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In Democracy in America, Alexis de Tocqueville explains the importance of religious liberty: “Freedom sees in religion the companion of its struggles and its triumphs, the cradle of its infancy, the divine source of its rights. It considers religion as the safeguard of mores; and mores as the guarantee of laws and the pledge of its duration.”
Freedom of religion is a cornerstone of the American experiment. That is because religious faith is not merely a matter of “toleration” but is understood to be the exercise of “inherent natural rights.”
As George Washington once observed: The Government of the United States, which gives to bigotry no sanction, to persecution
no assistance, requires only that they who live under its protection should demean themselves as good citizens in giving it on all occa- sions their effectual support.” And “what is here a right towards men, is a duty towards the Creator,” James Madison wrote in his 1786 Memo- rial and Remonstrance. “This duty is precedent, both in order of time and in degree of obligation, to the claims of Civil Society.”
The model of religious liberty brilliantly designed by Madison and the other American Founders is central to the success of
the American experiment. It is essential to America’s continued pursuit of the ideals stated in the Declaration of Independence, the ordered liberty embodied in the Constitution, and peace and stabil- ity around the world.
The key to America’s religious liberty success story is its constitu- tional order
Religious liberty and a thriving religious culture are defining attributes of the United States, characterizing the American order as much as its political system and market economy.1 From the
earliest settlements of the 17th century to the great social reform causes led by religious congregations in the late 19th century and again in the 20th century, religion has been a dominant theme of American life.
Today, almost 90 percent of Americans say that religion is at least “somewhat important” in their lives.2 About 60 percent are members of a local religious congregation.3 Faith-based organizations are extremely active in providing for social needs at home and in sending aid abroad.
Why does religious liberty matter—to America and to the world?
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