Happy belated 233rd anniversary, the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Hat tip, a WH press release:

PROCLAMATIONS

Presidential Proclamation on Religious Freedom Day, 2019

Issued on: January 15, 2019
....

On January 16, 1786, Virginia enacted the Statute for Religious Freedom to protect the right of individual conscience and religious exercise and to prohibit the compulsory support of any church. Authored by Thomas Jefferson, the statute set forth the principle that religious liberty is an inherent right and not a gift of the state. Jefferson’s statute served as the inspiration and model for the legal architecture of the conscience protections in the First Amendment, drafted by James Madison just a few years later.
...

It was George Mason who was founding father most responsible for the inclusion of the Bill of Rights in the Constitution, but never mind.

Happy 293rd Birthday, George Mason. Founding Founder, He Conceived the Bill of Rights.

From last year:

"No American should have to choose between faith and the law."

As long as we're bringing Jefferson into this: Thomas Jefferson detested Patrick Henry.

DU, 2012: I've heard that Thomas Jefferson detested Patrick Henry.

Not that that's the gold standard. Anyway:

For Religious Freedom Day: What Jefferson Really Thought of Theocrat Patrick Henry

For Religious Freedom Day: What Jefferson Really Thought of Theocrat Patrick Henry
Categories: Uncategorized
by Chris Rodda

So, today {January 16} is Religious Freedom Day, the anniversary of the passage of Thomas Jefferson’s Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom. No, I’m not going to post Jefferson’s statute; I’m going to post something cooler than that — one of my favorite lines ever written by Jefferson.

The background: Jefferson drafted his religious freedom statute in 1777 and introduced it in 1779, but it didn’t go anywhere. It wasn’t until 1786 that Jefferson’s statute was passed. Jefferson was in France at the time, so it was Madison who reintroduced the religious freedom statute. This was right after James Madison defeated Patrick Henry’s bill to tax everybody in Virginia to support teachers of the Christian religion.

Jefferson couldn’t stand Patrick Henry and his theocratic agenda, and made this quite clear in one {of} his letters to Madison while Madison was battling Henry’s bill for a Christian religious tax. When Madison wrote to Jefferson asking what they should do about Henry, Jefferson replied:

“While Mr. Henry Lives another bad constitution would be formed, and saddled for ever on us. What we have to do I think is devoutly to pray for his death …”

Of course, the Christian nationalist history revisionists either ignore this line from Jefferson, or claim it is made up by evil secularists to impugn the character of our very Christian founding fathers.
....

{This is} from a letter written by Thomas Jefferson to James Madison on December 8, 1784, and can be found on pages 353-354 of The Republic Of Letters, The Correspondence between Thomas Jefferson and James Madison 1776-1826, Volume I.

Patrick Henry was the first governor of Virginia, and Thomas Jefferson was the second. We really got off to a great start, didn't we?

On this National Day of Prayer {May 3, 2018}, let us remember Jefferson's prayer, shared with Madison.

Post #5, in I wonder what jefferson would say about the media these days, maybe change his mind?

The comments going back and forth in Trump v. Clinton look like a tea party (you know what I mean) compared to the discourse back then.

Jefferson and Madison just detested Patrick Henry.

Ken Cuccinelli Once Filed An Amendment To Change Virginia's State Song To The Beatles' “Taxman”

....
Patrick Henry wasn't quite as opposed to taxes as Cuccinelli made him out to be. Though it is not widely known now, Thomas Jefferson and James Madison absolutely detested Patrick Henry. Why? Because Patrick Henry wanted to tax citizens to pay the salaries of clergymen.

I've heard that Thomas Jefferson detested Patrick Henry.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1014&pid=334609

For Religious Freedom Day: What Jefferson Really Thought of Theocrat Patrick Henry
http://freethoughtblogs.com/rodda/2012/01/16/for-religious-freedom-day-what-jefferson-really-thought-of-theocrat-patrick-henry/

For Religious Freedom Day: What Jefferson Really Thought of Theocrat Patrick Henry
Categories: Uncategorized
by Chris Rodda

So, today {January 16} is Religious Freedom Day, the anniversary of the passage of Thomas Jefferson’s Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom. No, I’m not going to post Jefferson’s statute; I’m going to post something cooler than that — one of my favorite lines ever written by Jefferson.

The background: Jefferson drafted his religious freedom statute in 1777 and introduced it in 1779, but it didn’t go anywhere. It wasn’t until 1786 that Jefferson’s statute was passed. Jefferson was in France at the time, so it was Madison who reintroduced the religious freedom statute. This was right after James Madison defeated Patrick Henry’s bill to tax everybody in Virginia to support teachers of the Christian religion.

Jefferson couldn’t stand Patrick Henry and his theocratic agenda, and made this quite clear in one {of} his letters to Madison while Madison was battling Henry’s bill for a Christian religious tax. When Madison wrote to Jefferson asking what they should do about Henry, Jefferson replied:

“While Mr. Henry Lives another bad constitution would be formed, and saddled for ever on us. What we have to do I think is devoutly to pray for his death …”

Of course, the Christian nationalist history revisionists either ignore this line from Jefferson, or claim it is made up by evil secularists to impugn the character of our very Christian founding fathers.
....

{This is} from a letter written by Thomas Jefferson to James Madison on December 8, 1784, and can be found on pages 353-354 of The Republic Of Letters, The Correspondence between Thomas Jefferson and James Madison 1776-1826, Volume I.

Patrick Henry was the first governor of Virginia, and Thomas Jefferson was the second. We really got off to a great start, didn't we?

If only Cuccinelli knew Virginia history.

[Panich52]

1. For almost 30 years I've been fighting theocrats. First realized they were a threat from

posts on early bulletin board, Prodigy. That's also when I started supporting Natl Center for Science Education because my on-line battles we're usually about creationists' attempts to destroy science Education in public schools.

[lapucelle]

2. And after all that, we still wound up with Pence.