Daily American organ. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1856, 1855-05-19
AN ACT for establishing religious freedom, passe,
in the Assembly Of Virginia In the beginning Q

AN ACT for establishing religious freedom, 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 10 influence Il by tenn
pord punishments or burdens, or by civil incapa-
citations, tend only TO beget habits Of hypocrisy
and msanness, 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 either, was In his almighty
power 70 do; that the impious presumption Of leg
slatures and rulers, civil well as ecclesiastical
who, being themselves but fsIlible and uninspired
men, have assumed dominion over the faith of
Others setting up their own opinions and modes of
thinking ss the only true and infalble, and a. such
endeavoring TO impose thcm upon Others, bath es-
tablished and maintained false religions over the
greatest part Of the world and through all time ;
that TO compel man 70 furnish contributions OF
money for the propagation Of opinions which he
dsbeheves, Ia sinful and tyranncal that even the
forcing him 10 support this that teacher Of his
own religious persuasion is depiving him Of the
comfortable liberty of giving his contributions
10 the particular pastor whose morals he would
make his pattern, and whose powers he feels most
persuasive orghteousness 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 no dependence on our re-
gious 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 renouncc this or that religious opinion IL
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 IL Ia
meant TO encourage, by bribing, with monopoly
Of worldly bonors, those who win externally pro-
fess and conform to III 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 ntrude his powers into the field Of opin-
ion and to restrain tho profession or propagation Of
principles, the supposition of their III tendency,
is dangerous falLacy, 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 senti-
ments Of others only they shall square with, or
differ from, his own; that il Is time enough, for the
nghtfal 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 II left u
herself that she Ia the proper and sufficient sntag
onist Of error, and has nothing to fear from the
conflict, unless by human interposition disarned o.
her natural weapons, free argument and debate