Daily American organ. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1856, 1855-05-17
GEORGE D. GRAY, Of OuIpcp'
JOSIAH DABBS Of Halifax.

AN ACT for establishing religious freedom, pesssd
In the Assembly of Virginia In the beginning Oi
the year 1855: es i,
Well aware that Almighty God hath created the
mind Free that all attempts TO influence IL by tenn
porsl 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, Jet chose not 70 prop
agate by coercions either was in his almighty
power to do; that the impious presumption oflcg-
slatures and rulers, civil as well as eccesastical
who, being themselves but fllible and uninspired
men, have assumed dominion over the faith OF
others, setting up their own opinions and modes Of
thinking the only true and infallibe, 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 eli time
that to compel a man to furnish contributions of
money for the propagation of opinions which he
disbeeves is sinful and tyrannical that even the
forcing him 10 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
unremittng labors for the instruction Of mankind
that our civil rights have no dependence re-
igious opinions more than our opinions In physics
or geometry; that, therefore, the prescribing Of
any citizen unworthy the public confidence by
laying upon him an incapacty Of being called to
the Offices Of trust and emolumcnt, unless he pro-
fess or rcnounce 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 II tends also
to corrupt the principles Of the very religion 1t Ia
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-
tions, yet neither are those innocent who lay the
bait in their way that to suffer the civil ma
gistate to ntrude his powers into the field Of opin-
ion, and TO restrain the profession propagation Of
principles on the supposition Of their III tendency,
Ia dangerous fallacy, which at once destroys all
religious liberty because, he being of course Judge
of that tendency, win 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 il is time enough for the
rightfnl purposes Of civil government, for ts 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 IL LEFT 70
herself that she is the proper and sufficient sntsg-
onist Of error, aud has nothing 10 fear from the
conflict unless by human interpretation dissrrsed Of
her natural weapons, free argument and debate,