Today is National Religious Freedom Day, designated by a Presidential proclamation in 1993. This year it coincides with the day we observe the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King and his contributions to the nation, but Religious Freedom Day is observed on January 16 because that is the anniversary of the adoption of Thomas Jefferson’s Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom.
With a nearly evenly divided Congress reflecting the political divide in the nation it is not surprising that competing ideas of religious freedom have emerged. For too many people it now means elevating “one individual’s interest in personal religious exercise, in the exact time and place of that individual’s choosing, over society’s interest in protecting the separation between church and state, eroding the protections for religious liberty for all,” to quote Justice Sotomayor in the case of the football coach who wanted to pray after games at midfield with his players.
The religious freedom that should be celebrated today is the religious freedom guaranteed to Virginians in the bill written by Jefferson and guided to passage by James Madison. Madison incorporated Jefferson’s ideas into the First Amendment to the Constitution. You can find the entire Statute here.
Jefferson amplified his view on religious freedom in his autobiography when recounting the legislature’s debate over an amendment naming Jesus Christ in his Statute: “The insertion was rejected by a great majority, in proof that they meant to comprehend, within the mantle of its protection, the Jew and the Gentile, the Christian and Mahometan, the Hindoo, and Infidel of every Denomination.”
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The Secular Coalition is fighting for religious freedom as Jefferson, Madison, and The Founders envisioned it. We will be fighting for it on March 24 on Capitol Hill when we hold an in-person Capitol Hill lobby day. Please save that date and plan to attend. Details and a registration page will be available soon. The event actually begins with a reception the evening of March 23, which happens to be Atheist Day since we’re acknowledging days here.
We have some hotel rooms available at a good rate. We will schedule your meetings, answer your questions, and have your talking points ready. All you have to do is let your legislators know what separation of religion and government means to you and what issue or issues they should know about. More info coming soon!
