Answer:
In “The Farewell Address,” George Washington describes religion and morality as the two indispensable pillars which support political prosperity. He then says that we should be cautious about the idea that morality can flourish without religion and concludes with the assertion:
"Whatever may be conceded to the influence of refined education on minds of peculiar structure, reason and experience both forbid us to expect that national morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle."
There is considerable debate about the religious opinions of the founding fathers, including Washington. Whether he meant it or not, however, this statement is clearly false. There is no clear correlation between religious principles and national morality, let alone any good evidence that one causes the other. This would have been less clear two hundred years ago, since practically every nation had an established church, from which it was often difficult for many people to dissent publicly. Nonetheless, it is now clear that secular nations such as Sweden, Norway, Denmark, and Belgium are sustained by a national morality at least as strong as any religious nation. These countries have low rates of crime and particularly of violent crime. They have enlightened, compassionate social policies which enjoy the support of the majority of citizens. Their presses are freer and their political systems less corrupt than the average in Europe, let alone worldwide. They conform in every material respect to the founding fathers’ notion of political prosperity.
