Daily American organ. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1856, 1855-05-18
GEORGE d. GRAY, of Culpeper,
JOSIAH DABBS of Halifax.
AN ACT for establishing religious freedom, passed
in the Assembly of Virginia in the beginning Of
H.

AN ACT for establishing religious freedom, passed
in the Assembly of Virginia in the beginning Of
the year 1855:
Well aware that Almighty God hath created the
mind free 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 a 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, In his almighty
power TO de- that the impious presumption of leg
slatures and rulers, civil az 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 infallbe and as such
endeavoring to impose them upon others, hath es-
tabshed 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 deprving 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 torighteousness 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
unremtting labors for the instruction Of mankind
that our civil rights have dependence 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 renounce this or that religious opinion, is
depriving him iniuriously Of those privileges and
advantages 10 which, in common with his fellow
citizens, he has natural right; that II tends also
to corrupt the principles Of the very religion IL Is
meant TO encourage, by bribing, with monopoly
Of worldly honors, those who viii externally pro-
@ss 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
gistrate TO intrude his powers into the field Of opin
ion and to restrain the profession orprcpagation OF
principles on the suppositon of their i'll tendency
is dangerous falacy, which at once destroys all
religious liberty, because, he being Of course Judge
Of that tendency, viii make his opinions the rule
Of Judgment and approve or condemn the aeuti-
ments Of others only az they shall square with, or
differ FROM his own that IL is time enough, for the
rghtful 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 viii prevail II left "a
herself that she IL the proper and sufficient antag
onist Of error, and has nothing 10 fear from the
conflict, unless by human interpostion dsarued o
her natural weapons, free argument and debate,