Daily American organ. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1856, 1855-01-22
AN ACT for establishing religious freedom, passed
IN the Assembly of Virginia in the beginning of
the year 1885; fI,

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 erested tho
mind free that all attempts to influence h nv tom.
porai punishments or burdens, or by civil ncapa.
citations, tend only to beget habits of hypocrisy
and meanness, and are departure from the nlan
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 as was in his almighty
power to do; that the impious presumption of leo
isiaturcs ana rulers civil as Wen ecclesiastical
who, being themselves but fallible and uninspired
men, have assumed dominion over the faitb Il
Others, setting up their own opinions and modes n
thinking as the only trie and iniaible 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 all time
that to compel a man to furnish contributions Of
money for the propagation of opinions which he
disbelieves is sinful and tyrannica 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 torghteousness, and is Withdrawing from
the ministry those temporal rewards which. pro-
ceediag from an APPRECIATION Of their personal con
duct, are an additional incitement to earnest and
unremtting labors for the instruction of mankind
that our civil rights have no dependence on our re-
hgous 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 renounce this or that religious opinion. is
depriying him injuriousy Of those privileges and
advantages to which, in common with his fellow
citizens, he has natural rights that it tends also
to corrupt the principles of the very religion it is
meant to encourage, by bribng, with monopoly
OF worldly honors, those who viii externally pro-
Tess and conform to it; that though indeed, those
are criminal who do not withstand such tempta-
tons, yet neither are those innocent who Law the
bait IN their way; that to suffer the civil ma
gstrate to intrude his powers into the field of opin-
ion, and to restrain the profession or of
principles on the supposition Of their i'll tendency.
is dangerous fallacy, which at once DESTROYS ali
religious liberty, because, he being Of course Judge
OF that tendency, will 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, bis own; that it s time enough for the
rightful 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 will prevail if left to
herself that she is the proper and sufficient antag-
omst oil error, and has nothing to fear from the
sohiioo, uiless ny HuIiidH lnCefpOSlt0n dlsamed O
her natural weapons, free argument and debate
errors ceasing to be dangerous when it is permitted
freely to combat them
nc IL, therefore, enacted by the General As.
scmbtA 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 orburdened in his body or goods,
norshal he otherwise suffer on account ofhsreigious
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 legs-
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 irrevocabe would be of no effect in law ;
yet we are free to declare and do declare that the
rights hereby asserted are Of the natural rights Of
mankind, and that If any act shall be hereafter
passed TO repeal the present, or to narrow its ope
rations such an act viii be an Infringement Of
natural rpht e-w.