Daily American organ. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1856, 1855-01-09
AN ACT for establishing religious freedom, passed
In the Assembly Of Virginia in the beginning of
the year 1885: ls4 Y

the year 1885, sA
Wei aware that Almighty God hath created the
mind free that all attempts to influence ID by tenn
poral punishmcnts or burdens or by civil incapa-
Citations, tend only to bcget habits Of hypocrisy
and meanness, and are departure from the plan
OF the Holy Author Of our religion, who, being Lord
both OF body and Of mind, yet chose not to prop
agate by cocrcions on either, as was in his almighty
power to do; that the impious presumption Of leo.
islaturcs and rulers civil as well as ecclesiastical
who, being themselves but fallible and uninsprcd
men, have assumed dominion over the faith Of
Others, setting up their own opinions and modes Of
thinking as the only true and iniable, and az 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 or
money for the propagation of opinions which he
disbelicves is sinful and tyrannical that even the
forcing him to support this or that teacher Of his
own religious persuasion Is depnving him Of tho
comfortable liberty Of giving his contributions
to the particular pastor whose morals he would
make his pattern, and whose powers he feels most
persuasive righteousness, and is Withdrawing from
the ministry those temporal rewards, which, pro-
ceeding from an appreciation of their personal con-
duct, are an additional Indictment to earnest and
unrenhtting labors for the instruction Of mankind,
that our civil rights have no dependence on our re-
igious opinions more than our 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 emolumcnt unless he pro.
fess or renounce this or that religious opinion, Ii
depriying him injuriously Of those privileges and
advantages to which, in common with his fellow
citizens, he has natural right; that 1t tends also
to corrupt the principles Of the very religion il Is
meant to encourage, BY bribing, with monopoly
Of worldly honors, those who win externally pro-
fcss and conform to it; that though, indeed, those
are criminal who do not withstand such tcmpta
tions, yet neither arc those innocent who Law the
bait in their way that to suffer the civil mn.
gistrate to intrude his powers into the field Of opn
ION and to restrain tho profession or propagation Of
principles, on the suppositon of their i'll tendency,
is dangerous falacy, which at once DESTROYS all
religious liberty, because re being Of course idre
of that tendency, will make his opinions the rule
OF Judgment, and approve or condemn the senti.
ments Of others only as they siul square with. OF
differ from, his own; that it is time enough, for the
rghtful purposes Of civil government. for its Off.
GERS 70 Interfere when principles break out into
overt acts against peace and good order; and,
finally that truth is great, and will prevail ifcft to
herself that she is the proper and sufficient antsp
onist OF error, and has nothing to fear from the
conflict unless BY human interposition disarned Of
her natural scapons, free argument and debate,
errors ceasing to be dangerous when it is permitted
frcslV to ocqibat them.
sl Be Y tAeyefoye, cnaeted Gy Mc General ds-
se'nbty, Tint no man shall be compelled to fire.
qucnt or support any religious worship, place or
ministry whatsoever nor shal he be enforced, re-
strained olested, or burlcned in his body or goods
shailh sucron orhis religious
opinions or belief but that al men shall be free To
profess, and by argument to maintain, their cpin.
ions In matters Of religion, and that the same shall
IN no wise diminish enlarge or affect thcir civil
capacities.
And thougbwe 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 to our own; and that, therefore. to declare
this act irrcvocable would be Of no effect in law
yet we are free to declare and do declare that the
rights hereby asserted are Of the natural rights Of
mankind, and thnt II any act shall be hereafter
passed TO repeal the present, TO narrow It's ope
rations, such an act will be an Infringement of
natural right.