Daily American organ. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1856, 1855-01-15
AN ACT for establishing religious freedom, passed
in the Assembly Of Virginia in the beginning Of
the year 1856:

AN doA ior estaDnshmg religious need0m passed
in the Assembly Of Virginia in the beginning Of
the year 1885:
Well aware that Almighty God hath created the
mind free that all attempts to influence Il by tenn
porai 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 prop
agate by coercions on either as was In his almighty
power to do; that the impious presumption Of leg
islatures and rulers, civil well as ecclesiastical
who, being themselves but fallible and uninspred
men, have assumed dominion over the faith OF
others, setting up their own opinions and modes Of
thinking as the only true and infaIble, 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
disbelieves 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-
ceediag from an appreciation Of their personal con-
Duct are an additional Indictment to earnest and
that our civil rights have dependence on our re-
ligious 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
depriving im-injuriously Of those privileges and
advantages to which, in common with his fellow
citizens, he has natural right that it tends also
IN fha -
meant to encourage, by bribing, with monopoly
Of worldly Donors those who will externally pro-
fess and conform to it, 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 opn
ion, and to restrain the profession or propagation of
principles on the supposition 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 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 leH o
hcrsellethat she is the proper and sufficient antdg
0nist Of error, and has nothing to fear from the
conflict, unless by human interposition dsarmed Of
her natural weapons, free argument and debate
errors ceasng to be dangerous when it is permitted
freely to combat them.
Be II, therefore, enacted BIZ the General As
sesa6ly, That no man shall be compelled to fire.
qucnt or support any religious worship, place, or
ministry whatsoever, shall he be enforced, re-
strained, moested or burdcned in his body or goods
norshahe otherwise suffer on account ofhisreigous
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 legis-
ation 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 irreyocable 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 if any act shall be hereafter
passed to repeal the present. to narrow its ope-
rations, such an act will be an Infringement Of
natural right g