Religious freedom: It’s a core American principle, and it doesn’t mean what right-wingers want it to mean

From Salon-

Forget the “War on Christmas.” Although far less known to the general public, Religious Freedom Day, which falls on Jan. 16 — coinciding this year with the Martin Luther King Jr. Day observance — has become one of America’s most-contested commemorative days. In most ways that’s a good thing, because of the need to shed light on what’s at stake: the very foundations of our most cherished freedoms.

Since 1992, Religious Freedom Day publicly celebrates the enactment of the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom, drafted by Thomas Jefferson in 1777 and passed into law by his protégé, James Madison, in 1786. It disestablished the state power of the Anglican Church, and ensured religious freedom for all.

More here-

http://www.salon.com/2017/01/17/religious-freedom-its-a-core-american-principle-and-it-doesnt-mean-what-right-wingers-want-it-to-mean/