| PENNSYLVANIA
CONSTITUTION Acknowledgment of God Preamble. We,
the people of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, grateful to Almighty God for the
blessings of civil and religious liberty, and humbly invoking His guidance, do
ordain and establish this Constitution.
Religion Clauses
Article I, section 3. All men have a natural and indefeasible
right to worship Almighty God according to the dictates of their own consciences;
no man can of right be compelled to attend, erect or support any place of worship
or to maintain any ministry against his consent; no human authority can, in any
case whatever, control or interfere with the rights of conscience, and no preference
shall ever be given by law to any religious establishments or modes of worship.
Article I, section 4. No person who acknowledges
the being of a God and a future state of rewards and punishments shall, on account
of his religious sentiments, be disqualified to hold any office or place of trust
or profit under this Commonwealth.
Education Article
III, section 15. No money raised for the support of the public
schools of the Commonwealth shall be appropriated to or used for the support of
any sectarian school.
Finance/Property Tax Article
VIII, section 2. Exemptions and special provisions. (a) The
General Assembly may by law exempt from taxation: (i) Actual
places of regularly states religious worship . . . . (ii) Actual places
of burial, when used or held by a person or organization deriving no private or
corporate profit therefrom and no substantial part of whose activity consists
of selling personal property in connection therewith; (iii) That portion
of public property which is actually and regularly used for public purposes; (iv)
That portion of the property owned and occupied by any branch, post or camp of
honorably discharged servicemen or servicewomen which is actually and regularly
used for benevolent, charitable or patriotic purposes; and (v) Institutions
of purely public charity, but in the case of any real property tax exemptions
only that portion of real property of such institution which is actually and regularly
used for the purposes of the institution.
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