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Junkie
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Um ... this should go in humor.
Since I live in Tennessee at the moment I thought I'd post the CURRENT constitution preamble:
Quote:
Whereas, The people of the territory of the United States south of the river
Ohio, having the right of admission into the general government as a member
state thereof, consistent with the Constitution of the United States, and the act
of cession of the state of North Carolina, recognizing the ordinance for the govern-
ment of the territory—of the United States north west of the Ohio River, by
their delegates and representatives in convention assembled, did on the sixth
day of February, in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and ninety-
six, ordain and establish a Constitution, or form of government, and mutually
agreed with each other to form themselves into a free and independent state by
the name of the state of Tennessee, and,
Whereas, The General Assembly of the said state of Tennessee, (pursuant to
the third section of the tenth article of the Constitution,) by an act passed on
the Twenty-seventh day of November, in the year of our Lord one thousand
eight hundred and thirty-three, entitled, “An Act” to provide for the calling of a
convention, passed in obedience to the declared will of the voters of the state, as
expressed at the general election of August, in the year of our Lord one thou-
sand eight hundred and thirty-three, did authorize and provide for the election
by the people of delegates and representatives, to meet at Nashville, in Davidson
County, on the third Monday in May, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight
hundred and thirty-four, for the purpose of revising and amending, or chang-
ing, the Constitution, and said convention did accordingly meet and form a
Constitution which was submitted to the people, and was ratified by them, on
528
Page 2
CONSTITUTION OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE
529
the first Friday in March, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred
and thirty-five, and,
Whereas, The General Assembly of said state of Tennessee, under and in
virtue of the first section of the first article of the Declaration of Rights, con-
tained in and forming a part of the existing Constitution of the state, by an act
passed on the fifteenth day of November, in the year of our Lord one thousand
eight hundred and sixty-nine, did provide for the calling of a convention by the
people of the state, to meet at Nashville, on the second Monday in January, in
the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and seventy, and for the elec-
tion of delegates for the purpose of amending or revising the present Constitu-
tion, or forming and making a new Constitution; and,
Whereas, The people of the state, in the mode provided by said Act, have
called said convention, and elected delegates to represent them therein; now
therefore,
We, the delegates and representatives of the people of the state of Tennessee,
duly elected, and in convention assembled, in pursuance of said act of Assem-
bly have ordained and established the following Constitution and form of gov-
ernment for this state, which we recommend to the people of Tennessee for
their ratification: That is to say
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Now, in the declaration of rights, Article I, it does say:
Quote:
Section 3. That all men have a natural and indefeasible right to worship
Almighty God according to the dictates of their own conscience; that no man
can of right be compelled to attend, erect, or support any place of worship, or to
maintain any minister against his consent; that no human authority can, in
any case whatever, control or interfere with the rights of conscience; and that
no preference shall ever be given, by law, to any religious establishment or
mode of worship.
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(Bolding is mine)
Very interesting that last part:
no preference shall ever be given, by law, to any religious establishment or mode of worship.
I'll remember that the next time I'm trying to get somewhere on Sunday and the streets have been blocked--by city police--so that church goers can park. 
Link: http://http.state.tn.us/sos/bluebook...46-tnconst.pdf
Last edited by vanblah; 04-05-2007 at 06:56 AM..
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