In 1786, the Virginia General Assembly adopted the Virginia Statute for Establishing Religious Freedom, a bill drafted by Thomas Jefferson which affirmed the right of Virginians to choose their faith without coercion and separated the roles of church and state.

Jefferson wrote, “Almighty God hath created the mind free... all attempts to influence it” by civil authorities, only “beget habits of hypocrisy and meanness, and are a departure from the plan of the holy author of our religion.”

That Virginia statute later served as the model for the First Amendment of the United States Constitution.The founding fathers were right to adopt the First Amendment; relying on the state to do the work of faith communities only leads to division and alienation of those who don't profess the 'right' religious beliefs. But today, we are witness to a movement, Christian Nationalism, which seeks to implement policies which favors the Christian religion. One supportive legislator even said she was "tired of this separation of church and state junk.” Other Christian nationalists often portray any who oppose their objectives as godless.

The Baptist Joint Committee is the only national faith-based group solely focused on protecting religious freedom for all. The group is now focusing on forming a Central Virginia chapter to help educate citizens about the issues which threaten our religious freedom. The work is just beginning, but we invite you to sign up to be on the email list and be informed as we plan events and campaigns.