Daily American organ. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1856, 1855-01-12
AN ACT for establishing religious freedom, passed
in the Assembly of Virginia in the beginning Of
the year l1SR:

.
the year 1885,:
Well aware that Almighty God hath created the
mind free that all attempts to influence it 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 prop
agate by coercions on either, 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 uninsprcd
men, have assumed dominion over the faith of
others, setting up their own opinions and modes of
thinking as the only true and infallbe, and as such
cndeavorng 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 man TO furnish contributions OF
money for the propagation of opinions which he
dsbeGeves, is sinful and tyrannical that even the
forcing him to support this or that teacher Of his
own religious persuasion is depriMng 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 toighteousness and 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 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 emolumcnt, unless he pro-
fess or renounce this or that religious opinion, is
depriving 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 1t is
meant to encourage, by bribing, with monopoly
OF worldly honors, those who win externally pro-
fess and conform to it; that though indeed, those
are criminal who do not Withstand such tempta-
tionsyyet 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 rpropagaon Of
principles, the supposition Of their III 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
ightful 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 if left To
herself that she is the proper and sufficient antag
onist Of error, and has nothing to fear from the
conflict, unless by human interpoation dsarmed o
her natural weapons, free argument and debate,
ciAOi5 CcuSHt w uc WQeu IL Is permitted
freely to combat them.
BE y, therefore, enacted By the General As
scaa6tH That no man shall be compelled to fire.
quent or support any religious worship, place, OF
ministry whatsoever, nor shall he be enforced re.
strained, molested or burdened IN his body or goods
norshalhe otherwise suferon account fhis 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 well know this Assembly, elected
by the people for the ordinary purposes of legis.
laton only, have no power to restrain the acts oi
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 arc free TO declare, and do declare, that the
rights hereby asserted are Of the natural rights Of
mAukind, and that IL any act shall be hereafter
passed 10 repeal the present. or TO narrow its ope-
rations such an act will be an Infringement OF
natural right