Séctarian preference prohibited. Ratified 1850. selves peaceably and as good citizens of the commonwealth, shall be equally under the protection of the law; and no subordination of any one sect or denomination to another shall ever be established by law. MICHIGAN. ARTICLE IV. LEGISLATIVE DEPARTMENT. SECTION 39. The Legislature shall pass no law to prevent any person from worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates of his own conscience, or to compel any person to attend, erect, or support any place of religious worship, or to pay tithes, taxes, or other rates for the support of any minister of the gospel or teacher of religion. SECTION 40. No money shall be appropriated or drawn from the treasury for the benefit of any religious sect or society, theological or religious seminary, nor shall property belonging to the State be appropriated for any such purposes. SECTION 41. The Legislature shall not diminish or enlarge the civil or political rights, privileges, and capacities of any person on account of his opinion or belief concerning matters of religion. ARTICLE VI. JUDICIAL DEPARTMENT. SECTION 34. No person shall be rendered incompetent to be a witness on account of his opinions on matters of religious belief. MINNESOTA. ARTICLE I. BILL OF RIGHTS. SECTION 16. The enumeration of rights in this Constitution shall not be construed to deny or impair others retained by and inherit in the people. The right of every man to worship God according to the dictates of his own conscience shall never be infringed, nor shall any man be compelled to attend, erect, or support any place of worship, or to maintain any religious or ecclesiastical ministry, against his consent, nor shall any control of, or interference with, the rights of conscience be permitted, or any preference be given by law to any religious establishment or mode of worship; but the liberty of conscience hereby secured shall not be so construed as to excuse acts of licentiousness, or justify practices inconsistent with the peace or safety of the State, nor shall any money be drawn from the treasury for the benefit of any religious societies, or religious or theological seminaries. SECTION 17. No religious test or amount of property shall ever be required as a qualification for any office of public trust under the State. No religious test or amount of property shall ever be required as a qualification of any voter at any election in this State; nor shall any person be rendered incompetent to give evidence in any court of law or equity in consequence of his opinion upon the subject of religion. MISSISSIPPI. ARTICLE III. BILL OF RIGHTS. SECTION 18. No religious test as a qualification for office shall be required; and no preference shall be given by law to any religious sect, or mode of worship; but the free enjoyment of all religious sentiments and the different modes of worship shall be held sacred. The rights hereby secured shall not be construed to justify acts of licentiousness injurious to morals or dangerous to the peace and safety of the State, or exclude the Holy Bible from use in any public school of this State. ARTICLE VIII.- EDUCATION. SECTION 208. No religious or other sect, or sects, shall ever control any part of the school or other educational funds of this State'; nor shall any funds be appropriated towards the support of any sectarian school; or to any school that at the time of receiving such appropriation is not conducted as a free school. ARTICLE XIV. GENERAL PROVISIONS. Adopted Nov. 1, 1890. Religious liberty. State not to support sectarian schools. Religious SECTION 265. No person who denies the existence of a Supreme disqualificaBeing shall hold any office in this State. MISSOURI. ARTICLE II. BILL OF RIGHTS. SECTION 5. That all men have a natural and indefeasible right to worship Almighty God according to the dictates of their own conscience; that no person can, on account of his religious opinions, be rendered ineligible to any office of trust or profit under this State, nor be disqualified from testifying, or from serving as a juror; that no human authority can control or interfere with the rights of conscience; that no person ought, by any law, to be molested in his person or estate on account of his religious persuasion or profession; but the liberty of conscience hereby secured shall not be so construed as to excuse acts of licentiousness, nor to justify practices inconsistent with the good order, peace, or safety of this State, or with the rights of others. SECTION 6. That no person can be compelled to erect, support, or attend any place or system of worship, or to maintain or support any priest, minister, preacher, or teacher of any sect, church, creed, or tion for office. Ratified Oct. 30, 1875. Religious liberty. Public funds not to be used for sectarian purposes. Public funds not to be used for sectarian purposes. denomination of religion; but if any person shall voluntarily make a contract for any such object, he shall be held to the performance of the same. SECTION 7. That no money shall ever be taken from the public treasury, directly or indirectly, in aid of any church, sect, or denomi nation of religion, or in aid of any priest, preacher, minister, or teacher thereof as such, and that no preference shall be given to, nor any discrimination made against, any church, sect, or creed of religion, or any form of religious faith or worship. SECTION 8. That no religious corporation can be established in this State, except such as may be created under a general law for the purpose only of holding the title to such real estate as may be prescribed by law for church edifices, parsonages, and cemeteries. ARTICLE XI.