Cecil Bothwell, a newly elected city council member in North Carolina, is having his eligibility for office questioned on the grounds that he doesn't believe in God. The source of this conflict comes from a clause in the state constitution. It reads as follows:

"“The following persons shall be disqualified for office: First, any person who shall deny the being of Almighty God.”

His (defeated) opponent, H.K. Edgerton, apparently agrees. His comment to the press as reported by The Citizen Times is the following- "I'm not saying that Cecil Bothwell is not a good man, but if he's an atheist, he's not eligible to serve in public office, according to the state constitution." Bothwell's response was that his "test" occurred already- when he won the election.

My view- this is unbelievable. I'm not sure what is more sickening, the fact that anyone in good conscience would try to support this clause, or that a politician could be so ignorant that they would fail to realize that Article IV of the Constitution specifically prohibits religious tests from being a precursor for public office.

Let's hope the Supreme Court overturns this passage quickly...

(note: according to a noteworthy political blog he has already officially won this election, but I am unable to back this up with news sources at this time).

( image source here)