RALEIGH, N.C. (AP)  City Councilman Cecil Bothwell of Ashville believes in ending the death penalty, conserving water and reforming government, but he does not believe in God. His political opponents say that is a sin that makes him unworthy of office, and they have the North Carolina Constitution on their side.

Detractors of Mr. Bothwell, who was elected in November, are threatening to take the city to court for swearing him in last week, even though the state’s antiquated requirement that officeholders believe in God is unenforceable because it violates the United States Constitution.

“The question of whether or not God exists is not particularly interesting to me,” said Mr. Bothwell, 59, “and it’s certainly not relevant to public office.”

Raised a Presbyterian, Mr. Bothwell began questioning Christian beliefs at a young age, he said, and considered himself an atheist by the time he was 20. However, He is an active member of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Asheville and celebrates Christmas.