Question

Which best expresses the explicit meaning of this excerpt from Jefferson’s Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom? A) The State must not allow religious opinions to infringe on principles. B) Religious beliefs restrain civil magistrates from properly attending to their duties. C) It is too much to expect of a civil magistrate to make judgments for all religious faiths. D) When the State enforces religious beliefs, individual legislators inevitably favor their own beliefs at the expense of others.

Answer 1

Answer:

D.

Explanation:

Jefferson says, in the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom: "(...)that to suffer the civil magistrate to intrude his powers into the field of opinion (...), is a dangerous fallacy, (...), because he of course judge of that tendency will make his opinions the rule of judgement (...)" expressing that no civil judge is free of his own beliefs when judging another religion.

Answer 2

Answer:

The answer that best expresses the explicit meaning of this excerpt from Jefferson’s Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom? is D) When the State enforces religious beliefs, individual legislators inevitably favor their own beliefs at the expense of others.

Explanation:

This answer has to be analyzed to be understood, so here I go: First of all, Jefferson believed that if somehow a civil magistrate would use his or her power to the field of opinion then the society would "suffer" because has a judge he or she would use her or his power to influence on society what could be consider appropriate or inappropriate. Breaking the freedom of the population to decide what religious beliefs pursue.