| MICHIGAN
CONSTITUTION Acknowledgment of God
Preamble. We, the people of the State of Michigan, grateful
to Almighty God for the blessings of freedom, and earnestly desiring to secure
these blessings undiminished to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish
this constitution.
Religion Clauses Article
I, section 2. No person shall be denied the equal protection
of the laws; nor shall any person be denied the enjoyment of his civil or political
rights or be discriminated against in the exercise thereof because of religion,
race, color or national origin. The legislature shall implement this section by
appropriate legislation.
Article I, section 4. Every
person shall be at liberty to worship God according to the dictates of his own
conscience. No person shall be compelled to attend, or, against his consent, to
contribute to the erection or support of 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. 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 purpose.
The civil and political rights, privileges and capacities of no person shall be
diminished or enlarged on account of his religious belief.
Article
I, section 18. No person shall be rendered incompetent to be
a witness on account of his opinions on matters of religious belief.
Education
Article VII, section 1. Religion, morality and
knowledge being necessary to good government and the happiness of mankind, schools
and the means of education shall forever be encouraged.
Article
VII, section 2. The legislature shall maintain and support
a system of free public elementary and secondary schools as defined by law. Every
school district shall provide for the education of its pupils without discrimination
as to religion, creed, race, color or national origin. No public monies
or property shall be appropriated or paid or any public credit utilized, by the
legislature or any other political subdivision or agency of the state directly
or indirectly to aid or maintain any private, denominational or other nonpublic,
pre-elementary, elementary, or secondary school. No payment, credit, tax benefit,
exemption or deductions, tuition voucher, subsidy, grant or loan of public monies
or property shall be provided, directly or indirectly, to support the attendance
of any student or the employment of any person at any such nonpublic school or
at any location or institution where instruction is offered in whole or in part
to such nonpublic school students. The legislature may provide for the transportation
of students to and from any school.
Finance/Property
Tax Article IX, section 4. Property owned and
occupied by non-profit religious or educational organizations and used exclusively
for religious or educational purposes, as defined by law, shall be exempt from
real and personal property taxes.
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