Foremost among the rights Americans hold sacred is the freedom
to worship as we choose. Today, we celebrate one of our Nation's
first laws to protect that right -- the Virginia Statute for
Religious Freedom. Written by Thomas Jefferson and guided
through the Virginia legislature by James Madison, the Statute
affirmed that "Almighty God hath created the mind free" and "all
men shall be free to profess . . . their opinions in matters of
religion." Years later, our Founders looked to the Statute as a
model when they enshrined the principle of religious liberty in
the Bill of Rights. Because of the protections guaranteed by our
Constitution, each of us has the right to practice our faith
openly and as we choose. As a free country, our story has been
shaped by every language and enriched by every culture. We are a
nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus, Sikhs and
non-believers. Our patchwork heritage is a strength we owe to
our religious freedom. Americans of every faith have molded the
character of our