Daily American organ. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1856, 1854-12-28

thc Assempiy oI virginia IN the beginning Of
Well aware that Almighty God hath created the
mind free that all attempts To influence il by tenn.
poral punishments or burdens, or by civil incapa-
citations, tend only to beget habits Of hypocrisy
ana meanness, and are departure from the plan
Of the Holy Anthor our religion, who, being Lord
both OF body and Of mind, yet chose not to prop
agate by coercions either as was in his almighty
power to do; that the impious presumption oflcg-
slatares and rulers, civil as well as ecclesiastical
who, being themselves but fallible and uninspired
men, have assumed dominion over the faith Of
Others, setting up their own opinions and modes Of
thinking as the only true and intalble, and as such
endeavoring to impose them upon Others hath es-
tablished and maintained false religions over the
greatest part of the world, and through all time
that TO compel a man to furnish contributions OF
money for the propagation of opinions which he
dsbeieves, Is sinful and tyrannical that even the
forcing him to support this or that teacher Of his
own religious persuasion is depriving him of the
comfortable liberty Of giving his contributions
TO the particular pastor whose morals he would
make his pattern, and whose powers lie feels most
persuasive Righteousness and Withdrawing from
the ministry those temporal rewards, which, pro-
ceeding from an appreciation Of their personal con-
duct, are IN additional Indictment to earnest and
unremittng labors for the instruction of mankind;
that our civil rights have no dependence on our re-
ligious opinions more than our opinions in physics
or geometry; that, therefore, the prosciibiag Of
any citizen as unworthy the public confidence by
laying upon him an incapacty Of being called to
the offices Of trust and emoInment, unless he pro-
fess or rcnounce this or that religious opinion, is
depriving him injuriously of those privileges and
advantages to which, Il in common with his fellow
citizens he has natural right that It tends also
to corrupt the principles Of the very religion It Is
meant to encourage, by bribing, with monopoly
Of worldly honors, those who viii externally pro-
fess and conform toit; that though indeed, those
are criminal who do not withstand such tempta-
tions, yet neither are those innocent who lay the
bait in their way; that to suffer the civil ma
gstrate to intrude his powers into the field Of opir
on and to restrain the profession or propagation Of
principles on the supposition of their iii tendency
is dangerous fallacy, which at once DESTROYS all
religious liberty, because, he being Of course Judge
Of that tendency, viii make his opinions the rule
Of judgment, and approve or condemn the senti-
ments Of others only as they shall square with, or
differ from, his own that it is time enough, for the
rightful purposes Of civil government, for its Off.
GERS to interfere when principles break out into
overt acts against peace and good order; and
finally that truth is great and win prevail If left tc
herself that she is the proper and sufficient antag
onist of error, and has nothing to fear from tht
conflict, unless by human interposition disarmed o
her natural weapons, free argument and debate
errors ceasng TO be dangerous when it is permitted
freely to combat them ersssta ha d
Be il, therefore, suaossd By tie General As
sena6iy That no man shall be compelled to fire.
quent or support any religious worship, place, OF
ministry whatsoever, nor shall be be enforced, re
strained, molested OF burdcned In hisbody or goods
norshal otherwise sucro account ofhisreiigiou,
opinions or belief but that all men shall be free tc
profess and by argument 10 maintain, their opin
ions in matters Of religion and that the same shal
in no wise diminish, enlarge or affect their civi
capacities
And though we well know this Assembly, elected
by the people for the ordinary purposes of lcgis
lation only, have no power to restrain the acts o
succeeding assemblies, constituted with power
equal to our own; and that, therefore, to declare
this act irrevocsblc would be Of no effect in law
yet we are free to DECLARE and do declare, that th,
rights hersby asserted are Of the natural rights o
mankind, and that IL any act shall be hereafter
passed to repeal the present, or to narrow its opc
ratons, such an act will be an infringement O
natural right Nla asf