FLORIDA. DECLARATION OF RIGHTS. Framed Aug. 3, 1885. Religious liberty. SECTION 5. The free exercise and enjoyment of religious profession and worship shall forever be allowed in this State, and no person shall be rendered incompetent as a witness on account of his religious opinions; but the liberty of conscience hereby secured shall not be so construed as to justify licentiousness, or practices subversive of, or inconsistent with, the peace or moral safety of the State or society. SECTION 6. No preference shall be given by law to any church, Religious preference sect, or mode of worship, and no money shall ever be taken from the prohibited. public treasury directly or indirectly in aid of any church, sect, or religious denomination, or in aid of any sectarian institution. SECTION 24. This enunciation of rights shall not be construed to impair or deny others retained by the people. ARTICLE XII.- EDUCATION. Appropria tions to sectarian schools SECTION 13. No law shall be enacted authorizing the diversion or the lending of any county or district school funds, or the appropriation of any part of the permanent available school fund to any other than school purposes; nor shall the same, or any part thereof, be ap- prohibited. propriated to or used for the support of any sectarian school. GEORGIA. ARTICLE I. Section 1. PARAGRAPH 2. Protection to person and property is the paramount duty of government, and shall be impartial and complete. PARAGRAPH 13. No inhabitants of this State shall be molested in person or property, or prohibited from holding any public office, or trust, on account of his religious opinions; but the right of liberty of conscience shall not be so construed as to excuse acts of licentiousness, or justify practices inconsistent with the peace and safety of the State. Adopted 1877. Protection to be impartial. Religious tests prohibited. Sectarian PARAGRAPH 14. No money shall ever be taken from the public treasury, directly or indirectly, in aid of any church, sect, or denomi- approprianation of religionists, or of any sectarian institution. IDAHO. ARTICLE I. DECLARATION OF RIGHTS. SECTION 4. The exercise and enjoyment of religious faith and worship shall forever be guaranteed; and no person shall be denied any civil or political right, privilege, or capacity, on account of his tions prohibited. Adopted Aug. 6, 1889. Religious liberty. religious opinions; but the liberty of conscience hereby secured shall not be construed to dispense with oaths or affirmations, or excuse acts Polygamy of licentiousness, or justify polygamous or other pernicious practices, prohibited. inconsistent with morality or the peace or safety of the State. . . . No person shall be required to attend or support any ministry or place of worship, religious sect or denomination, or pay tithes against his consent; nor shall any preference be given by law to any religious denomination or mode of worship. Religious preferences forbidden. Sectarian appropriations prohibited. No religious test nor tenets permitted. Ratified July 2, 1870. Religious liberty. ARTICLE IX.- EDUCATION AND SCHOOL LANDS. SECTION 5. Neither the Legislature, nor any county, city, town, township, school district, or other public corporation, shall ever make any appropriation, or pay for from any public fund or moneys whatever, anything in aid of any church, or sectarian or religious society, or for any sectarian or religious purpose, or to help support or sustain any school, academy, seminary, college, university, or other literary or scientific institution, controlled by any church or sectarian or religious denomination whatsoever; nor shall any grant or donation of land, money, or other personal property ever be made by the State, or any such public corporation, to any church or for any sectarian or religious purpose. SECTION 6. No religious test or qualification shall ever be required of any person as a condition of admission into any public educational institution of the State, either as teacher or student; and no teacher or student of any such institution shall ever be required to attend or participate in any religious service whatever. No sectarian or religious tenets or doctrines shall ever be taught in the public schools, nor shall any distinction or classification of pupils be made on account of race or color. No books, papers, tracts, or documents of a political, sectarian, or denominational character shall be used or introduced in any school established under the provisions of this article, nor shall any teacher or any district receive any of the public school moneys in which the schools have not been taught in accordance with the provisions of this article. ILLINOIS. ARTICLE II. BILL OF RIGHTS. SECTION 3. The free exercise and enjoyment of religious profession and worship, without discrimination, shall forever be guaranteed; and no person shall be denied any civil or political right, privilege, or capacity on account of his religious opinions; but the liberty of conscience hereby secured shall not be construed to dispense with oaths or affirmations, excuse acts of licentiousness, or justify prac tices inconsistent with the peace or safety of the State. No person shall be required to attend or support any ministry or place of worship against his consent, nor shall any preference be given by law to any religious denomination or mode of worship. ARTICLE VIII. EDUCATION. SECTION 3. Neither the General Assembly nor any county, city, town, township, school-district, or other public corporation, shall ever make any appropriation, or pay from any public fund whatever, any thing in aid of any church or sectarian purpose, or to help support or sustain any school, academy, seminary, college, university, or other literary or scientific institution, controlled by any church or sectarian denomination whatever; nor shall any grant or donation of land, money, or other personal property ever be made by the State, or any such public corporation, to any church, or for any sectarian purpose. INDIANA. ARTICLE I. BILL OF RIGHTS. SECTION 2. All men shall be secured in their natural right to worship Almighty God according to the dictates of their