[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Con. Res. 27 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
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117th 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 protected for all people
of the United States under the Constitution of the United States, and
recognizing the 236th anniversary of the enactment of the Virginia
Statute for Religious Freedom.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
January 13 (legislative day, January 10), 2022
Mr. Daines (for himself, Mr. Blunt, Mr. Tillis, Mr. Rubio, Mr. Braun,
Mr. Thune, Mrs. Blackburn, Mr. Risch, Mrs. Hyde-Smith, Mr. Inhofe, Mr.
Hoeven, Mr. Wicker, Mr. Lankford, and Mr. Scott of South Carolina)
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 protected for all people
of the United States under the Constitution of the United States, and
recognizing the 236th anniversary of the enactment of the Virginia
Statute for Religious Freedom.
Whereas the democracy of the United States is rooted in the fundamental truth
that all people are created equal, endowed by the Creator with certain
inalienable rights, including life, liberty, and the pursuit of
happiness;
Whereas the freedom of conscience was highly valued by--
(1) individuals seeking religious freedom who settled in the colonies
in the United States;
(2) the founders of the United States; and
(3) Thomas Jefferson, who wrote in a letter to the Society of the
Methodist Episcopal Church at New London, Connecticut, dated February 4,
1809, that ``[n]o provision in our Constitution ought to be dearer to man
than that which protects the rights of conscience against the enterprizes
of the civil authority'';
Whereas the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom was--
(1) drafted by Thomas Jefferson, who considered the Virginia Statute
for Religious Freedom to be one of his greatest achievements;
(2) enacted on January 16, 1786; and
(3) the forerunner to the Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment
to the Constitution of the United States;
Whereas section 2(a) of the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 (22
U.S.C. 6401(a)) states that--
(1) ``[t]he right to freedom of religion undergirds the very origin and
existence of the United States''; and
(2) religious freedom was established by the founders of the United
States ``in law, as a fundamental right and as a pillar of our Nation'';
Whereas the role of religion in society and public life in the United States has
a long and robust tradition;
Whereas individuals who have studied the democracy of the United States from an
international perspective, such as Alexis de Tocqueville, have noted
that religion plays a central role in preserving the Government of the
United States because religion provides the moral base required for
democracy to succeed;
Whereas, in Town of Greece v. Galloway, 134 S. Ct. 1811 (2014), the Supreme
Court of the United States affirmed 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 a Presidential
proclamation on Religious Freedom Day in 2011, and freedom of religion
``is a universal human right to be protected here at home and across the
globe'', as expressed by that President of the United States on
Religious Freedom Day in 2013;
Whereas ``[f]reedom 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 a Presidential proclamation
on Religious Freedom Day in 1999;
Whereas the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States protects--
(1) the right of individuals to freely express and act on the religious
beliefs of those individuals; and
(2) individuals from coercion to profess or act on a religious belief
to which those individuals 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 remarks
accompanying the signing of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of
1993 (42 U.S.C. 2000bb et seq.);
Whereas, for countless people of the United States, faith is an integral part of
every aspect of daily life and is not limited to the homes, houses of
worship, or doctrinal creeds of those individuals;
Whereas ``religious faith has inspired many of our fellow citizens to help build
a better Nation'' in which ``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 a Presidential proclamation
on Religious Freedom Day in 2003;
Whereas, ``[f]rom 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(a) of the International Religious
Freedom Act of 1998 (22 U.S.C. 6401(a));
Whereas Thomas Jefferson wrote--
(1) in 1798 that each right encompassed in the First Amendment to the
Constitution of the United States is dependent on the other rights
described in that Amendment, ``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''; and
(2) in 1822 that the constitutional freedom of religion is ``the most
inalienable and sacred of all human rights'';
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 a 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 a Presidential proclamation on Religious Freedom Day in 1998: Now,
therefore, be it
Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives concurring),
That Congress--
(1) on Religious Freedom Day on January 16, 2022, honors
the 236th anniversary of the enactment of the Virginia Statute
for Religious Freedom; and
(2) affirms that--
(A) for individuals of any faith and individuals of
no faith, religious freedom includes the right of an
individual to live, work, associate, and worship in
accordance with the beliefs of the individual;
(B) all people of the United States can be unified
in supporting religious freedom, regardless of
differing individual beliefs, because religious freedom
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 a Presidential
proclamation on Religious Freedom Day in 2012.
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