Religious Freedom Day
In 1992, Congress designated January 16th as Religious Freedom Day to celebrate the enactment in 1786 of the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom, stipulating that it be commemorated by a presidential proclamation each year.
Written by Thomas Jefferson and championed by James Madison, the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom was the forerunner to the approach to religion and government taken by the Framers of the Constitution in 1787, and the First Amendment in 1789.
Today, Christian Nationalists in Congress are using the concept of religious freedom to enshrine Christian supremacy in our nations laws.
We are fighting back!
Ask your lawmakers and/or student government to introduce a proclamation or resolution in your area!
Here's how:
1. A governor, mayor, or county executive can adopt a proclamation in favor of Religious Freedom Day.
- In many places, there are forms on the website to request these types of proclamations.
- If no form is available, you would need to reach out to the office, request the proclamation, and provide the sample language.
2. A state legislature or town or municipal council can introduce a resolution supporting Religious Freedom Day. You would need to reach out to a friendly lawmaker in one of these bodies and ask them to introduce the measure.
- Download the example resolution. This example was based on the resolution that passed in the District of Columbia last year.
Questions? Need help?
Contact us anytime at organizers@secularstudents.org