Dennis Prager argues that America has replaced faith in God with faith in government. He points out that the Declaration of Independence says rights come from a Creator and can't be taken away, but modern thinking treats them as gifts the state can revoke. Religious people tend to want limited government; secular people want expansive government.
Basically, we've gone from "In God We Trust" to "In Government We Trust." The government grants you your rights, not the Creator, as the Declaration of Independence puts it. We are all men are created equal and granted by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, among them life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. No, it is the state that gives you your rights. And by definition, they're not inalienable. People give them to you, people can take them from you. As people believe in bigger government, they do in fact become more secular. That's a fact. Overwhelmingly, the people who believe in limited government are religious, and the people who believe in unlimited government are not religious. In God We Trust is a motto of America. Because if we trust in God, we don't trust in the state.
Life, Legacy, and a Dangerous Mission in the Soviet Union | Sunday Fireside Chat
