Daily American organ. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1856, 1855-01-23
AN ACT for establishing religious freedom, passed
in the Assembly Of Virginia in the beginning Of
& the year 1855.

~ Inc assembly OF virginia IN the beginning o
the year 1855.
Wen aware that Almighty God hath created Tho
mlnd iree that all attempts to influence il by TEN
porai punishments or burdens or by civil incapa
citations, tend only TO beget habits Of hypocrisy
and mearness and are d departure from the ,jlar
OF the holy Author OF our religion, who, being LORD
both Of body and Of mind, yet chose not to prop
agate Dy coercions on either as was in his almighty
power 70 90! that the impious presumption Of leg
lsiatures and rulers, civil as well as ecclesiastical
who, being themselves but hIlible and uninspired
men, have assumed dominion over the faith q
Others, setting up their ewn opinl0ns and modes 81
thinking as the only true and inialible and as such
endeavoring to impose them upon others, hath es.
tablshed and maintained false religions over the
greatest part of the world, and through all time
that to compel man to furnish contributions oi
money for the propagation of opinions which he
dsbeleves, is sinful and tyannical; that even The
forcing him TO support this or that teacher of his
own religious persuasion is depriying him Of the
comfortable liberty of giving his contributions
to the particular pastor whose morals he would
make his pattern, and whose powers he feels most
persuasive torighteddsness and swithdrawing from
the ministry those temporal rewards, which, pro-
ceeding from an appreciation of their personal con-
duct, are an additional incitement to earnest and
unremittng labors for the instruction Of mankind
that our civil rights have no dependence on our re-
hgious opinions more than otir opinions In physics
or geometry; that, therefore, the prescribing Of
any citizen as unworthy the public confidence by
laying upon him an incapacity Of being called to
the offices of trust and emolument unless he pro-
fess or renonnce this that religious opinion, is
depriying him injuriously of those privileges and
advantages to which, 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-
Tess and conform to it; that though, indeed those
are Criminal who do not Withstand sach tempta-
tions, yet neither are those innocent who Law the
bait in their way that to suffer the civil ma
gstrate to intrude his powers into the field Of opin-
ION and to restrain the profession or propagation Of
principles on the suppositon Of their III tendency.
is dangerous fallacy, which at once DESTROYS ali
reigous 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 viii prevail fleft to
herself that she is the proper and sufficient antag.
onist Of error, and has nothing to fear from the
conflict unless by human interposition disarmed Of
her natural weapons, free argument and debate,
errors ceasng to be dangerous when it is permitted
freely to combat them f
Be IT, therefore, enacted 5y The General ,As.
sem6ly That no man shall be compelled to fire.
qaent or support any religious worship, place, or
ministry whatsoever, nor shall he be enforced, re-
strained, moested burdened in his body or goods
norshal he otherwise suffer on account ofhisreiigous
opinions or belief but that all men shall be free to
profess, and by argument to maintain, their opin-
ions in matters Of religion and that the same shall
in no wise diminish enlarge, or affect their civil
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 Of
succeeding assemblies, constituted with powers
equal e our own; and that, therefore, to declare
this act irrevocable would be of no effect in law ;
yet we are free to declare and do declare, that tho
rights hereby asserted are of the natural rights of
mankind, and that II any act shall be hereafter
passed to repeal the present, or to narrow its ope
rations such an act will be an infringement of
natural right