- EDUCATION. SECTION 11. Neither the General Assembly, nor any county, city, town, township, school district, or other municipal corporation, shall ever make an appropriation, or pay from any public fund whatever, anything in aid of any religious creed, church, or sectarian purpose; or to help to support or sustain any private or public school, academy, seminary, college, university, or other institution of learning, controlled by any religious creed, church, or sectarian denomination whatever; nor shall any grant or donation of personal property or real estate ever be made by the State, or any county, city, town, or other municipal corporation, for any religious creed, church, or sectarian purpose whatever.1 Ratified 1889. Religious liberty. Separation of state and religion. ΜΟΝΤΑΝΑ. ARTICLE III. A DECLARATION OF RIGHTS OF THE PEOPLE OF THE SECTION 4. The free exercise and enjoyment of religious profession and worship, without discrimination, shall forever hereafter be guaranteed, and no person shall be denied any civil or political right or privilege on account of his opinions concerning religion; but the liberty of conscience hereby secured shall not be construed to dispense with oaths or affirmations, excuse acts of licentiousness, by bigamous or polygamous marriage, or otherwise, or justify practices inconsistent with the good order, peace, or safety of the State, or opposed to the civil authority thereof, or of the United States. No 1 The American principle of absolute separation of the state from religion requires the state to carry out these provisions to the letter. If all men are equal, which is a self-evident truth, the Christian has no right whatever to the use of public funds or to the services of any one hired by public money, for the propagation of the religion which he believes. person shall be required to attend any place of worship or support any ministry, religious sect, or denomination, against his consent; nor shall any preference be given by law to any religious denomination or mode of worship. ARTICLE XI.- EDUCATION. SECTION 8. Neither the Legislative Assembly, nor any county, city, town, or school district, or other public corporations, shall ever make, directly or indirectly, any appropriation, or pay from any public fund or moneys whatever, or make any grant of lands or other property in aid of any church, or for any sectarian purpose, or to aid in the support of any school, academy, seminary, college, university, or other literary, scientific institution, controlled in whole or in part by any church, sect, or denomination whatever. SECTION 9. No religious or partizan 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; nor shall attendance be required at any religious service whatever, nor shall any sectarian tenets be taught in any public educational institution of the State; nor shall any person be debarred admission to any of the collegiate departments of the university on account of sex. NEBRASKA. ARTICLE I. BILL OF RIGHTS. SECTION 4. All persons have a natural and indefeasible right to worship Almighty God according to the dictates of their own consciences. No person shall be compelled to attend, erect, or support any place of worship against his consent, and no preference shall be given by law to any religious society; nor shall any interference with the rights of conscience be permitted. No religious test shall be required as a qualification for office, nor shall any person be incompetent to be a witness on account of his religious belief; but nothing herein shall be construed to dispense with oaths and affirmations. Religion, morality, and knowledge, however, being essential to good government, it shall be the duty of the Legislature to pass suitable laws to protect every religious denomination in the peaceable enjoyment of its own mode of public worship, and to encourage schools and the means of instruction. ARTICLE VIII. EDUCATION. SECTION 11. No sectarian instruction shall be allowed in any school or institution supported in whole or in part by the public funds set apart for educational purposes; nor shall the State accept any grant, conveyance, or bequest of money, lands, or other property, to be used for sectarian purposes. Public funds not to be used for sectarian purposes. No religious tests nor tenets permitted. Ratified Oct. 12, 1875. Religious liberty. Religious tests prohibited. Ratified 1864. Religious liberty. NEVADA. ARTICLE I. DECLARATION OF RIGHTS. SECTION 4. The free exercise and enjoyment of religious profession and worship, without discrimination or preference, shall forever be allowed in this State; and no person shall be rendered incompetent to be a witness on account of his opinions on matters of his religious belief; but the liberty of conscience hereby secured shall not be so construed as to excuse acts of licentiousness, or justify practices inconsistent with the peace or safety of this State. Sectarian instruction prohibited. State funds not to be misap propriated. Ratified 1902. Rights of conscience. Religious liberty. Establishment of state religion. ARTICLE XI.- EDUCATION. SECTION 9. No sectarian instruction shall be imparted or tolerated in any school or university that may be established under this Constitution. SECTION 10. No public funds of any kind or character whatever, State, county, or municipal, shall be used for sectarian purposes. NEW HAMPSHIRE. PART I. BILL OF RIGHTS. ARTICLE 4. Among the natural rights, some are in their very nature unalienable, because no equivalent can be given or received for them. Of this kind are the rights of conscience. ARTICLE 5. Every individual has a natural and unalienable right to worship God according to the dictates of his own conscience and reason; and no subject shall be hurt, molested, or restrained in his person, liberty, or estate for worshiping God in the manner and season most agreeable to the dictates of his own conscience, or for his religious profession, sentiments, or persuasion, provided he doth not disturb the public peace or disturb others in their religious worship. ARTICLE 6. As morality and piety, rightly grounded on evangelical principles, will give the best and greatest security to government, and will lay in the hearts of men the strongest obligations to due subjection; and as a knowledge of these is most likely to be propagated through a society by the institution of the public worship of the Deity, and of public instruction in morality and religion; Therefore, to promote these important purposes, the people of this State have a right to empower, and do hereby fully empower, the Legislature to authorize, from time to time, the several towns, parishes, bodies corporate, Protestant or religious societies within this State, to make adequate provision, at religion established. their own expense, for the support and maintenance of public Protestant teachers of piety, religion, and morality.1 1 This article, taken from the Constitution ratified in 1792, is a relic of the old colonial religious establishments. It is sectarian, in that it provides for the " support and maintenance of public Protestant teachers of piety, |