Recognizing National Religious Freedom Day

Floor Speech

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Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize National Religious Freedom Day, which was celebrated last week on January 16.

Religious Freedom Day commemorates the Virginia General Assembly's adoption of Thomas Jefferson's landmark Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom on January 16, 1786. The statute became the basis for the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution and led to freedom of religion for all Americans.

We are blessed to live in a country where a person is able to practice whatever religion they so choose without fear of persecution from government.

The First Amendment protects freedom of religion, along with the freedom of speech and the freedom of the press. This assurance of freedom gives us all the opportunity to openly practice and speak our beliefs and allows me to speak on the House floor right now.

The United States is a place where all faiths can be peacefully practiced, free from fear of persecution. The very foundation of our Nation, a place of freedom and liberty for all, was conceived by individuals in search of religious freedom.

Mr. Speaker, the United States of America will always be a beacon of light in the world, and we will always protect our fundamental, unified commitment of religious freedom.

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