and the 2005 referendum concerning the prohibition of the sale of firearms and ammunition. The mention of God in the preamble of the Constitution (and later on the Brazilian currency) was opposed by most leftists as incompatible with freedom of religion because it does not recognize the rights of polytheists (like the Amerindians) or atheists, but it has not been removed so far. The only State Constitution that does not refer to God is the one of Acre. The Supreme Federal Court has ruled that this omission of the protection of God was not unconstitutional since the preamble of the constitution is simply an indication of principles that serves as an introduction to the constitutional text and reflects the ideological conceptions of the legislator, falling within the scope of political ideology and not of the law. Therefore, the preamble which is not actually a part of the supreme law, has no judicial validity whatsoever and cannot impose obligations or create rights. Amendments Despite its advances concerning individual rights and freedoms and also in government control, the Constitutional text brought dispositions that resulted in severe difficulties concerning governmental efficiency. In the following years, especially from 1995 onwards, this meant it had to be amended many times to get rid of impractical, contradictory or unclear provisions (but also to accommodate the economic reforms conducted by the government, for which such amendments have been sometimes criticized ). As of August 2020, this Constitution has been amended 108 times. References External links Original text of the 1988 Constitution in Portuguese, with all amendments. Constitution in the unofficial Spanish translation Constitution in English, with amendments. Constitution of the United States of Brazil : together with the accompanying transitory provisions. 1946 Political history of Brazil Brazil Legal history of Brazil Brazil