[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Con. Res. 27 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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114th CONGRESS
  2d Session
S. CON. RES. 27

 Affirming the importance of religious freedom as a fundamental human 
  right that is essential to a free society and is protected for all 
 Americans by the text of the Constitution, and recognizing the 230th 
  anniversary of the enactment of the Virginia Statute for Religious 
                                Freedom.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            January 19, 2016

 Mr. Daines (for himself, Mr. Hatch, Mr. Blunt, Mr. Lankford, Mr. Lee, 
Mr. Sasse, Mr. Cassidy, Mr. Risch, Mr. Cotton, Mr. Cochran, Mr. Cornyn, 
    Mr. Boozman, and Mr. Inhofe) submitted the following concurrent 
    resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION


 
 Affirming the importance of religious freedom as a fundamental human 
  right that is essential to a free society and is protected for all 
 Americans by the text of the Constitution, and recognizing the 230th 
  anniversary of the enactment of the Virginia Statute for Religious 
                                Freedom.

Whereas American democracy is rooted in the fundamental truth that all are 
        created equal, endowed by our Creator with certain inalienable rights, 
        among which are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness;
Whereas few freedoms were more valued by those who settled this Nation than the 
        freedom of conscience, prompting Thomas Jefferson to declare in the 
        Letter to New London Methodists, dated February 4, 1809, that ``no 
        provision in our Constitution ought to be dearer to man than that which 
        protects the rights of conscience against the enterprises of the civil 
        authority'';
Whereas the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom, which was drafted by Thomas 
        Jefferson and considered by him to be one of his greatest achievements, 
        was enacted on January 16, 1786, and became the forerunner of the Free 
        Exercise Clause of the First Amendment to the United States 
        Constitution;
Whereas ``the right to freedom of religion undergirds the very origin and 
        existence of the United States'', a freedom which was established by our 
        Nation's founders ``in law, as a fundamental right and as a pillar of 
        our Nation'', as noted in section 2 of the International Religious 
        Freedom Act of 1998;
Whereas the role of religion in American society and public life has a long and 
        robust tradition;
Whereas those who have studied American democracy from an outside perspective, 
        such as Alexis de Tocqueville, have noted that religion plays a central 
        role in preserving our Government because it provides a moral base that 
        is required for democracy to succeed;
Whereas the Supreme Court has affirmed in Town of Greece v. Galloway that 
        ``people of many faiths may be united in a community of tolerance and 
        devotion'';
Whereas the principle of religious freedom ``has guided our Nation forward'', as 
        expressed by the 44th President of the United States in his Presidential 
        Proclamation on Religious Freedom Day in 2011, and ``is a universal 
        human right to be protected here at home and across the globe'', as 
        expressed by the 44th President of the United States on the same 
        occassion in 2013;
Whereas ``Freedom of religion is a fundamental human right that must be upheld 
        by every Nation and guaranteed by every Government'', as expressed by 
        the 42nd President of the United States in his Presidential Proclamation 
        on Religious Freedom Day in 1999;
Whereas the First Amendment protects the right of individuals to freely express 
        and act on their religious beliefs, as well as the freedom of all 
        individuals to not be coerced to profess or act on a religious belief to 
        which they do not adhere;
Whereas ``our laws and institutions should not impede or hinder but rather 
        should protect and preserve fundamental religious liberties'', as 
        expressed by the 42nd President of the United States in his remarks on 
        signing the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993;
Whereas for countless Americans, their faith is an integral part of every aspect 
        of their daily lives, and is not limited to their homes, to houses of 
        worship, or to doctrinal creeds;
Whereas ``religious faith has inspired many of our fellow citizens to help build 
        a better Nation'', where ``people of faith continue to wage a determined 
        campaign to meet needs and fight suffering'', as expressed by the 43rd 
        President of the United States in his Presidential Proclamation on 
        Religious Freedom Day in 2003;
Whereas ``from its birth to this day, the United States has prized this legacy 
        of religious freedom and honored this heritage by standing for religious 
        freedom and offering refuge to those suffering religious persecution'', 
        as noted in section 2 of the International Religious Freedom Act of 
        1998;
Whereas Thomas Jefferson noted in 1822 that the constitutional freedom of 
        religion is ``the most inalienable and sacred of all human rights'', and 
        also wrote in 1798 that each right encompassed in the First Amendment is 
        dependent on the others, ``thereby guarding in the same sentence, and 
        under the same words, the freedom of religion, of speech, and of the 
        press: insomuch, that whatever violated either, throws down the 
        sanctuary which covers the others'';
Whereas religious freedom ``has been integral to the preservation and 
        development of the United States'', and ``the free exercise of religion 
        goes hand in hand with the preservation of our other rights'', as 
        expressed by the 41st President of the United States in his Presidential 
        Proclamation on Religious Freedom Day in 1993; and
Whereas we ``continue to proclaim the fundamental right of all peoples to 
        believe and worship according to their own conscience, to affirm their 
        beliefs openly and freely, and to practice their faith without fear or 
        intimidation'', as expressed by the 42nd President of the United States 
        in his Presidential Proclamation on Religious Freedom Day in 1998; Now, 
        therefore, be it
    Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives concurring), 
That Congress--
            (1) honors the 230th anniversary of the passage of the 
        Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom on Religious Freedom 
        Day, January 16, 2016; and
            (2) affirms that--
                    (A) religious freedom includes the right to live, 
                work, associate, and worship in accordance with one's 
                beliefs for people of any faith or of no faith;
                    (B) all Americans can be unified in supporting 
                religious freedom, regardless of differing individual 
                beliefs, because it is a fundamental human right; and
                    (C) ``the American people will remain forever 
                unshackled in matters of faith'', as expressed by the 
                44th President of the United States in his Presidential 
                Proclamation on Religious Freedom Day in 2012.
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