William Jennings Bryan Quotes

The parents have a right to say that no teacher paid by their money shall rob their children of faith in God and send them back to their homes skeptical, or infidels, or agnostics, or atheists.

It is apprehended that Jews, Mahometans (Muslims), pagans, etc., may be elected to high offices under the government of the United States. Those who are Mahometans, or any others who are not professors of the Christian religion, can never be elected to the office of President or other high office, (unless) first the people of America lay aside the Christian religion altogether, it may happen. Should this unfortunately take place, the people will choose such men as think as they do themselves.

No person who denies the existence of a supreme being shall hold any office under this Constitution.

We have taken God out of our education system. We have taken Him out of government. You have lawyers that sue you every time you mention the name of Jesus Christ in any public forum.

From a constitutional standpoint, the religion of a candidate is supposed to make no difference. Even before the founding fathers dreamed up the First Amendment, they inserted a provision in the Constitution expressly prohibiting any religious test for office.

The Establishment Clause prohibits government from making adherence to a religion relevant in any way to a person's standing in the political community.

The Constitution says that government isn't supposed to be infusing religion into our society, and so I asked to have that upheld.

I don’t see a bit of danger from us having an established religion.

The mixing of government and religion can be a threat to free government, even if no one is forced to participate.... When the government puts its imprimatur on a particular religion, it conveys a message of exclusion to all those who do not adhere to the favored beliefs.

Zealous groups threaten to infringe civil liberties when they seek government support to impose their own religious views on non-adherents. This has taken many forms, including attempts to introduce organized prayer in public schools, to outlaw birth control and abortion, and to use public tax revenues to finance religious schools.

The Catholics had the right secured to them by the Constitution of worshipping the God of their fathers in the manner dictated by their consciences.... This country is not prepared to establish an inquisition to try and punish men for their religious beliefs.

It is not lawful for the State, any more than for the individual, either to disregard all religious duties, or to hold in equal favor different kinds of religion.

The free and quiet enjoyment of the Christian religion and a desire for propagating the same were the principle views with which this colony was settled and … no person who does not profess the Christian religion can be admitted free as a voter or office holder in this colony.

I believe in the separation of church and state... We all have our own religious beliefs. There are people out there who are atheists, who don't believe at all... They are all citizens of Minnesota and I have to respect that.

Government has no more right to help us Christians flaunt our beliefs than it has to suppress any faith.

The day that this country ceases to be free for irreligion it will cease to be free for religion—except for the sect that can win political power.

The idea we would create some kind of religious test for entry into the country is absolutely wrong.

Whatever you may think of the proposed mosque and community center, lost in the heat of the debate has been a basic question: Should government attempt to deny private citizens the right to build a house of worship on private property based on their particular religion?

The First Amendment freedom of religion is as important today as when the Bill of Rights was first written.

To speak against religion (the Christian) is breaking down the bond of good government.

America was first colonized by Puritans. Most of our earliest immigrants, and many since, have come here in order to practice their religious beliefs as they please. Our culture has always been, and will most likely always be, profoundly influenced by religion.

While the struggle for religious liberty had proceeded without large-scale bloodshed in New England and elsewhere in the United States, the struggle for political liberty had not fared so well.

I cannot reconcile monitoring certain people for no reason other than their religion with the freedom of religion we have here in America.

It is very reasonable to worry about the harm done by organized religion, and to prefer looser and more private arrangements.

Resist this war on God, freedom of religion and freedom of speech.