Ohio based Openly Secular pushing for Mississippi constitution change so atheists can hold office

Group Wants Unenforceable Ban on Atheists Holding Office Removed from Miss. Constitution

JACKSON, Miss. – If you are an atheist, you cannot hold office in Mississippi. It is outlined clearly in the state’s constitution:

Article 14, section 265 : “No person who denies the existence of a Supreme Being shall hold any office in this State.”

Similar laws are also on the books in other states including Maryland, Arkansas, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas.

Currently, Ohio based group, the Openly Secular coalition is trying to get those provisions changed. Chairman Todd Stiefel says they plan to lobby to get those provisions removed from the states’ constitutions at the start of next year.

NewsMS
12/19/14