Maryland and 6 other states still have articles in their state constitutions stating people who do not believe in God are not eligible to hold public office.

Well, well, well...how's this for separation of Church and State?

Apparently, in Maryland, Arkansas, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and - wait for it - Texas, you are prohibited from holding public office if you do not believe in God.  In fact, in Maryland, you can't even legally sit on a jury!

Thank you to the New York Times' Laurie Goodstein for shedding some much-needed light on this issue:

Maryland and six other states still have articles in their constitutions saying people who do not believe in God are not eligible to hold public office. Maryland’s Constitution still says belief in God is a requirement even for jurors and witnesses.

Now a coalition of nonbelievers says it is time to get rid of the atheist bans because they are discriminatory, offensive and unconstitutional. The bans are unenforceable dead letters, legal experts say, and state and local governments have rarely invoked them in recent years. But for some secular Americans, who are increasingly visible and organized, removing the bans is not only a just cause, but a test of their growing movement’s political clout.

What do you think vigilant viewers?  Shouldn't we repeal these outdated laws?  
Good thing there are organizations like Openly Secular who are working hard to repeal it. 

Watch Jesse's take on the separation of Church and State in this Off The Grid episode:

The views and opinions expressed herein are those of the authors alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of Ora Media, LLC its affiliates, or its employees.

More from Jesse Ventura's Off The Grid

Advertisement