Religious freedom day is celebrated on what date each year?
Our forefathers, seeking refuge from religious persecution, believed in the eternal truth that freedom is not a gift from the government, but a sacred right from Almighty God. On the coattails of the American Revolution, on January 16, 1786, the Virginia General Assembly passed the Virginia Statute of Religious Freedom. This seminal bill, penned by Thomas Jefferson, states 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 no wise diminish, enlarge, or affect their civil capacities.” Five years later, these principles served as the inspiration for the First Amendment, which affirms our right to choose and exercise faith without government coercion or reprisal. Show Today, Americans from diverse ethnic and religious backgrounds remain steadfast in a commitment to the inherent values of faith, honesty, integrity, and patriotism. Our Constitution and laws guarantee Americans the right not just to believe as they see fit, but to freely exercise their religion. Unfortunately, not all have recognized the importance of religious freedom, whether by threatening tax consequences for particular forms of religious speech, or forcing people to comply with laws that violate their core religious beliefs without sufficient justification. These incursions, little by little, can destroy the fundamental freedom underlying our democracy. Therefore, soon after taking office, I addressed these issues in an Executive Order that helps ensure Americans are able to follow their consciences without undue Government interference and the Department of Justice has issued guidance to Federal agencies regarding their compliance with laws that protect religious freedom. No American — whether a nun, nurse, baker, or business owner — should be forced to choose between the tenets of faith or adherence to the law. The United States is also the paramount champion for religious freedom around the world, because we do not believe that conscience rights are only for Americans. We will continue to condemn and combat extremism, terrorism, and violence against people of faith, including genocide waged by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria against Yezidis, Christians, and Shia Muslims. We will be undeterred in our commitment to monitor religious persecution and implement policies that promote religious freedom. Through these efforts, we strive for the day when people of all faiths can follow their hearts and worship according to their consciences. The free exercise of religion is a source of personal and national stability, and its preservation is essential to protecting human dignity. Religious diversity strengthens our communities and promotes tolerance, respect, understanding, and equality. Faith breathes life and hope into our world. We must diligently guard, preserve, and cherish this unalienable right. NOW, THEREFORE, I, Donald J. Trump, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim January 16, 2018, as Religious Freedom Day. I call on all Americans to commemorate this day with events and activities that remind us of our shared heritage of religious liberty and teach us to secure this blessing both at home and abroad. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this sixteenth day of January, in the year of our Lord two thousand eighteen, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-second. This Religious Freedom Day, more than any other since it was instituted over a quarter century ago, is an occasion to rededicate ourselves to its most fundamental tenets of liberty and equal dignity for all. First celebrated in 1993, Religious Freedom Day commemorates the passage of the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom authored by Thomas Jefferson. Enacted January 16, 1786, this law set forth principles that would later inform many state constitutions, and eventually, the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. The congressional resolution that established Religious Freedom Day reads, in part:
Religious freedom is premised on the notion that people with whom we disagree, even on ultimate things, nonetheless possess a dignity equal to our own. Accordingly, we should engage our civic neighbors with humility, respect, and persuasion rather than hubris, contempt, and coercion. Twenty-five years after the first Religious Freedom Day observance on January 16, 1993, a diverse group of more than 75 religious and civil society leaders came together to sign the American Charter of Freedom of Religion and Conscience. So instructive for this time of extreme division in American society, Article 1 of the Charter states:
The sources of the social unrest that has plagued the United States for the past several months will not be easy to overcome. What will be required is a sustained recommitment to the bedrock principles that make a thriving pluralistic society possible in the first place. Religious liberty, as expressed in the American Charter, is foremost among these principles. Fidelity to America’s First Freedom does not entail a belief that all truth is relative, nor does it demand ignoring the error of one’s opponents on some (or perhaps many) critical issues. But it does supply a robust normative framework for dealing with one’s civic neighbors in the midst of that error and disagreement. Article 13 of the American Charter is relevant here:
|