Daily American organ. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1856, 1855-01-19
AN ACT for establishing religious freedom, passed
in the Assembly of Virginia in the beginning Of
the year 1885:

in the Assembly Of Virginia in the beginning Of
the year 1855:
Well aware that Almighty God hath created the
mnd iree that all attempts to influence il by tenn
poral punishments or burdens, or by civil incapa-
citations, tend only TO beget 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 prom
agate by coercons on either, as was in his almighty
power to do; that the mI ious presumption Of leg
isatures and rulers civil as well as ecclesiastica
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 intblc, 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
disbeleves 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 he feels most
persuasive to 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
unremitting labors for the instruction of mankind
that our civil rights have no dependence on our re-
lgious 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 emolument unless he pro-
fess or renounce this or 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-
fess and conform to it that though, indeed, those
are criminal who do not Withstand such tenpta-
tions, yet neither are those innocent who lay the
bait in their way that to suffer the ciyil ma
gstrate to intrude his powers into the field of opn-
ion, and to restrain the profession propagation Of
principles on the suppositon of their i'll tendency
is dangerous fallacy, which at once DESTROYS ali
religious liberty, because, he being of course Judge
OF that tendency, will 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 1t is time enough, for the
GERS 70 interfere when principles break out into
overt acts against peace and good order; and,
finally that truth is great and will prevail feft to
herself that she is the proper and sufficient antag-
onist OF error, and has nothing to fear from the
conflict unless by human interpostion disarmed OF
her natural weapons, free argument and debate,
errors ceasng to be dangerous when it is permitted
freely to combat them.
Be u, therefore, enacted By the General As-
seni6ty, That no man shall be compelled to fire.
quent or support any religious worship, place, or
ministry whatsoever, shall he be enforced, re-
strained molested or burdened in his body or goods
norshal he otherwise suffer account ofhis religious
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 wen know this Assembly, elected
by the people for the ordinary purposes Of lcgis-
laton 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 irrevocable would be Of no effect in law
yet we are free to declare and do declare, that the
rights hereby asserted Of the natural rights of
mankind, and that IL 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