Daily American organ. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1856, 1855-01-04
AN ACT for establishing religious freedom, passed
Y in the Assembly of Virginia in the beginning Of
I. Ntha vaar I7Qg. -


In the Assembly of Virginia in the beginning of
the year 1856;
Well aware that Almighty God hath created the
mnd iree that all attempts TO influence it by tenn
poral punlShments or burdens, or by civil incapa-
citations tend only to beget habits Of hypocrisy
and meanness, and arc 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 cocrcions either, as was in his almighty
power to do; that the impious presumption Of leg
islatures and rulers, civil as well us 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 inflbe, and as such
endeavoring to impose them upon others, hath es-
tabished 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
disbcleves, is sinful and tyiannical 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 righteousness and is Withdrawing from
the ministry those temporal rewards, which, pro-
ceeding from 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 emolument, unless he pro-
fcss or renouncc this or that religious opinion is
depriving him injuriously Of those privileges and
advantages to which, in common with litefrllow.
citizens, he has natural right that ii tends ssD
to corrupt the principles Of the very religion it
n, ,,,., l.l..s 81 4
OF worldly honors, those who win externally pro-
fess and conform to it that though, indeed those
are criminal who do not withstand such tcmpta-
tions, yet neither are those innocent who lay the
bait In their way that to suffer the civil ma
gstrate to ntrude 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 all
religious liberty, because, he being Of course Judge
Of that tendency, will make his opinions the rule
Of Judgment and approve or condemn the scnti-
mcnts Of others only 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 10 interfere when principles break out into
overt acts against peace and good order; and,
finally that truth is great and win prevail If left 10
herseh that she Is the proper and sufficient antag-
onist Of error, and has nothing to fear from the
conflict, unless by human interpositm disarmcd oi
her natural weapons, free argument and debate,
errors ceasng to be dangerous when it is permitted
freely to combat them. Y
he Il, therefore, enacted 5y The General 1s-
sembly, That no man shall be compelled to fire.
quent or support any religious worship, place, or
ministry whatsoever, nor shall he be enforced re-
strained, molested burdened in his body or goods
norshall he otherwise suffer ofs 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-
lation 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 rrevocablc would be Of no effect in law
yet we free to declare, and do declare, that the
rights hereby asserted are of the natural rights of
mankind, and that II any act shah be hereafter
Tasnsd to repeal the present, 10 narrow its ope-
rAtionA, such an act will be an infringement Of
natural right. ~