CLINTON PROCLAMATION ON RELIGIOUS FREEDOM DAY
USIA
USIS Washington File
16 January 1998
TEXT: CLINTON PROCLAMATION ON RELIGIOUS FREEDOM DAY
(Proclaims January 16 to be observed for 1998) (810)
Washington -- President Clinton has proclaimed January 16 to be
Religious Freedom Day for 1998.
"On Religious Freedom Day this year, as we celebrate and cherish this
precious right we enjoy as Americans," he said in a written
proclamation, "we must not forget others who are less fortunate.
Throughout the world, in many lands, too many people still suffer and
die for their beliefs, and lives, families, and communities are torn
apart by old hatreds and prejudices.
"We must continue to proclaim the fundamental right of all peoples to
believe and worship according to their own conscience, to affirm their
beliefs openly and freely, and to practice their faith without fear or
intimidation," the President said. "The priceless gift we have
inherited from past generations will only grow in value as we share it
with others."
Following is the White House text:
(begin text)
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
January 16, 1998
RELIGIOUS FREEDOM DAY, 1998
- -- - -- - -- BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
A PROCLAMATION
The right to worship according to one's own conscience is essential to
our dignity as human beings. Whatever our religious beliefs, they
represent the essence of our personal values and cannot be dictated to
us. Recognizing this truth, our founders made religious liberty the
first freedom guaranteed in the Bill of Rights. They wisely understood
as well that in protecting the free exercise of religion, we must also
prohibit the establishment of religion by the state.
Among the early European settlers who came to our shores were many
seeking to escape the religious compulsion and persecution they had
endured in the lands of their birth. William Penn, Roger Williams, and
many others would strive to make their settlements havens for freedom
of conscience, laying the foundation for the great tradition of
religious liberty that would ultimately find expression in the First
Amendment to the Constitution. Since those early days, our continuing
aspiration has been to banish lingering prejudice and increase
religious understanding and respect among our people.
Today, millions of people of different faiths call America home. The
churches, synagogues, temples, mosques, and other houses of worship
they have built have become centers of community life and service and
a source of strength for our Nation. As our country becomes
increasingly diverse, we must reaffirm our efforts to reach out to one
another and to see past our differences to the values we hold in
common.
My Administration is striving to enhance this climate of acceptance
and respect, bringing people together across lines of faith. Two years
ago, with the help of a broad coalition of religious and civic
leaders, we created guidelines clarifying the nature of religious
expression permitted in our public schools and reaffirming that
America's young people do not have to leave their religious beliefs at
the schoolhouse door. With the help of that same coalition, I issued
additional guidelines last August to reinforce the right of religious
expression in the Federal workplace. Building on America's
long-standing commit-ment to freedom and fairness, these guidelines
will ensure that Federal employees may engage in personal religious
expres-sion to the greatest extent possible, consistent with workplace
efficiency and the requirements of law. The guidelines also clarify
that Federal employers may not discriminate in employment on the basis
of religion and that an agency must reasonably accommodate employees'
religious practices.
On Religious Freedom Day this year, as we celebrate and cherish this
precious right we enjoy as Americans, we must not forget others who
are less fortunate. Throughout the world, in many lands, too many
people still suffer and die for their beliefs, and lives, families,
and communities are torn apart by old hatreds and prejudices. We must
continue to proclaim the fundamental right of all peoples to believe
and worship according to their own conscience, to affirm their beliefs
openly and freely, and to practice their faith without fear or
intimidation. The priceless gift we have inherited from past
generations will only grow in value as we share it with others.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, WILLIAM J. CLINTON, President of the United States
of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the
Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim January
16, 1998, as Religious Freedom Day. I call upon the people of the
United States to observe this day with appropriate ceremonies,
activities, and programs, and I urge all Americans to reaffirm their
devotion to the fundamental principles of religious freedom and
religious tolerance.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this fifteenth day of
January, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and ninety-eight,
and of the Independence of the United States of America the two
hundred and twenty-second.
WILLIAM J. CLINTON
(end text)