[xzins]

Free exercise means that my exercise cannot be impeded, curtailed, shortened, dictated, etc.

[MuddyWaters2006]

"Free exercise means that my exercise cannot be impeded, curtailed, shortened, dictated, etc."

James Madison and the other members of the Virginia General Assembly of 1789 would disagree. They included the following statement in the 1786 Virginia Act for Establishing Religious Freedom:

"It is time enough for the rightful purposes of civil government, for its officers to interfere when [religious] principles break out into overt acts against peace and good order."

The New York Constitution of 1777 ordained, "that the free exercise and enjoyment of religious profession and worship, without discrimination or preference, shall be forever hereafter be allowed, within this state, to all mankind" but qualified that freedom with a provision that read, "the liberty of conscience, hereby granted, shall not be so construed as to excuse acts of licentiousness, or justify practices inconsistent with the peace or safety of this state."

Other State Constitutions had a similar qualifying provision.