own consciences. SECTION 3. No law shall, in any case whatever, control the free exercise and enjoyment of religious opinions, or interfere with the rights of conscience. Public funds not to be used for sectarian purposes. Ratified 1851. Religious liberty. Religious prohibited. SECTION 4. No preference shall be given by law to any creed, religious society, or mode of worship; and no man shall be compelled to preferences attend, erect, or support any place of worship, or to maintain any ministry against his consent. Religious SECTION 5. No religious test shall be required as a qualification tests profor any office of trust or profit. hibited. SECTION 6. No money shall be drawn from the treasury for the benefit of any religious or theological institution. SECTION 7. No person shall be rendered incompetent as a witness in consequence of his opinions on matters of religion. SECTION 8. The mode of administering an oath or affirmation shall be such as may be most consistent with, and binding upon, the tration of conscience of the person to whom such oath or affirmation administered. Adminis oaths. may be ARTICLE VIII.-EDUCATION. Funds SECTION 3. The principal of the common school fund shall remain a perpetual fund, which may be increased, but shall never be diminished; and the income thereof shall be inviolably appropriated to diverted. the support of common schools, and to no other purpose whatever. not to be Ratified Aug. 3, 1857. Religious liberty. Religious tests prohibited. Class legislation forbidden. Ratified Oct. 4, 1859. Religious liberty. School funds. Adopted Sept. 28, 1891. Grateful for liberties. IOWA. ARTICLE I. BILL OF RIGHTS. SECTION 3. The General Assembly shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; nor shall any person be compelled to attend any place of worship. pay tithes, taxes, or other rates for building or repairing places of worship, or the maintenance of any minister or ministry. SECTION 4. No religious test shall be required as a qualification for any office of public trust, and no person shall be deprived of any of his rights, privileges, or capacities, or disqualified from the performance of any of his public or private duties, or rendered incompetent to give evidence in any court of law or equity, in consequence of his opinions on the subject of religion. . SECTION 6. All laws of a general nature shall have a uniform operation. The General Assembly shall not grant to any citizen or class of citizens privileges or immunities which upon the same terms shall not belong equally to all citizens. KANSAS. BILL OF RIGHTS. SECTION 7. The right to worship God according to the dictates of conscience shall never be infringed; nor shall any person be compelled to attend or support any form of worship; nor shall any control of, or interference with, the rights of conscience be permitted; nor any preference be given by law to any religious establishment or mode of worship. No religious test or property qualification shall be required for any office of public trust, nor for any vote at any election; nor shall any person be incompetent to testify on account of religious belief. ARTICLE VI. EDUCATION. SECTION 8. No religious sect or sects shall ever control any part of the common-school or university funds of the State. KENTUCKY. We, the people of the Commonwealth of Kentucky, grateful to Almighty God for the civil, political, and religious liberties we enjoy, and invoking the continuance of these blessings, do ordain and establish this Constitution. All equal. BILL OF RIGHTS. SECTION 1. All men are, by nature, free and equal, and have certain inherent and inalienable rights, among which may be reckoned: First: The right of enjoying and defending their lives and liberties. Second: The right of worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates of their consciences. any SECTION 5. No preference shall ever be given by law to any religious sect, society, or denomination; nor to any particular creed, mode of worship, or system of ecclesiastical polity; nor shall person be compelled to attend any place of worship, to contribute to the erection or maintenance of any such place, or to the salary or support of any minister or religion; nor shall any man be compelled to send his child to any school to which he may be conscientiously opposed; and the civil rights, privileges, or capacities of no person shall be taken away, or in any wise diminished or enlarged, on account of his belief or disbelief of any religious tenet, dogma, or teaching. No human authority shall, in any case whatever, control or interfere with the rights of conscience. SECTION 26. To guard against transgression of the high powers which we have delegated, WE DECLARE that everything in this Bill of Rights is excepted out of the general powers of government, and shall forever remain inviolate; and all laws contrary thereto, or contrary to this Constitution, shall be void. EDUCATION. SECTION 189. No portion of any fund or tax now existing, or that may hereafter be raised or levied for educational purposes, shall be appropriated to, or used by, or in aid of, any church, sectarian or denominational school. Religious liberty. Religious preferences prohibited. Rights of conscience beyond authority. human Public funds not to be misapplied. GENERAL PROVISIONS. SECTION 232. The manner of administering an oath or affirma- Oaths. tion shall be such as is most consistent with the conscience of the deponent, and shall be esteemed by the General Assembly the most solemn appeal to God. No reli ARTICLE 4. Every person has the natural right to worship God, according to the dictates of his conscience, and no law shall be gious legpassed respecting an establishment of religion. LIMITATIONS OF LEGISLATIVE POWERS. islation. State not to support religion. ARTICLE 53. No money shall ever be taken from the public treasury, directly or indirectly, in aid of any church, sect, or denomination of religion, or in aid of any priest, preacher, minister, or teacher thereof, as such, and no preference shall ever be given to, Religious preferences nor any discrimination made against, any church, sect, or creed of prohibited. |