Religious Freedom Day, 2007
A Proclamation by the President of the United States of America
On Religious Freedom Day, we commemorate the passage of the 1786
Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom, authored by Thomas Jefferson,
and we celebrate the First Amendment's protection of religious freedom.
Across the centuries, people have come to America seeking to worship
the Almighty freely. Today, our citizens profess many different faiths,
and we welcome every religion. Yet people in many countries live without
the freedom to worship as they choose and some face persecution for
their beliefs. My Administration is working with our friends and allies
around the globe to advance common values and spread the blessings of
liberty to every corner of the world. Freedom is a gift from the
Almighty, written in the heart and soul of every man, woman, and child,
and we must continue to promote the importance of religious freedom at
home and abroad.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States of
America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and
laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim January 16, 2007, as
Religious Freedom Day. I call on all Americans to reflect on the great
blessing of religious liberty, endeavor to preserve this freedom for
future generations, and commemorate this day with appropriate events and
activities in their schools, places of worship, neighborhoods, and
homes.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this eleventh day of
January, in the year of our Lord two thousand seven, and of the
Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and
thirty-first.
GEORGE W. BUSH
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