“Over the past several years, BJC has been sounding the alarm about the single greatest threat to religious freedom for all in the U.S. today – Christian nationalism. We have raised awareness about the harm it is causing to American democracy and an authentic Christian witness through the leadership of the Christians Against Christian Nationalism campaign. We have continued to develop resources for communities to take action, including the book How to End Christian Nationalism, published by Broadleaf Books last month. We are partnering with advocacy and organizing groups and houses of worship committed to civic engagement to build local coalitions to take action to build the Beloved Community.” – Amanda Tyler, Executive Director, BJC
Separation of Church and State
Yes, It Is The Law – See What was the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom?
The Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom (passed in 1786) is a foundational American legal document that established the total separation of church and state. Drafted by Thomas Jefferson, it banned the government from forcing citizens to attend or financially support any religious institution, and guaranteed individuals the right to practice their faith freely without suffering civil penalties.
Key aspects of the statute include:
- Disestablishment: It officially disestablished the Church of England (the Anglican Church) as Virginia’s state-sponsored religion. Prior to this law, taxpayers were forced to financially support the church, regardless of their own beliefs.
- Freedom of Conscience: It established that no person could be penalized, restrained, or burdened physically, professionally, or financially because of their religious opinions.
- Civil Equality: It declared that a person’s religious views have no bearing on their civil capacities, meaning a citizen’s faith cannot restrict their rights to hold public office or vote.
- A “Natural Right”: Jefferson and James Madison ensured the document stated that religious liberty is an inalienable, natural right of mankind that no future legislature
Recommended Reading
There’s only one way to become an outstanding success as a salesperson. It’s called repeat and referral sales. It doesn’t matter if you’re selling cars, real estate, insurance, pharmaceuticals, financial services or farm equipment. If you don’t focus your efforts on generating repeat and referral sales, you’re going nowhere as a salesperson. Furthermore, there’s only one way in which you can get your customers to provide you with continuing repeat and referral sales and that’s by turning them into long-term friends. Let me give you an example: Joe Girard was a car salesperson for Merolis Chevrolet in Detroit. For 12 straight years Joe was listed in The Guinness Book of World Records for being the world’s best new car salesperson. During his final year of selling cars, Joe sold 1,425 new Chevrolet cars and trucks! That’s 1,425 new Chevrolet cars and trucks sold by a single salesperson during one calendar year! How did Joe do it? The answer is simple. 65% of his sales were to repeat customers and the other 35% were to customers who were referred to him by his repeat customers. So, the year that Joe Girard got into The Guinness Book of World Records for selling 1,425 cars, how many cars did he actually sell? The answer is NONE! His customers sold them for him. Why? Because Joe took the time to turn each of his customers into a long-term friend. As Joe put it, “I stand in front of my product as well as behind it.” In other words, before you could buy a car from Joe, you first had to buy Joe. He wouldn’t let you buy a car from him until he turned you into a friend. Then, after you bought a car from Joe and you experienced a problem either with the car or someone at the dealership, Joe went to bat for you and personally saw to it that the problem was resolved to your satisfaction. Joe also made it a point to stay in touch with his customers after they bought a car from him; he didn’t forget about them and he made sure they they knew it. Yes, Joe truly loved his customers and they loved him back by providing him with enough repeat and referral sales to make it possible for him to sell more than 13,000 cars in 12 years. As Joe said in his book, How to Sell Anything to Anybody, “All of my customers these days are people who ask for me by name. All of them.” You too can enjoy the same level of success as Joe Girard once you stop focusing on making sales and start focusing on turning your customers into long-term friends.
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