How Did Thomas Jefferson Support Religious Freedom

In 1779, Thomas Jefferson drafted the Bill for Establishing Religious Freedom to end the taxation implemented by the government to support the Anglican church in Virginia. Although Jefferson’s bill was heavily supported by Methodists, Baptists, Quakers, and other denominations, it was also strongly opposed by American citizens who fought for government and church interdependence, led feverishly by Anti-Federalist leader Patrick Henry. In 1786, the Bill for Establishing Religious Freedom in Virginia finally became a law; citizens no longer have to pay taxes to support the Anglican church, or a denomination of any kind for that matter. Therefore, deriving from his belief that the church and the state ought to be separate functioning entities,

In general, Jefferson felt that religion should be an independent choice as to what a person wishes to put faith in and where an individual wanted his/her earnings to go. Within this idea, Jefferson also added that he felt it was consequently unjustifiable to be taxed for something that an individual might not think is true, making the notion of religious personal preference an even more important component in his support for religious freedom. For example, to paraphrase, Jefferson states that the men in government have set up a system where there is only one way to worship, only one way to think and to believe; anything besides that truth is a lie. Moreover, Jefferson writes, “...that to compel a man to furnish contributions of money for the propagation of opinions which he disbelieves and abhors, is sinful and tyrannical.” In these statements, Jefferson explicitly says that citizens should not be forced to pay a tax to churches because citizens may hold different faith and values; they should not have to support an organization they do not agree with and they should not have to be told to only believe one truth. Often, when clergy told citizens to believe in only one truth, Jefferson stood on the idea “to not be uneasy then about the different roads we may pursue [to heaven]...in the hope that by these different paths

Before Jefferson’s Bill for Establishing Religious Freedom was enacted, it was challenging for men to receive the opportunity to hold a position in office if they were not part of the Anglican church. Jefferson elaborated on this concept when he wrote “...by laying upon him an incapacity of being called to offices of trust or emolument, unless he profess or renounce this or that religious opinion, is depriving him injudiciously of those privileges and advantages to which...he has a natural right.” Just as Jefferson did not see a connection or correlation to civil rights and faith, he did not see a connection or correlation regarding politics and faith. In general, Jefferson wanted political culture to be established on meritocracy, not faith. This political discrimination towards men with the wrong beliefs led to Jefferson’s support for religious freedom.
Consequently, Jefferson’s ideas and reasons to affirm the idea of religious personal preference, to end the forced practices of the unpopular Anglican church, to uphold the ideals of inherent civil rights, and to enable citizens to hold office positions regardless of faith sparked a change in America and impacted society in countless