THE
VIRGINIA ACT
FOR ESTABLISHING
RELIGIOUS FREEDOM
1786
Thomas
Jefferson
1743-1826
"Well
aware that Almighty God hath created the mind free; that all attempts
to influence it by temporal punishments or burdens, or by civil incapacitations,
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 mind, yet chose not to propagate it by coercions on either,
as was in his Almighty power to do; that the impious presumption of
legislators and rulers, civil as well as ecclesiastical, who, being
themselves but fallible 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 infallible, and as such endeavoring to impose them
on others, hath established 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 tyrannical; 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 to righteousness, and is withdrawing
from the ministry those temporal rewards, which proceeding from an approbation
of their personal conduct, are an additional incitement to earnest and
unremitting labors for the instruction of mankind; that our civil rights
have no dependence on our religious opinions, more than our opinions
in physics or geometry; that, therefore, the proscribing 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 profess
or renounce this or that religious opinion, is depriving him injuriously
of those privileges and advantages to which in common with his fellow
citizens he has a natural right; that it tends also to corrupt the principles
of that very religion it is meant to encourage, by bribing, with a monopoly
of worldly honors and emoluments, those who will externally profess
and conform to it; that though indeed these are criminal who do not
withstand such temptation, yet neither are those innocent who lay the
bait in their way; that to suffer the civil magistrate to intrude his
powers into the field of opinion and to restrain the profession or propagation
of principles, on the supposition of their ill tendency, is a 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 sentiments of others only as they
shall square with or differ from his own; that it is time enough for
the rightful purposes of civil government, for its officers 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 antagonist to error, and has nothing
to fear from the conflict, unless by human interposition disarmed of
her natural weapons, free argument and debate, errors ceasing to be
dangerous when it is permitted freely to contradict them.
Be it therefore enacted by the General Assembly, That no man shall be
compelled to frequent or support any religious worship, place, or ministry
whatsoever, nor shall be enforced, restrained, molested, or burdened
in his body or goods, nor shall otherwise suffer on account of his religious
opinions or belief; but that all men shall be free to profess, and by
argument to maintain, their opinions in matters of religion, and that
the same shall in nowise diminish, enlarge, or affect their civil capacities.
And though we well know this Assembly, elected by the people for the
ordinary purposes of legislation only, have no powers equal to our own
and that therefore to declare this act irrevocable 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
operation, such act will be an infringement of natural right."
--
Thomas Jefferson
The
Declaration of Independence
The first Thanksgiving Day Prayer
Whatever happened to the Signers
