by Jeff Bayard
Most Americans have never read the First Amendment religious liberty protections that apply to them — especially here in Virginia. They know the amendment exists. They just don’t know what it says. And even fewer know that Virginia adds a second layer of protection on top of it.
Here is the federal text:
“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof…”
— U.S. Constitution, First Amendment
Now read what Virginia wrote — in 1776, before the federal Bill of Rights even existed:
“That religion or the duty which we owe to our Creator, and the manner of discharging it, can be directed only by reason and conviction, not by force or violence; and, therefore, all men are equally entitled to the free exercise of religion, according to the dictates of conscience…”
— Virginia Constitution, Article I, Section 16
Notice the difference. The federal amendment restrains government: Congress shall not. Virginia’s constitution gives you an affirmative right: all men are equally entitled. You don’t just have the right to believe privately. You have the right to live your faith — in your home, your business, your counseling office, your daily life.
That is double-layered protection. It was meant to be ironclad.
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