Councilman under fire for not believing in God, and more

last updated 8 January 2015

Councilman under fire for not believing in God

A newly elected councilman in Asheville, N.C., is under fire because he doesn’t believe in God. Cecil Bothwell, 59, calls himself a “post-theist,” and opponents say they may ask a court to enforce an 1868 provision in the state constitution that disqualifies those who “deny the being of Almighty God” from public office.

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

A Michigan man is facing up to a year in jail for playing basketball in his front yard. Matthew Freeman, 23, was classified as a sex offender when he was 17 for having sex with his 15-year-old girlfriend. State law bars sex offenders from coming within 1,000 feet of a school, and police say Freeman’s front yard is 326 feet from a school. “I can’t even play basketball on my own hoop,” says Freeman, who will be on the list until 2028.