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Devin Abrams

Mrs.Paisant

Virginia History

11-12-2021

3.7.W - Assignment Instructions: Religious Freedom in Virginia Project

Why is religious freedom so important in the united states? Religious freedom is

important in the United States because it protects our rights to live, speak, and act according to

their beliefs privately and publicly.

How did the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom change Virginia society? In 1786

Virginia passed the Statute for Religious Freedom, enlisted by Thomas Jefferson. This new statue

soon became the model for the first amendment to the U.S. Constitution. When Virginia was in

its earliest days, many of the colonists came from England and were subscribed to the church of

England. Virginia ministers were required to preach Christianity according to the church of

England. A law was passed in Virginia in 1611 that required all Virginians to attend church on the

Sabbath. For Virginians, this was a big strike for control from the newly forming government.

On the 4th of July, 1776, the Declaration of Independence was approved and passed by

the continental congress. The Declaration of Independence declared that the United States is

Independent of Britain. With this new free land of people, the United States was in need of some

new rules of the land. James Madison produced the Virginia Declaration of rights. Within a part

of this document, it stated that, “all men are equally entitled to the full and free exercise of

religion, according to the dictates of conscience.”

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Virginia had made an attempt to separate the church from the influence of religious affairs. This

meant that if the religion that you subscribed to, said that you don't believe in the sabbath, and

you couldn't eat certain meats, etc. that you would be 100% free to do so. This was If and only if

It does not cause harm to others. This meant that the government had no power to decide what

you believe in and how things will be done. It was the next step towards more freedom in

America.

Do you see examples of how religious freedom has been threatened today? The fight for

power and/or control lives is all of us. Some more than others. this means that people will go out

of their way to "cancel" anybody who thinks differently than them. Today, people like office

workers, artists, and everyday people are being "canceled" due to their beliefs. I don't think, but

know that that this is a threat to the Statue of Religious Freedom in the United States of America.

The majority of all "canceling" is done on major social media sources like Instagram,

Twitter, Facebook, and Snapchat. People who strive for control will associate themselves with

groups on various social media sources and will "Cancel" anybody who thinks differently of

them not just religiously, but politicly. This is called Cancel Culture. The majority of all

"canceling" is done on major social media sources like Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and

Snapchat. This culture is threatening the Statute for Religious Freedom by creating the idea that

not everybody is free to think and do what their religion encourages. I believe that these groups

of people and cultures need to be "canceled" themselves. If these groups and cultures continue to

shun people for their beliefs, they will end up growing and eventually getting so big and

destructive that they will greatly impact the documents we Americans hold so dearly. These

people will grow so big that they will get the majority of votes in major elections like the

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presidential election. This will cause changes to be made, and ones that will take these

documents that our founding fathers created and figuratively have them be used as toilet paper.

In summary, the United States in is need of a big change. Our Statue for religious

freedom, The United States Constitution, and the Bill of Rights will be at risk of major changes.

Our Major documents are very important and need to be given the respect they deserve.

With all of this said, I ask to all who read this, do you think the Statue for Religious

freedom is at risk?

Citations:

Constitutional Rights Foundation Billofrightsinaction. https://www.crf-usa.org/images/

pdf/bria26_1_virginia.pdf.

“The Virginia Declaration of Rights.” National Archives and Records Administration, National
Archives and Records Administration, https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/virginia-
declaration-of-rights.

Dallas, Kelsey. “What's the Biggest Threat to Religious Freedom in America Today?” Deseret
News, Deseret News, 27 Apr. 2021, https://www.deseret.com/faith/2021/4/27/22402307/
whats-the-biggest-threat-to-religious-freedom-in-america-biden-administration-
intolerance-covid-19.

*, Name. “Can Religious Beliefs Prevent You from Being Arrested?: The Law Of ces of Richard
J. Fuschino Jr..” Aggressive Defense, 3 May 2021, https://aggressivedefense.com/can-
religious-beliefs-prevent-you-from-being-arrested/.

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