Ineffective as this aggressive push for total secularization will doubtless prove to be, it nonetheless illustrates the dangers of liberal ideology. The American Founders highly valued religious liberty, but most would have been aghast at these members of Congress. They believed strongly that religion played an essential role in the life of our republic by providing a moral framework for our politics. Although that view still holds sway in American life, the very existence of this radically liberal “Free Thought Caucus” demonstrates how much more secular society has become.
George Washington was among the Founders who most forcefully insisted on a religious framework for the American public square. “Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity,” he mused in his Farewell Address, “religion and morality are indispensable supports.” He firmly believed that good citizenship requires “a sense of religious obligation” because “virtue or morality is a necessary spring of popular government.” Religious faith calls forth a spirit of self-sacrifice that is essential for a republican experiment.
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