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Religious Freedom Day

Floor Speech

Date: Jan. 16, 2019
Location: Washington, DC
Issues: Religion

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Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Madam Speaker, I rise today on Religious Freedom Day to celebrate the numerous faiths that people hold across this great Nation.

Today we commemorate the 233rd anniversary of the passing of a State law that has shaped and secured our important legacy of religious liberty. On January 16, 1786, the Virginia General Assembly passed the Virginia Statute of Religious Freedom. The bill, written by Thomas Jefferson, states: ``All men shall be free to profess, and by argument to maintain, their opinions in matters of religion.''

Just a few years later, this bill served as the inspiration for the First Amendment, which affirms our right to choose and exercise faith without government coercion or retaliation.

Today, Americans from diverse ethnic and religious backgrounds remain committed to the values of faith, honesty, integrity, and patriotism.

Madam Speaker, our Constitution and laws guarantee Americans the right not just to believe as they see fit, but to freely exercise their religion. We observe this day in our homes, schools, and houses of worship because we have the freedom and the right to do so.

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