III 

115TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. CON. RES. 5 

Affirming the importance of religious freedom as a fundamental human right 

that is essential to a free society and protected for all people of the 

United States under the Constitution of the United States, and recognizing the 231st anniversary of the enactment of the Virginia Statute 

for Religious Freedom. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JANUARY 17, 2017 

Mr. DAINES (for himself, Mr. HATCH, Mr. BLUNT, Mr. LANKFORD, Mr. 

INHOFE, Mr. CORNYN, Mr. BOOZMAN, Mr. WICKER, Mr. RISCH, Mr. 

TILLIS, Mr. SASSE, Mr. LEE, and Mr. CRAPO) submitted the following 

concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary 

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 

Affirming the importance of religious freedom as a fundamental human right that is essential to a free society 

and protected for all people of the United States under 

the Constitution of the United States, and recognizing 

the 231st anniversary of the enactment of the Virginia 

Statute for Religious Freedom. 

Whereas United States democracy is rooted in the fundamental truth that all people are created equal, endowed 

by the Creator with certain inalienable rights, including 

life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness; 

Whereas the freedom of conscience was highly valued by— 


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(1) individuals seeking religious freedom who settled 

in the American colonies; 

(2) the founders of the United States; and 

(3) Thomas Jefferson, who wrote in his letter to the 

Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church at New London, Connecticut, dated February 4, 1809, that ‘‘[n]o 

provision in our Constitution ought to be dearer to man 

than that which protects the rights of conscience against 

the enterprizes of the civil authority’’; 

Whereas the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom was— 

(1) drafted by Thomas Jefferson, who considered 

the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom to be one of 

his greatest achievements; 

(2) enacted on January 16, 1786; and 

(3) the forerunner to the Free Exercise Clause of 

the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United 

States; 

Whereas section 2(a) of the International Religious Freedom 

Act of 1998 (22 U.S.C. 6401(a)) states that— 

(1) ‘‘[t]he right to freedom of religion undergirds 

the very origin and existence of the United States’’; and 

(2) religious freedom was established by the founders of the United States ‘‘in law, as a fundamental right 

and as a pillar of our Nation’’; 

Whereas the role of religion in United States society and public life has a long and robust tradition; 

Whereas individuals who have studied United States democracy from an international perspective, such as Alexis de 

Tocqueville, have noted that religion plays a central role 

in preserving the United States Government because religion provides the moral base required for democracy to 

succeed; 


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Whereas, in Town of Greece v. Galloway, 134 S. Ct. 1811 

(2014), the United States Supreme Court affirmed that 

‘‘people of many faiths may be united in a community of 

tolerance and devotion’’; 

Whereas the principle of religious freedom ‘‘has guided our 

Nation forward’’, as expressed by the 44th President of 

the United States in his Presidential proclamation on Religious Freedom Day in 2011, and freedom of religion ‘‘is 

a universal human right to be protected here at home 

and across the globe’’, as expressed by that President of 

the United States on Religious Freedom Day in 2013; 

Whereas ‘‘[f]reedom of religion is a fundamental human right 

that must be upheld by every nation and guaranteed by 

every government’’, as expressed by the 42nd President 

of the United States in his Presidential proclamation on 

Religious Freedom Day in 1999; 

Whereas the First Amendment to the Constitution of the 

United States protects— 

(1) the right of individuals to express freely and act 

on their religious beliefs; and 

(2) individuals from coercion to profess or act on a 

religious belief to which they do not adhere; 

Whereas ‘‘our laws and institutions should not impede or 

hinder but rather should protect and preserve fundamental religious liberties’’, as expressed by the 42nd 

President of the United States in his remarks accompanying the signing of the Religious Freedom Restoration 

Act of 1993 (42 U.S.C. 2000bb et seq.); 

Whereas for countless people of the United States, faith is an 

integral part of every aspect of daily life and is not limVerDate Sep 11 2014 21:50 Jan 17, 2017 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SC5.IS SC5

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ited to their homes, houses of worship, or doctrinal 

creeds; 

Whereas ‘‘religious faith has inspired many of our fellow citizens to help build a better Nation’’ in which ‘‘people of 

faith continue to wage a determined campaign to meet 

needs and fight suffering’’, as expressed by the 43rd 

President of the United States in his Presidential proclamation on Religious Freedom Day in 2003; 

Whereas ‘‘from its birth to this day, the United States has 

prized this legacy of religious freedom and honored this 

heritage by standing for religious freedom and offering 

refuge to those suffering religious persecution’’, as noted 

in section 2(a) of the International Religious Freedom 

Act of 1998 (22 U.S.C. 6401(a)); 

Whereas Thomas Jefferson wrote— 

(1) in 1798 that each right encompassed in the 

First Amendment to the United States Constitution is 

dependent on the other rights described in that Amendment, ‘‘thereby guarding in the same sentence, and under 

the same words, the freedom of religion, of speech, and 

of the press: insomuch, that whatever violated either, 

throws down the sanctuary which covers the others’’; and 

(2) in 1822 that the constitutional freedom of religion is ‘‘the most inalienable and sacred of all human 

rights’’; 

Whereas religious freedom ‘‘has been integral to the preservation and development of the United States’’, and ‘‘the 

free exercise of religion goes hand in hand with the preservation of our other rights’’, as expressed by the 41st 

President of the United States in his Presidential proclamation on Religious Freedom Day in 1993; and 


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Whereas we ‘‘continue to proclaim the fundamental right of 

all peoples to believe and worship according to their own 

conscience, to affirm their beliefs openly and freely, and 

to practice their faith without fear or intimidation’’, as 

expressed by the 42nd President of the United States in 

his Presidential proclamation on Religious Freedom Day 

in 1998: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives 

2 concurring), That Congress— 

3 (1) on Religious Freedom Day on January 16, 

4 2017, honors the 231st anniversary of the enact5 ment of the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom; 

6 and 

7 (2) affirms that— 

8 (A) for individuals of any faith and indi9 viduals of no faith, religious freedom includes 

10 the right of an individual to live, work, asso11 ciate, and worship in accordance with the be12 liefs of the individual; 

13 (B) all people of the United States can be 

14 unified in supporting religious freedom, regard15 less of differing individual beliefs, because reli16 gious freedom is a fundamental human right; 

17 and 

18 (C) ‘‘the American people will remain for19 ever unshackled in matters of faith’’, as ex20 pressed by the 44th President of the United 


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1 States in his Presidential proclamation on Reli2 gious Freedom Day in 2012. 

Æ 


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