James Madison Papers

Article on Religion Adopted by Convention, [12 June 1776]

Article on Religion Adopted by Convention

Printed text (Proceedings of the Convention, May 1776, p. 43).

[12 June 1776]

16. 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; and that it is the mutual duty of all to practise Christian forbearance, love, and charity, towards each other.10

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    Madison Papers
    Title
    Article on Religion Adopted by Convention, [12 June 1776]
    Authors
    Madison, James
    Mason, George
    Date
    12 June 1776

    Reference

    Cite as
    “Article on Religion Adopted by Convention, [12 June 1776],” Founders Online, National Archives, https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Madison/01-01-02-0054-0004. [Original source: The Papers of James Madison, vol. 1, 16 March 1751 – 16 December 1779, ed. William T. Hutchinson and William M. E. Rachal. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1962, p. 175.]