Daily American organ. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1856, 1855-05-23
GEOhdE ~. dhAf OF Cmpeper,
JOSIAH DABBS of Halifax.
AN ACT for establishing religious freedom, passed
In the Assembly Of Virginia in the beginning Of

AN ACT f0r eStabtshfng rehg1ous freedom, passed
In the Assembly Of Virginia in the beginning Of
the year 1856
Well aware that Almighty God hath created the
mind free that al attempts to influence IL by tenn
poral punishments or burdens, or by civil incapa-
citations, tend only to begct habits of hypocrisy
and msanness, and are q departure from the plan
of the Holy Author Of our religion who being Lord
both Of body and Of mind, yet chose not 20 prop
agate by coercion on either, as was in bis almighty
power to do; that the impious presumption oflsg
islatures and rulers civil as wen ecclesiastical
who, being themselves but hllible and uninspired
men, have assumed dominion over the faith of
others, setting up their own opinions and modes Of
thinking as the only true and iniable, and as such
endcavoring 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
disbeiieves, is sinful and tyrannics that even the
forcing him TO support this or that teacher of his
own religious persuasion is depnving 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 torghteousness 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 lsbors for the instruction of mankind;
tnab our civil HSn6 nave no uependence on our re-
hgious 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 rcnounce this or that religious opinion, is
depriving him iniuriously Of those privileges and
advantages TO which, In common with his fellow
citizens, he has natural right; that IL tends also
TO corrupt the principles of the very religion II is
meant to encourage, by bribing, with monopoly
of worldly bonors, those who win externally pro
fess and conform 10 IT,; that though, indeed those
are criminal who do not withstand such tempta-
tons, yet neither are those Innocent who lay the
bait In their way; that to suffer the civil ma
gstrate 70 intrude his powers into the fed Of opn
ion and 70 restrain the profession propagation Of
principles, on the suppositon Of their Ill tendency,
Is dangerous fsllacy, 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 asnti-
ments of others only they shall square with, or
differ from, his own; that Il Is time enough for the
rightful purposes of civil government for it's 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 fleft to
herself that she Ia the proper and sufficient antag-
onist Of error, and has nothing to fear from the
conflict, unless by human interpoStion disars.d Of
her natural weapons, free argument and debate,