Religious Freedom Day

 

An annual observance to celebrate religious freedoms occurs on January 16th. By presidential declaration January 16th s the day for all Americans to "observe the day through appropriate activities in homes, schools, and places of worship. January 16th is the date that commences the passage of the Virginia Statue for Religious Freedom passed by the Virginia's Assembly on January 16, 1786

Jefferson drafted the Religious Freedom declaration which intended to limit public religious xpressions of students, teachers, coaches, chaplains, schools, organizations an communities.

” Almighty God hath created the mind free, and…all attempts to influence it by temporal punishments…tend only to begat habits of hypocrisy and meanness,and are a departure from the plan of the Holy Author of religion, who being Lord both of body and mind, yet chose not to propagate it by coercions on either, as was in his Almighty power to do, but to extend it by its influence on reason alone.”