Thomas Jefferson (1743 - 1826)
3rd President of the United states

Preamble:

Whereas, the Almighty hath created the mind free; and

Whereas, all attempts to influence mankind tend only to beget habits of hypocrisy and meanness and are a departure from the plan of the Holy Author of our existence who, being the Source of body, mind, and spirit, yet chose not to undermine freedom by coercions thereon; and

Whereas, the impious presumption of legislators and rulers, civil as well as ecclesiastical, who, being themselves fallible and uninspired men, have assumed dominion over the faith of others, setting up their own opinions and modes of thinking as the only true and infallible views, have established and maintained false religions over the greatest part of the world, thereby depriving mankind of comfortable liberty and spiritual freedom; and

Whereas, our civil rights have no dependence on our religious opinions any more than our opinions in physics or geometry; and

Whereas, Truth is great and will prevail if left to herself as the proper and sufficient antagonist to error and has nothing to fear from conflict unless, by human interposition, Truth is disarmed of her natural weapons – free argument and debate; errors ceasing to be dangerous when Truth is permitted freely to contradict them.

Now Therefore:

The Oracle Institute is free to declare and does hereby declare:

(i) That the purest faith is based on Truth, which sets us free;
(ii) That the strongest force in the universe is Love, which makes us whole; and
(iii) That the guiding power of God is Light, which leads us toward one shared destiny.

To Wit:

The Mission of the Oracle Institute shall be to serve as an Advocate for Enlightenment and a Vanguard for Spiritual Evolution.

To view Virginia Code Section 57-1:
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Sponsored by James Madison and
Passed by the Virginia Legislature in 1786