On January 15, the anniversary of the passage of the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom, which was written by Thomas Jefferson and which is one of the sources for the religious freedom protections in the First Amendment, President Obama issued a proclamation commemorating Religious Freedom Day.

The President said:

“America proudly stands with people of every nation who seek to think, believe, and practice their faiths as they choose. In the years to come, my Administration will remain committed to promoting religious freedom, both at home and across the globe. We urge every country to recognize religious freedom as both a universal right and a key to a stable, prosperous, and peaceful future.”

American citizens, religious organizations, and companies of conviction that count on government to protect our right to religious exercise, and not only the freedom of religious belief and worship, should be grateful for the proclamation–and warily prayerful as we watch what the federal government actually does.

On the same day, Melissa Rogers, head of the White House faith-based office, and Eric Treene, Special Counsel on Religious Discrimination in the Department of Justice, released a statement summarizing the important work the federal government is doing to protect religious freedom under the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA).

RLUIPA, passed with broad support in 2000, requires federal, state, and local governments to respect the religious exercise rights of churches and other religious organizations when the governments make zoning and other land-use decisions, and to respect the religious freedom of prisoners and people confined to mental institutions and other facilities.

From the statement:

“A Department of Justice report on the 10th anniversary of RLUIPA found that the law had a ‘dramatic impact in its first ten years on protecting the religious freedom of and preventing religious discrimination against individuals and institutions seeking to exercise their religions through construction, expansion, and use of property.’ The report noted that these cases represented a wide range of religious groups, including Christians, Jews, Muslims, Sikhs, people who practice Native American traditional religions, and many others, and arose in a wide range of settings, including churches, synagogues, mosques and other places of worship, religious schools, prayer meetings in homes, and faith-based social services such as homeless shelters, group homes, and soup kitchens.”

Kudos to Eric Treene and the federal government for vigorously enforcing RLUIPA.