托馬斯’傑斐遜
(THOMAS JEFFERSON)維’尼’’教’由’’
A Bill for Establishing Religious Freedom in Virginia
(American Memory Collection, Library of Congress)
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我們維’尼’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’任’’不’’’迫參’’支援任’’教禮’’’教場’’傳’職’’任’’不’’’’教見解’’仰不’而’肉體’’産’’’’’’’’’騷’’’擔’’’’’’
托馬斯’傑斐遜滿腔熱情’’’’由’’’原’’爲’’’’個目’’’不’提倡言論’由’’’’由及’教’教’’由’像’’輩’’’有教’’’’樣’’’’楚’類爲’教偏見’’’’’價’’少’’’’’’教偏見’’’’成仇視’’’’原’’1779’’傑斐遜’維’尼’議’提’’’’個劃’’’’’’’’’’1786’’個’’’’正’’’’’’中對’教’由’’證’’’’’’國憲’第’’正’’’’’’該’正’’止國’’立’教’’’’教’’由’
傑斐遜’爲’’墓’’’’墓’銘中’’’“’裏’著托馬斯’傑斐遜’’’國’立’言’’’’’維’尼’’教’由’’’’’’’維’尼’’學之’’”
’’誰都’’’’們’見解’’仰’不’’’’們’’志’而’’’識’順應’’’’們提’’證據’’’’’’’’把’’’’創’成’由’’而’’’把’’’成完’不’’’’’’’’’’最高旨’’’’’必須’’’由’任’’圖’’’間’’’’壓迫’’’’’’’限’’’’’’’’’’’結’’’’’成虛僞’’鄙’習’’’離我們’教’’’創’’’旨’’’’軀體’精’’’’’’’’不’’’’’不’’’我們’軀體’精’’揚’’旨’’而’’’對’’本身’’’’提高它’有’’’間’’教’中’立’’’統’’’’們本身不’’’犯錯’’’有’’’’’而竟’對’’不’’’爲’們有’’’’’’’’仰’’們把’’’’見’’’說成’唯’永’錯’’’’’’’’
’’’’’’’’’’種’’’’’絕’’數’方’’立’’維’’’’虛假’’教而’’’迫’個’’錢’用’黨傳’’不’’’’厭’’見解’’’’’’橫’’爲’’’’迫’個’支援’’屬教’中’’’’那’’’’’’’剝奪’個’’’由’’’不’心情舒’’把錢’給’’’’’’’’’’’爲’’爲’’’’’’’’’爲’’’’’而’’覺’’’’’最有說’’’善’’’’’’’’剝奪’’’們應’’間’’’報’’而’’由’’們個’’’爲’’’’而獲’’報’’正足’鼓’’們’’’’孜孜不倦’’’’傳教’我們’公民’’不’’’我們’’教見解’正’它不’’’我們’’’學’’’學’’見解’樣’’’’’’’’個’不’’’’’’棄’個’那個’教見解’’’說’’’’擔任’’’任’’有’俸’職務’’’’’’’個’不值’’衆’賴’那’’極不’重’剝奪’’’’’’’’’而對’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’樣’有天賦’’’’給那’’面’’稱’’’’’教’’賄’’’’間’’’報’’’’’’樣’’對那種’教’’揚’教’’’’’’’’’’’誘’’’’’都’’’’’’那’’’’’’’路’’’誘餌’’’不’算’’白’’’’’’’’見解’不’文’’’’’’導’’’不屬’管轄’圍’’’我們’忍’’’Ⅸ把’’’’’’’見解’領域’任’們假’’’’教’教’有’傾’而限’’們’’’傳播它們’那’’’個’’’’’錯’做’’’’馬’’’’切’教’由’’爲’’’’’’教’傾’’’當’’由’個’Ⅸ’’’’’’’個’’見解’爲’’’準繩’對’’’’見解’’’’’’’’’’’見解’’’’’’’’’忍’’見解’而予’贊’’斥’’當’教教’’’轉化爲公’反對’平’正’’’’’爲’’’’’Ⅸ爲’’’’正當目’’’有足夠’間’’’’’’最’’’’’偉’’’’’聽’’’’它’’’’’風’’’爲’’’謬’’’當而有’’對手’’’’’謬’’衝’中’’’’’’’懼’’它’’’類’’’’’解除’天賦’’器’’’由引證’’由’論’’切謬’’’’’’’’’由反駁’’候’’不’’’’
’’我們維’尼’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’任’’不’’’迫參’’支援任’’教禮’’’教場’’傳’職’’任’’不’由’’’教見解’’仰不’’而’肉體’’産’’’’’’’’’騷’’’擔’’’’’’任’’都應該有’由’’’’仰’’’教’’’’’論’維’’’’教問’’’見解’而’’絕不’’’而’’’’’’’’’公民’’’
’’雖’我們’’’’個’’’’’’’’民爲’立’’’’’目’而選’産生’’我們’’限’今’’’’’産生’’’’’爲今’’’’’’’有’我們’樣’’’’’’’’’’項’’’不’推翻’’’不’有任’’’’’’’’’我們還’有’由’’’而’必須’’’我們’’裏’’’’’’’都’’類’天賦’’’’’今’’’’任’’’’’把目’’個’’’’’’’’實’’圍’那麽’樣’’’’’對天賦’’’’犯’
Thomas
Jefferson
A Bill for Establishing Religions Freedom in Virginia
SECTION 1.
