[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 14 (Monday, January 22, 2018)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 3057-3058]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-01234]



[[Page 3055]]

Vol. 83

Monday,

No. 14

January 22, 2018

Part II





The President





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Proclamation 9690--Religious Freedom Day, 2018
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  Federal Register / Vol. 83 , No. 14 / Monday, January 22, 2018 / 
Presidential Documents  

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 Title 3--
 The President

[[Page 3057]]

                Proclamation 9690 of January 16, 2018

                
Religious Freedom Day, 2018

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                Faith is embedded in the history, spirit, and soul of 
                our Nation. On Religious Freedom Day, we celebrate the 
                many faiths that make up our country, and we 
                commemorate the 232nd anniversary of the passing of a 
                State law that has shaped and secured our cherished 
                legacy of religious liberty.

                Our forefathers, seeking refuge from religious 
                persecution, believed in the eternal truth that freedom 
                is not a gift from the government, but a sacred right 
                from Almighty God. On the coattails of the American 
                Revolution, on January 16, 1786, the Virginia General 
                Assembly passed the Virginia Statute of Religious 
                Freedom. This seminal bill, penned by Thomas Jefferson, 
                states that, ``all men shall be free to profess, and by 
                argument to maintain, their opinions in matters of 
                religion, and that the same shall in no wise diminish, 
                enlarge, or affect their civil capacities.'' Five years 
                later, these principles served as the inspiration for 
                the First Amendment, which affirms our right to choose 
                and exercise faith without government coercion or 
                reprisal.

                Today, Americans from diverse ethnic and religious 
                backgrounds remain steadfast in a commitment to the 
                inherent values of faith, honesty, integrity, and 
                patriotism. Our Constitution and laws guarantee 
                Americans the right not just to believe as they see 
                fit, but to freely exercise their religion. 
                Unfortunately, not all have recognized the importance 
                of religious freedom, whether by threatening tax 
                consequences for particular forms of religious speech, 
                or forcing people to comply with laws that violate 
                their core religious beliefs without sufficient 
                justification. These incursions, little by little, can 
                destroy the fundamental freedom underlying our 
                democracy. Therefore, soon after taking office, I 
                addressed these issues in an Executive Order that helps 
                ensure Americans are able to follow their consciences 
                without undue Government interference and the 
                Department of Justice has issued guidance to Federal 
                agencies regarding their compliance with laws that 
                protect religious freedom. No American--whether a nun, 
                nurse, baker, or business owner--should be forced to 
                choose between the tenets of faith or adherence to the 
                law.

                The United States is also the paramount champion for 
                religious freedom around the world, because we do not 
                believe that conscience rights are only for Americans. 
                We will continue to condemn and combat extremism, 
                terrorism, and violence against people of faith, 
                including genocide waged by the Islamic State of Iraq 
                and Syria against Yezidis, Christians, and Shia 
                Muslims. We will be undeterred in our commitment to 
                monitor religious persecution and implement policies 
                that promote religious freedom. Through these efforts, 
                we strive for the day when people of all faiths can 
                follow their hearts and worship according to their 
                consciences.

                The free exercise of religion is a source of personal 
                and national stability, and its preservation is 
                essential to protecting human dignity. Religious 
                diversity strengthens our communities and promotes 
                tolerance, respect, understanding, and equality. Faith 
                breathes life and hope into our world. We must 
                diligently guard, preserve, and cherish this 
                unalienable right.

[[Page 3058]]

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, DONALD J. TRUMP, President of the 
                United States of America, by virtue of the authority 
                vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the 
                United States, do hereby proclaim January 16, 2018, as 
                Religious Freedom Day. I call on all Americans to 
                commemorate this day with events and activities that 
                remind us of our shared heritage of religious liberty 
                and teach us to secure this blessing both at home and 
                abroad.

                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                sixteenth day of January, in the year of our Lord two 
                thousand eighteen, and of the Independence of the 
                United States of America the two hundred and forty-
                second.
                
                
                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. 2018-01234
Filed 1-19-18; 11:15 am]
Billing code 3295-F8-P