The organ of reason and critical thinking is the brain, not the faith in a god that pre-dates writing. Goat herders followed beliefs of their fore-fathers and -mothers. That is not reason to believe as they did. Atheists are entitled to political representation as are people of other traditions.
The Los Angeles Times editorial was today’s good news; now here’s the bad, although you might construe it as getting better. According to Saturday’s New York Times, seven U.S. states still have laws on the books prohibiting atheists from holding public office. The Friendly Atheist has listed them all, along with the relevant statues, and I’ll just reproduce two laws from his piece (the states, by the way, are Arkansas, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas—not a random geographic sample!). The two below are from Hemant; I believe the emphasis is his:
South Carolina: Article 17, Section 4:
No person who denies the existence of a Supreme Being shall hold any office under this Constitution.
and this one (it’s great; look at the wording)
Texas: Article 1, Section 4:
No religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office, or public trust, in this…
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Joan Denoo 