issue out of it.)
I think it was Richard Dawkins who wrote that he doesn't mind saying Grace at meal times if finding himself at a function where this is done, because it's just meaningless and harmless mumbo jumbo to him anyway. I would feel the same way. To me, it's as meaningless as saying "Teddy bear is coming for a picnic tomorrow."
Confused?
So were we! You can find all of this, and more, on Fundies Say the Darndest Things!
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