Contrary Quote by Thomas Jefferson
“If anything pass in a religious meeting seditiously and contrary to the public peace, let it be punished in the same manner and no otherwise than as if it had happened in a fair or market.”
About This Quote
Source Treat: Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom, 1786
Public peace should be protected by punishing disruptive religious actions as if they occurred in a market setting.
In simple terms: Disruptive religious acts should be punished like any other disturbance.
Key Takeaway
Uphold public order equally.
Themes
religion
law
public order
Mood
serious
reflective
Type
legal
philosophical
When to use this quote
- courtrooms
- public gatherings
- legislative debates
Key Concepts
secularism
justice
social harmony
Questions to Reflect On
- Should all speech be treated equally?
- When does protection become oppression?
A Different Perspective
Punishment may suppress legitimate dissent.
![“[States and the Federal government are] coordinate departments of one simple and integral whole... The one is the domestic, the other the foreign branch of the same government.” quote by Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/401/thomas-jefferson-43_branches_states-and-the-federal-government-are-co_2619.jpg)
![“Single acts of tyranny may be ascribed to the accidental opinion of a day; but a series of oppressions, begun at a distinguished period and pursued unalterably through every change of ministers, too plainly prove a deliberate, systematic plan of reducing [a people] to slavery.” quote by Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/00c/thomas-jefferson-43_change_single-acts-of-tyranny-may-be-ascribed-t_5515.jpg)
![“Though you cannot see, when you take one step, what will be the next, yet follow truth, justice, and plain dealing, and never fear their leading you out of [any difficult situation] in the easiest manner possible...” quote by Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/ebe/thomas-jefferson-43_difficult_though-you-cannot-see-when-you-take-one_9828.jpg)
