Rounds, Colleagues Celebrate Religious Freedom Day

WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) today joined a number of his Senate colleagues to introduce a resolution designating January 16th as Religious Freedom Day. This Resolution also commemorates the Virginia Statute’s for Religious Freedom’s 234th anniversary, a statute that laid the foundations for the First Amendment.  

“Freedom to practice religion without the fear of persecution is a fundamental human right and a pillar of our form of government in the United States,” Rounds said. “The U.S. Constitution protects the rights of all Americans to worship freely. Sadly, not all countries share our views on religious freedom, and religious minorities around the world are punished for their beliefs. Americans must continue fighting to protect religious freedom until it is recognized as a basic human right everywhere.”

Joining Rounds in introducing the Religious Freedom Day Resolution are Sens. Steve Daines (R-Mont.), James Lankford (R-Okla.), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), James Risch (R-Idaho), Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), Mike Braun (R-Ind.), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), Bill Cassidy (R-La.), Tim Scott (R-S.C.) and Rick Scott (R-Fla.)

Text of the Resolution can be found HERE. 

Thomas Jefferson wrote the Virginia Statute’s for Religious Freedom, which passed the Virginia General Assembly on January 16, 1786. Many historians credit the language of Jefferson’s Statute for inspiring the groundwork for the First Amendment.

Every year since 1992, January 16th has been designated as Religious Freedom Day.