Daily American organ. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1856, 1855-05-28

AN ACT for establishing religious freedom, passed
In the Assembly Of Virginia in the beginning of
the year 1855. rt se
Well aware that Almighty God hath created the
mind free that all attempts 70 influence Il by tenn
poral punishments or burdens or by civil incxpa-
citations, tend only TO bcget habits OF hypocrisy
and meanness, and are a departure from the plan
Of the holy Author Of our religion, Who being Lord
both Of body and Of mind, yet chose not 10 prop
agate by coercions on either, ~ IN his almighty
power TO do; that the impiom presumption Of leg
islatures and rulers civil web ~ ecclesiastical
who, being themselves but faIlible and uninspired
men, have assumed dominion over the faith of
others, setting up their own opinions and modes of
thinking the only true and infaible, and as such
endeavoring 70 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 man to furnish contributions of
money for the propagation of opinions which he
disbelieves, Is sinful and tyanncal that even the
forcing him to support this or that teacher of his
own religious persuasion is dcpiving 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 10 righteousness, and is Withdrawing 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 civifrights have no dependence on our re-
Ggious 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 be pro-
fess or renounce this or that religious opinion, il
depriving him iniuriously Of those privileges and
advantages TO which, In common with his fellow
citizens, he has natural right that Il 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-
fess and conform 70 II; that though, indeed, those
are criminal who do not Withstand such tempta-
tons, yet neither are those innocent who lay the
bait in their way that TO suffer the civil ma
gistrate TO inrude bis powers into the field Of opin.
ion, and TO restrain the profession or propagation OF
principles, on the supposition Of their nj tendency,
is dangerous fallacy, which at once destroys All
religious liberty, because, he being Of course fudge
Of that tendency, win make his opinions the rule
Of Judgment and approve or condemn The aerti.
ments Of others only as they shall square with, or
differ from, his own that IL IL time enough, for the
rightful purposes Of civil government, for ts OH.
GERS to interfere when principles break out into
overt scts against peace and good order and,
finally, that truth is great and win prevail II lo
bersei that she is the proper and sufficient antsg
onist of error, and has nothing 10 fear from the
conflict unless by human interposition diaArmed o
her natural weapons, free argument and debate