National Religious Freedom Day, observed every Jan. 16, is onlyobscurely observed although it officially commemorates the historic day in 1786 when the Virginia Religious Freedom Statute authored by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison separated Virginia and the Anglican Church. They mandated no one “…shall be compelled to frequent or support any religious worship, place, or ministry whatsoever." This landmark law became the basis for our the First Amendment in the U.S. Constitution in 1791. It guaranteed religious freedom for Americans (i.e. the individual right to our religious or non-religious beliefs free from government favor or disfavor – provided no harm occurs to others). The First Amendment also provided genesis for the United Nations proclamation “…everyone shall have the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion.” (Article 18, Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 1948). Human beings, as children, believe in Santa Claus, flying reindeer, elves, Easter bunnies, Halloween witches, fairies, ghosts, angels, devils, gods, etc. from family and community indoctrination though no evidence exists for them. Children want and need to enjoy these beliefs which are by-products of childhood gullibility, obedience and imitation. Adults cease believing in most childhood myths but many continue to believe in angels, devils and […]
