Should A Muslim Congressmen Be Forced To Take His Oath Of Office On A Bible?
This op/ed from Dennis Prager, where he expresses the opinion that newly-elected Minnesota Rep. Keith Ellison (who is a Islam) be required to take his oath of office on a bible, has been stirring up a lot of controversy in the blogosphere of late.
Now I’m no fan of Ellison who I consider to be a terror-appeasing abomination, but the Constitution is pretty clear on this matter. From Article 6:
The Senators and Representatives before mentioned, and the members of the several state legislatures, and all executive and judicial officers, both of the United States and of the several states, shall be bound by oath or affirmation, to support this Constitution; but no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States.
If Ellison wants to take his oath on the Koran or some other symbol that’s fine by me.
As an atheist, if I were ever elected to Congress I’d be taking my oath on a copy of the Constitution itself. And, frankly, I think this country would be a lot better off if more politicians took their oath on that document.
