Two weeks from today, the nation will celebrate Religious Freedom Day.
Don't feel bad if you were not aware of that. Most people aren't. Religious Freedom Day, which is celebrated every Jan. 16, tends to be somewhat obscure. My desk calendar, which includes Groundhog Day, Armed Forces Day and Benito Juarez's Birthday, does not list Religious Freedom Day.
That's a shame. The holiday commemorates the Virginia General Assembly's passage of Thomas Jefferson's Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom on Jan. 16, 1786. This pioneering legislation, regarded as a precursor to the Constitution's First Amendment, ended the state-established church in Virginia and went on to guarantee religious liberty for all.
A little background is helpful: In Virginia, the Anglican Church was established by law. Dissenters, which included Presbyterians, Baptists and Enlightenment-era Deists, spent years pushing for change.
James Madison was no fan of this proposal – he called it "obnoxious" and "dishonorable." Madison was determined to see the Henry bill die, and he penned the classic "Memorial and Remonstrance Against Religious Assessments" in 1785, which rallied opposition to the measure.
Madison's eloquent arguments did the trick: Henry's bill was defeated. But Madison didn't stop there. He also resurrected Jefferson's religious liberty bill and pushed it through the legislature. As noted, it became law on Jan. 16, 1786.
Jefferson was representing U.S. interests in France while much of this was going on. But Madison wrote to him regularly and kept him informed about developments. Years later, Jefferson noted that after Madison re-introduced the Virginia Statute, some legislators attempted to amend it so that it protected Christians only.
Considering the times, this was nothing short of remarkable. Within the space of a few years, Virginia went from having an established church to a system that protected the rights of everyone – even Muslims, Hindus and infidels!
I think you can see why the Religious Right is not very fond of this history. It explodes their phony "Christian nation" vision of America.
Americans United and other groups are working with Clarkson to get the word out about Religious Freedom Day. What can you do to help?
Lots of things. Encourage local media to write about the day. Send a letter to the editor of your local newspaper. If you're active on social media, post about the day on Facebook and issue tweets about.
If you blog or know bloggers who write about church-state issues, religious liberty, freethought issues or related topics, use those platforms to spread the word about Religious Freedom Day.
Are of you of an artistic bent? Think up some clever graphics and share them online. Don't overlook the power of visual material. A clever graphic or video can go viral on social media.
And please don't hesitate to use the resources linked to in this post, including the text of the Virginia Statute itself. We want this material to be shared.
Clarkson is right. The rise of true religious freedom in America is an amazing story. It's one that we must not hesitate to tell over and over. We'll have an opportunity in the next few weeks to tell that story. Let's get to work.