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Fredericksburg to celebrate its role in religious freedom

Religious freedom schedule of events

Date published: 1/13/2007

Two hundred thirty years ago, Thomas Jefferson and fellow Virginians met in Fredericksburg to draft legislation on how the fledgling state should deal with religious expression.

The Virginia Statute of Religious Freedom separated church and state and gave equal status to all faiths. It became the basis for the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, giving all Americans the freedom to practice their religion.

The area's religious, civic and educational institutions will celebrate the achievement.

Here's a list of events:

Tomorrow, the Knights of Columbus, Rappahannock Assembly 1613, will host a parade at 1:30 p.m. from the Fredericksburg train station to the Monument for Religious Freedom on Washington Avenue, where the ceremony will begin at 2 p.m. The keynote speaker is Virginia House Speaker Bill Howell, R-Stafford County. On Thursday at 7:30 p.m. in the University of Mary Washington's George Washington Hall, Dodd Auditorium, Seyyed Hossein Nasr, professor of Islamic studies at George Washington University will present a lecture, "The Meaning of Freedom in a Global Context." On Friday at 7 p.m., the UMW Department of Classics, Philosophy, and Religion will host an evening of Persian music in the Great Hall of the Woodard Campus Center. Starting today through next Saturday, a photography exhibit on Islam in America will be displayed at the Central Rappahannock Regional Library on Caroline Street. These events are sponsored by several university departments and the Fredericksburg Council on the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom. Donations to defray the cost of events are welcomed. Checks may be made out to the department of classics, philosophy and religion at UMW. Write "Religious Freedom" on the subject line. For more information, contact Craig Vasey, professor of philosophy, at 540/654-1342.

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Date published: 1/13/2007