An ACT for establishing Religious Freedom, passed in the Assembly of Firginia in the beginning of the year 1786.
Well aware that Almighty God hath created the mind free; that all attempts to influence it by temporal punifhments or burdens, or by civil incapacitations, tend only to beget habits of hypocrify and mean- nefs, and are a departure from the plan of the Holy Author of our religion, who being Lord both of body and mind, yet chofe not to propagate it by coercions on either, as was in his Almighty power to do; that the impious prefumption of legiflators and rulers, civil as well as eccle- fiaftical, who, being themfelves but fallible and uninfpired men have alTumed dominion over the faith of others, fetting up their own opinions and modes of thinking as the only true and infalUble, and as fuch endea- vouring to impofe them on others, hath eflablilhed and maintained falfe reUgions over the greatefl: part of the world, and through all time; that to compel a man to furnifli contributions of money for the pro- pagation of opinions which he difbelieves, is finful and tyrannical; that even theforceing him to fupport this or that teacher of his own religious perfuafion, is depriving him of the comfortable liberty of giving his contributions to the particular paftor whofe morals he would make his pattern, and whofe powers he feels mod perfuafive to righteoufnefs, and is withdrawing from the miniftry thofe temporal rewards, which proceeding from an approbation of their perfonal conduft, are an additional incitement to earnefl: and unremitting labours for the inftrudlion of mankind ; that our civil rights have no dependance on our religious opinions, more than our opinions in phyfics or geometry; that therefore the profcribing any citizen as unworthy the public confidence by laying upon him an incapacity of being called to the offices of truft and emolument, unlefs he profefs or renounce this or that religious opinion, is depriving him injurioufly of thofe privileges and advantages to which in common with his fellow citizens he has a natural right;
that it tends alfo to corrupt the principles of that very religion it is meant to encou- rage, by bribing, with a monopoly of worldly honours and