We have acted like two old friends who were born and raised in the same hometown and exposed to the same fundamental values. Separated for a period of years, the two old friends have had different experiences and now they find it hard to talk about their common interests. Indeed, their closeness has become a barrier. Let me take this opportunity to reaffirm the United States commitment to religious freedom, which has always been at the core of American life and values. We have no hierarchy of rights.
Freedom of speech is every bit as important as freedom of conscience.
This guarantee of personal religious freedom is central to our concept of freedom and has guided the laws and practices of Americans since the establishment of this great nation. After all, this country was founded by people searching for a place to express their faith freely without persecution. Here, in Virginia, the oldest and deepest roots of religious liberty can be found. It was here that Thomas Jefferson drafted his Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom, after which the First Amendment was modeled. Jefferson's great document underscored the conviction that religious beliefs should be matters of individual conscience and completely immune from any interference by the state.