Postcard image of the Burton Parish Church in Williamsburg, Virginia. Published by now-defunct Genuine Curteich. This image is in the public domain.
That religion, or the duty which we owe to our Creator and the manner of discharging it, can be directed 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; and that it is the mutual duty of all to practice Christian forbearance, love, and charity towards each other.
Not my words. The words of Mr. George Mason as written in the Virginia Declaration of Rights unanimously adopted by the Virginia Convention of Delegates on June 12, 1776.