Today is Religious Freedom Day, commemorating Virginia's adoption of the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom on January 16, 1786. President Biden last week signed a Proclamation (full text) designating today as Religious Freedom Day in 2024. The Proclamation reads in part:
Everyone must be free to practice their faith without fear, whether they are gathering for worship, attending a religious school, participating in the activities of other faith-based organizations, or simply walking down the street wearing the symbols of their faith. That is why, working with the Congress, my Administration secured the greatest increase in funding in our history for the physical security of non-profits — including churches, gurdwaras, mosques, synagogues, temples, and other places of worship. In my 2024 Budget proposal to the Congress, I requested that this funding be raised to $360 million, and my Administration works continually to protect places of worship, including through an annual Protecting Places of Worship Week of Action.
