Faith: The Foundation of American Freedom

In 2024, for the first time in 15 years, Hanukkah and Christmas overlap, with the Jewish festival commencing with the lighting of the first candle at sunset on Christmas Day.

These celebrations serve as vital affirmations of our religious traditions.

The founding principles of America are deeply rooted in a biblical perspective, which is essential for its survival.

President Dwight D. Eisenhower remarked, “Our form of government makes no sense unless it is founded in a deeply felt religious faith, and I don’t care what it is.”

Ike emphasized that while religious differences hold significance, faith itself is what’s truly important.

George Washington, also a soldier-turned-statesman, warned in his Farewell Address that “religion and morality are indispensable supports” of a thriving political system.

His successor, John Adams, asserted: “Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.”

President Ronald Reagan cautioned, “If we ever forget that we are one nation under God, then we will be a nation gone under.”

Today, we find ourselves in a nation swept away by uncertainty.

According to a Gallup survey from March, just 30% of Americans regularly attend religious services, while 56% seldom or never do.

The portion of individuals identifying as non-religious (the “nones”) has increased from 13% in 2010 to 21% today.

Is it any wonder then, as per an Emerson College poll, that 41% of adults under 30 deemed the cold-blooded killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson as “acceptable”?

This outcome stems from a lack of religious instruction for the youth, leading them to absorb secular cultural values instead.

Many of our most persistent issues — such as crime, substance abuse, and mental health struggles — are tied to a decline in faith.

In its 12-step program, Alcoholics Anonymous states: “Accepting a higher power helps you to see life from a different perspective and creates a sense of accountability.”

Religious individuals generally report higher levels of happiness, health, and family and community involvement.

The left, often averse to religion — as Karl Marx famously labeled it the “opium of the masses” — continuously seeks alternatives.

The French Revolution attempted to replace Christianity with a Cult of Reason, even establishing an altar for it in Notre Dame Cathedral.

In 2024, the Democratic Party sought to elevate democracy (a term not found in founding documents) to the status of a religion.

In his 2022 address at Independence Hall, President Biden accused his predecessor as a threat to democracy.

Mr. Biden employed Independence Hall as a backdrop, seemingly oblivious to its monumental significance.

The Declaration of Independence signed there speaks of the unalienable rights granted by the Creator.

If such a document were drafted today, progressives would likely decry the authors for breaching the mythical wall separating church and state.

Democrats interpreted the January 6 riot at the US Capitol, not as criminal acts, but as heresy — akin to pagans committing sacrilege in the temple of democracy.

Their attempts to elevate democracy to a sacred status may be reflected in the results of the 2024 election: President-elect Donald Trump marking the first Republican in two decades to capture a majority of the popular vote.

As the supreme allied commander in Europe during World War II, Eisenhower played a pivotal role in our victory.

When our forces began liberating concentration camps, the future president felt compelled to document the horrors he witnessed.

On April 12, 1945, Eisenhower toured Dachau alongside Generals George Patton and Omar Bradley.

He communicated to Winston Churchill that “the English language didn’t have words” to express the atrocities he encountered.

What he witnessed was a testament to depravity — a regime grounded in ideology, specifically the master race theory, serving as the sole alternative to one founded on religious principles.

History has repeatedly shown the devastating consequences of state power fueled by ideology — from the Reign of Terror to communism, the Holocaust, Islamism (a belief system masquerading as religion), and the gentle totalitarianism of diversity, equity, and inclusion.

During the Revolutionary War, Valley Forge exemplified a low point for the American cause.

A renowned painting by a contemporary artist captures Washington kneeling in the snow, praying outside the encampment of the Continental Army.

Such faith has supported us through every war and national crisis.

The battle to preserve our religious heritage is far more critical than issues like tariffs or tax policies.

Adapted from The Washington Times.