Freedom Without Religion? Even in the midst of ominous economic
woes, the level of prosperity enjoyed by Americans is
unparalleled and unsurpassed in the history of the world. So
also is the freedom that Americans enjoy—unsurpassed in the
annals of human existence. To what do we owe these tremendous
blessings? Are these circumstances coincidental, or merely the
result of happenchance? A sizable segment of the American
population has come to believe that the religious complexion of
the nation has little or nothing to do with America’s freedom
and prosperity. But what was the viewpoint of those who
orchestrated the American Republic? As they arranged the inner
workings of their grand political experiment, and established
the framework from which the nation was to function, did they
have anything to say about the role of religion as it relates to
freedom and prosperity? Indeed, they did. Declaration signer and
physician, Dr. Benjamin Rush, explained the mode of education to
be adopted “so as to secure to the sta