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– U.S.
– U.S.n
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n“…nonman shall be compelled to frequent or support any religious worship,nplace, or ministry whatsoever, nor shall be enforced, restrained,nmolested, or burthened in his body or goods, nor shall otherwisensuffer on account of his religious opinions or belief, but that allnmen shall be free to profess, and by argument to maintain, theirnopinions in matters of Religion…”
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ThomasnJefferson wrote these words as part of the Virginia Statute fornReligious Freedom. Virginia’s lawmakers adopted the statute on thisnday in 1786. n
ThomasnJefferson wrote these words as part of the Virginia Statute fornReligious Freedom. Virginia’s lawmakers adopted the statute on thisnday in 1786. nn
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nTodaynis the anniversary of that landmark legislation, and so today isncelebrated as Religious Freedom Day.
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nAnlaw is termed “landmark legislation” if it is a new idea that isnoften copied, a turning point of sorts for people and governments.nSince 1786, the U.S. adopted the famous First Amendment to thenconstitution, stating “Congressnshall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, ornprohibiting the free exercise thereof”; the nlegislatures of many other nations have since passed similar bills. n
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nRemember,nthat means that there is no state religion in the United States (asnthere is in England, for example). It means that one religion cannotnbe favored over another by the government or its organizations (suchnas public schools). And it means that nobody can be legally punishednfor their religious viewpoints or membership, nor for having nonreligious beliefs.
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nAlthoughnreligious freedom is hugely important to most Americans, Jefferson’sngreat idea leads to a certain amount of controversy, too. Fornexample, some people are upset that kids can’t pray in publicnschools. But that’s just not true. Kids can silently pray anytimenthey want to in public school—who would even know? Similarly, kidsncan pray aloud or in small groups in some settings and at some timesnin public school. But school teachers and administrators cannot leadnclasses or the entire school in prayer. Anyone who thinks that thenprincipal should be able to lead everyone in prayer shouldnimagine that principal doing so from the vantage point of anothernreligion. For example, a Christian student who wishes there could bena public prayer at graduation should imagine someone leading all thenparticipants to pray to Allah. Mmm, maybe not such a good idea, afternall, is it? A Jewish or Muslim student would feel left out if thenprincipal invoked the name of Jesus in a prayer, and a Buddhist ornatheist student would probably feel left out by a prayer to ansupposedly non-denominational God. n
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n Herenis a news item about freedom of religion, from just a couple of daysnago. Note that you can view the results of the online poll, which seemsnto show that most Americans do understand the value of the separationnof church and state. (Hooray!) n
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nAlsonon this date:
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nMartin Luther King, Jr., Day
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nNational Nothing Day
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nAppreciate a Dragon Day
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nGreat Day for Skates
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