Religious Freedom Day, 2004

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Part V

The President

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Proclamation 7753--Religious Freedom Day, 2004

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Title 3--
The President

Proclamation 7753 of January 16, 2004

Religious Freedom Day, 2004

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

America is a land of many faiths, and the right to
religious freedom is a foundation of our Nation. On
Religious Freedom Day, Americans acknowledge the
centrality of their faith and reaffirm that the great
strength of our country is the heart and soul of our
citizens.

Religious Freedom Day celebrates the passage of the
Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom on January 16,
1786. Thomas Jefferson, drafter of the legislation,
considered it one of his three greatest
accomplishments, along with writing the Declaration of
Independence and founding the University of Virginia.
Recognizing the importance of faith to our people, our
Founding Fathers guaranteed religious freedom in the
Constitution.

Protecting our religious freedom requires the vigilance
of the American people and of government at all levels.
Within my Administration, the Department of Justice is
acting to protect religious freedom, including
prosecuting those who attack people or places of
worship because of religious affiliation. The
Department of Education has issued new guidelines that
allow students to engage in constitutionally protected
religious activity in public schools. These guidelines
protect, for example, students' rights to say a prayer
before meals in the cafeteria, to gather with other
students before school to pray, and to engage in other
expressions of personal faith.

Through my Faith-Based and Community Initiative, my
Administration continues to encourage the essential
work of faith-based and community organizations.
Governments can and should support effective social
services, including those provided by religious people
and organizations. When government gives that support,
it is important that faith-based institutions not be
forced to change their religious character. In December
2002, I signed an Executive Order to end discrimination
against faith-based organizations in the Federal grants
process. In September 2003, in implementing this order,
my Administration eliminated many of the barriers that
have kept faith-based charities from partnering with
the Federal Government to help Americans in need. Six
Federal agencies have proposed or finalized new
regulations to ensure that no organization or
beneficiary will be discriminated against in a
Federally funded social service program on the basis of
religion.

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, 2004, as
Religious Freedom Day. I urge all Americans to reflect
on the blessings of our religious freedom and to
observe this day through appropriate events and
activities in homes, schools, and places of worship.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
sixteenth day of January, in the year of our Lord two
thousand four, and of the Independence of the United
States of America the two hundred and twenty-eighth.

(Presidential Sig.)B