One Nation Under God. Test your knowledge of the Church and State debate?

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[Professor Kill]

Do you honestly want to include a religious test in the Constitution?

If you do, then you, sir, are a fool.

[Manfred the Wonder Dawg]

I think it's clear that those who hold to an Islamic world view are not to be trusted in public office and ought to be prohibited from doing so.

If that is a form of religious test, I am in favor of it.

Many countries that have protected life and property have had some religious tests for office holders. It is not, in and in itself, a foolish notion.

Be gone, tiny mind.

[Professor Kill]

Many countries that have protected life and property have had some religious tests for office holders.

Care to name them?

[Manfred the Wonder Dawg]

Go search it out if you wish. I do not care to convince you.

[Professor Kill]

But it should be so easy! There are so many modern western-style democratic/republican governments that use a religious test for public office, it should be no problem to find one to emulate.

Tell me, how would a smart fella like you implement such a religious test? Would you have to swear (to any god but Allah, of course) that you weren't a Muslim before taking the oath of office? Would any public servant be prohibited from attending a Mosque? How many secret police would you employ to monitor the private religious practices of your fellow Americans? What would you do if a Congressman was found with a Koran on his bookshelf?

If adding a religious test to the Constitution is truly as wonderful as you maintain, you should be able to answer these questions fairly easily. They should really only pose a problem if your idea is as foolish as I say it is, right?

[Manfred the Wonder Dawg]

If you think it's so easy and if you are a professor - go and search. You will be better for it.

I have not thought out the details of what I would like implemented, but our country's immigration screening of 100 years ago wold be a starting point.

Any person wanting to enter this country (stop the bleeding first) would have to be screened. Only those deemed "desirable" by the US would be allowed entrance. Any active Muslims would be prohibited from ever holding government office.

Not as drastic as the detention of Japanese in WWII, locating and identifying active Muslims would take time and effort. People with a track record that reasonably establishes an Islamic world view would be prohibited from ever holding government office.

These people don't carry out their religious activities in secret and we wouldn't need your secret police to identify them. Sorry to not fall into that straw man trap.

I did not say this was a wonderful idea (do you make a habit of putting words in the mouths of others?). I simply think it is now needed.

You are fond of the word, "fool". Is that because you are most familiar with it?

[MortMan]

So you would have us institute a religious test to hold office?

Is it so much a religious test as a test for fealty to a political system antithetical to a republic of free men (and women)? Islam is not merely a religion, but is a violent political system embedded in religious clothing.

[Professor Kill]

Any active Muslims would be prohibited from ever holding government office.

That's the whole rub, isn't it? How do you propose to enforce such a decree? Is an "active Muslim" a person that attends Mosque once a week? Someone that reads the Koran regularly? Someone that prays to Mecca? Someone that jogs?

You speak in these vague generalities to mask sheer lunacy that would result from instituting a religious test in the Constitution. Never mind that you can't come up with one (1!) other nation that does so effectively, you can't even articulate your own plan!

Once again, I'm glad the founders were made of much sterner stuff than you.