The U.S. takes religion very seriously. Religious persecution was, after all, one of the things that forced immigrants from all across Europe to flee to the New World. Consequentially, legal statutes securing citizens religious freedoms and protecting the sanctity of religion have made their way into U.S. law books since before the country was independent. In fact, you don’t have to do a whole ton of law research to see just how thoroughly they’ve proliferated our legal system.
Yet, many of these legal statutes are a bit antiquated or even archaic. Though they’ve seemingly lost their legislative intent under the shift of cultural tides, they’re still on the books, and if you break them, you could still go to jail.
Here are a few, weird, church legal statutes our legislative history research was able to dig up.
No Disguises in Church.
Believe it or not, there are a few legal statutes out there forbidding people from disguising themselves and going to church. In Texas, it’s outright illegal — there’s a legal statute expressly forbidding people from wearing disguises in church. In Alabama, on the other hand, it’s illegal to wear a fake mustache that causes laughter in church.
No Disturbing Services.
There are also legal statutes to inhibit or outright stop people from disturbing church services. In Rehoboth, Delaware, it’s illegal to whisper in church. In Mississippi, citizens can arrest anyone who disturbs a church service. In Maine, churchgoers need to bring shotguns with them just in case Native Americans attack.
No Bodily Functions in Church.
Many places also want you to be wary of what your body does during church. In New York city, it’s illegal to flatulate with the intention of disturbing the service, and in Omaha, Nebraska, it’s illegal to sneeze or even burp during service.
There are some pretty crazy legal statutes out there, so watch out. Just be as careful and respectful in church as possible, and you’ll probably be fine. If you know of any other crazy laws, feel free to share in the comments. More information like this.