Cecil Bothwell, a newly elected councilman in the US city of Asheville, North Carolina has entered the limelight because of his religious beliefs, or rather lack of them.
Bothwell is atheist and it is exactly for this reason that his opponents want him to step down.
They refer to the constitution of North Carolina which says that "any person who shall deny the being of Almighty God" shall be denied office.
It should be noted that although church is separated from state in the US, some twelve American states have similar provisions in their laws. Bothwell says there is nothing shocking in it because they were written almost 200 years ago. But he says his opponents deliberately put this issue into the spotlight.
“There’s one group that wants me to step down to avoid any kind of a legal fight – because if someone brings a lawsuit it will be against the city and it will cost the city money to defend itself,” Bothwell told RT.
He added that he has also received a lot of support these days, and he is thankful to all the people who write to him, not only from the US but from other countries as well.