Well aware that the opinions and belief of men depend not on their own will, but
follow involuntarily the evidence proposed to their minds; that Almighty God
hath created the mind free, and manifested his supreme will that free it shall
remain by making it altogether insusceptible of restraint; that all attempts to
influence it by temporal punishments, or burthens, or by civil incapacitations,
tend only to beget habits of hypocrisy and meanness, and are a departure from
the plan of the holy author of our religion, who being lord both of body and
mind, yet chose not to propagate it by coercions on either, as was in his
almighty power to do, but to exalt it by its influence on reason alone; that the
impious presumption of legislature and ruler, civil as well as ecclesiastical,
who, being themselves but fallible and uninspired men, have assumed dominion
over the faith of others, setting up their own opinions and modes of thinking as
the only true and infallible, and as such endeavoring to impose them on others,
hath established and maintained false religions over the greatest part of the
world and through all time: that to compel a man to furnish contributions of
money for the propagation of opinions which he disbelieves and abhors is sinful
and tyrannical; that even the forcing him to support this or that teacher of his
own religious persuasion is depriving him of the comfortable liberty of giving
his contributions to the particular pastor whose morals he would make his
pattern and whose powers he feels most persuasive to righteousness, and is
Withdrawing from the ministry those temporary rewards which proceeding from an
approbation of their personal conduct, are an additional incitement to earnest
and unremitting labors for the instruction of mankind; that our civil rights
have no dependence on our religious opinions, any more than our opinions in
physics or geometry; and therefore the proscribing any citizen as un worthy the
public confidence by laying upon him an incapacity of being called to offices of
trust or emolument, unless he profess or renounce this or that religious
opinion, is depriving him injudiciously of those privileges and advantages to
which, in common with his fellow citizens, he has a natural right; that it tends
also to corrupt the principles of that very religion it is meant to encourage,
by bribing with a monopoly of worldly honors and emoluments those who will
externally profess and conform to it; that though indeed these are criminals who
do not withstand such temptation, yet neither are those innocent who lay the
bait in their way; that the opinions of men are not the object of civil
government, nor under its jurisdiction; that to suffer the civil magistrate to
intrude his powers into the field of opinion and to restrain the profession or
propagation of principles on supposition of their ill tendency is a dangerous
fallacy, which at once destroys all religious liberty, because he being of
course judge of that tendency will make his opinions the rule of judgment and
approve or condemn the sentiments of others only as they shall square -with or
suffer from his own; that it is time enough for the rightful purposes of civil
government for its officers to interfere when principles break out into overt
acts against peace and good order; and finally, that the truth is great and will
prevail if left to herself; that she is the proper and sufficient antagonist to
error, and has nothing to fear from the conflict unless by human interposition
disarmed of her natural weapons, free argument and debate; errors ceasing to be
dangerous when it is permitted freely to contradict them.
SECTION
II. We the General Assembly of Virginia do enact that no man shall be compelled
to frequent or support any religious worship, place, or ministry whatsoever, nor
shall be enforced, restrained, molested, or burthened in his body or goods, or
shall otherwise suffer, on account of his religious opinions or beliefs; but
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.
SECTION
III. And though we well know that this Assembly, elected by the people for their
ordinary purposes of legislation only, have no power to restrain the acts of
succeeding Assemblies, constituted with powers equal to our own, and that
therefore to declare this act to be irrevocable would be of no effect in law;
yet we are free to declare, and do declare, that the rights hereby asserted are
of the natural rights of mankind, and that if any act shall be hereafter passed
to repeal the present or to narrow its operations, such act will be an
infringement of natural right.
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