While there are some more obvious references to the value of religious diversity at UVa, I think that this statement is a more subtle hint that shows the true intentions of the founders. UVa was the first University in America that was not constructed for religious purposes. This was revolutionary for the time, because UVa was the first University to focus more on sciences and liberal arts rather than theology. This is apparent in this statement that simply notes that other buildings would be made in which people could practice religion under "impartial regulations". While this stance is somewhat contested, as UVa probably supported different sects of Christianity as opposed to true religious diversity, it did give a starting point for the University to grow in acceptance. I think that today, most people value religious diversity and hope to see it continue to expand here at UVa.

It's fascinating that the founders held this view about punishment and education, labeling fear as "degrading". Obviously, the idea of corporal punishment is something that lasted in schools far longer than this document, and still is an issue today. I think their specific focus on fear is ironic, however. The founders stressed that University was a positive environment for students to develop. On the other hand, slavery was extremely prominent at the University at this time and it is safe to assume that fear tactics were used often with slaves.

This quote is really interesting to me because it makes me think about the context of this statement in Jefferson's time, and the context of this statement today. Today, I'd say that our university values religious diversity, meaning that they accept people from all over the world of different religions. However, in Jefferson's time--the era of the Virginia Stature for Religious Freedom--"religious freedom" didn't exactly mean accepting diverse religions like Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Buddhism, Hinduism, etc., but was more about accepting different sects of Christianity. It's interesting to see how the phrase "freedom of religion" has changed over time, and how the university has changed as well.

It's really interesting that they included ethics as a course of study/class, as the subject itself is very broad. Furthermore, I'm curious to know what was included in any "ethics" course at that time, and what was described as "ethical" or "unethical". In my current engagement class, "Can a Text Be Ethical?", we have read many texts from the mid-19th century by ethics professors of other schools. Many of these texts are religiously based pro-slavery arguments, and are texts that today, we would regard as unethical. Since we know that UVA was not free of white supremacy upon founding, I wonder what its ethics department looked like, and if, at all, topics like slavery or religion were touched on.