Religious Test

When you quote the Constitution, quote it correctly.

   The lead editorial in the New York Times (9/23/2015) misquoted the U.S. Constitution when the writer said, "The freedom of religion embedded in the First Amendment rules out the very idea of a religious test for public office ... "
   It's a major surprise to see a gaffe this serious from one of the nation's largest and most influential newspapers. Why? The ban on a religious test for public office is not mentioned in the First Amendment, but in the main body of the Constitution itself, in Article VI, and the wording is specific: "No religious test shall ever be required as a qualification for any office or public trust under the United States."
   The First Amendment states that "Congress shall make no law restricting freedom of religion," and the important thing to remember is that while the Bill of Rights guarantees freedom of religion, the Constitution itself guarantees freedom from religion.
   Only in the past week have broadcast pundits been emphasizing the Article VI ban on any religious test for public office, but that issue was covered on this blog last March. In any case, editorial writers should have been aware of a ban that has been in effect since the Constitution was adopted in 1789.
   For more detail, here's a link to a posting March 27, 2015, titled "Freedom From Religion":  http://editorsrevenge.blogspot.com/2015/03/freedom-from-religion.html. And here's another, dated March 24, 2015, titled "Religion and Politics": http://editorsrevenge.blogspot.com/2015/03/religion-and-politics.html.
   It's sad enough when candidates for President show their ignorance of the Constitution, but worse when it comes from journalists.