New Jersey isn't usually known as a hot-bed of religious nuttery. Refusing to change this oath seems like a strange hill to die on for these election officials. There can be no religious tests for holding public office in this country, and Article VI of the U.S. Constitution pre-dates the Bill of Rights. This speaks directly to how the framers felt about keeping religion out of government.
This should be an easy win. Being New Jersey and not the deep south, it shouldn't have had to get to the point of a lawsuit. Too bad Christian Fucking Privilege makes the zealots piss on everything.
Replace the word god with an underline, so the candidate can declare an appeal for help from whatever inspires them toward fulfilling their oath. "... so help me ________." E.g., "by the power of Grayskull", "thunder, thunder, Thundercats hoooo!", "gods who help those who help themselves", "me", ...
Just as they force people taking this (illegal) oath to lie since they may be of different sects or not religious at all — the Christians then will gleefully swear an oath to their preferred entity… THEN they start lying constantly about almost everything.
They say (their) God is good/loving/great/all-powerful & real yet, after multiple centuries still do not have a single shred of proof of its existence.
I hope he wins his case- but 𝘯𝘰𝘵 his next run for office. He's right about the oath, but the 𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘵 thing we need is another dipshit sabotaging government from the inside, because- let's face it- a Libertarian is going to end up voting with the GQP on damned near everything. Good lawsuit; bad candidate.
Oh, is THIS overdue! Between Article VI, paragraph 3 of the US Constitution and New Jersey's own constitution, this SHOULD go through like grease through a goose. That said, anyone want to bet that a whole bunch of Christian Nationalist sycophants descend on the Garden State and attempt to thwart Tosone's rightful desire to have a religion-free oath? Wouldn't surprise me.
Still, having the FFRF in his corner is very encouraging and maybe one more step in the process of at least beginning to remove religion (and particularly Christianity!) from the halls of government.
Christians made a deal with the devil to keep their religious tokenism a part of American civic life. They get their “so help me God” and their “In God We Trust” but the cost was having the Courts declare such to be bland, meaningless honorifics, which ought to be anathema to people who claim allegiance to a jealous God. They keep pushing to insert the 10 Commandments into the courtrooms by claiming they are just honoring our legal heritage like the Code of Hammurabi or the Magna Carter, instead of a foundational moment in their sacred history where God and man met on the mountain and a holy covenant was made with a nation set apart for God’s purposes in the world. They don’t see the irony of how they’ve melted down their own possessions to make a golden calf of meaningless civic religion, in the pursuit of political power. They think Jesus was a sucker by rejecting Satan’s temptations in the desert.
Not EXACTLY on-topic (since it doesn't have to do with the actual legal aspects of this story), but why exactly does anyone need "God's help" to do the right thing? Remember years ago when the (then) governor of Minnesota Jesse Ventura said that Christians are "weak-minded?" This kind of thing gives credence to that.
They've infiltrated every level, they're your neighbors, business partners, teachers, doctors, firefighters, mayors, governors, senators and they will not stop. That's what they do! That's all they do! You can't stop them! They'll wade through you, reach down your throat, and pull your fu..... Wait wrong forum.
The largest chemical dump in North America wants its officials to believe in God? In some weird, twisted, characteristically American way, I guess that makes some kind of sense.
New Jersey isn't usually known as a hot-bed of religious nuttery. Refusing to change this oath seems like a strange hill to die on for these election officials. There can be no religious tests for holding public office in this country, and Article VI of the U.S. Constitution pre-dates the Bill of Rights. This speaks directly to how the framers felt about keeping religion out of government.
This should be an easy win. Being New Jersey and not the deep south, it shouldn't have had to get to the point of a lawsuit. Too bad Christian Fucking Privilege makes the zealots piss on everything.
Replace the word god with an underline, so the candidate can declare an appeal for help from whatever inspires them toward fulfilling their oath. "... so help me ________." E.g., "by the power of Grayskull", "thunder, thunder, Thundercats hoooo!", "gods who help those who help themselves", "me", ...
Naive question: How is this in any way enforceable? Even if it is somehow a state law, Federal law overrides it
The 7 key founders knew what they were doing when they made sure religion had no place at the table of governance.
I could see some governmental agencies requiring an oath that ended in "So help me Trump", since Disaster Pumpkin has replaced God in their theology.
Just as they force people taking this (illegal) oath to lie since they may be of different sects or not religious at all — the Christians then will gleefully swear an oath to their preferred entity… THEN they start lying constantly about almost everything.
They say (their) God is good/loving/great/all-powerful & real yet, after multiple centuries still do not have a single shred of proof of its existence.
I hope he wins his case- but 𝘯𝘰𝘵 his next run for office. He's right about the oath, but the 𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘵 thing we need is another dipshit sabotaging government from the inside, because- let's face it- a Libertarian is going to end up voting with the GQP on damned near everything. Good lawsuit; bad candidate.
In very small handwriting, change god to dog and see if anyone notices.
Oh, is THIS overdue! Between Article VI, paragraph 3 of the US Constitution and New Jersey's own constitution, this SHOULD go through like grease through a goose. That said, anyone want to bet that a whole bunch of Christian Nationalist sycophants descend on the Garden State and attempt to thwart Tosone's rightful desire to have a religion-free oath? Wouldn't surprise me.
Still, having the FFRF in his corner is very encouraging and maybe one more step in the process of at least beginning to remove religion (and particularly Christianity!) from the halls of government.
Christians made a deal with the devil to keep their religious tokenism a part of American civic life. They get their “so help me God” and their “In God We Trust” but the cost was having the Courts declare such to be bland, meaningless honorifics, which ought to be anathema to people who claim allegiance to a jealous God. They keep pushing to insert the 10 Commandments into the courtrooms by claiming they are just honoring our legal heritage like the Code of Hammurabi or the Magna Carter, instead of a foundational moment in their sacred history where God and man met on the mountain and a holy covenant was made with a nation set apart for God’s purposes in the world. They don’t see the irony of how they’ve melted down their own possessions to make a golden calf of meaningless civic religion, in the pursuit of political power. They think Jesus was a sucker by rejecting Satan’s temptations in the desert.
Not EXACTLY on-topic (since it doesn't have to do with the actual legal aspects of this story), but why exactly does anyone need "God's help" to do the right thing? Remember years ago when the (then) governor of Minnesota Jesse Ventura said that Christians are "weak-minded?" This kind of thing gives credence to that.
They've infiltrated every level, they're your neighbors, business partners, teachers, doctors, firefighters, mayors, governors, senators and they will not stop. That's what they do! That's all they do! You can't stop them! They'll wade through you, reach down your throat, and pull your fu..... Wait wrong forum.
Nothing says 'faith in god' like insisting on defending him with state law.
To me this sounds like a Secretary of State with an agenda and a bunch of apathetic legislators.
OT
This Modern Life. MAGA Edition:
https://www.gocomics.com/doonesbury/2023/10/08
The largest chemical dump in North America wants its officials to believe in God? In some weird, twisted, characteristically American way, I guess that makes some kind of sense.