Faith: Part of the American Spirit

Lara Barger / July 04, 2012

In 1798, John Adams said, “Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.” The American Spirit, a new book coauthored by Dr. Ed Feulner, president of The Heritage Foundation, and Brian Tracy describes this common thread held between all Americans. (Article continues below)

There are certain core American values that undergird the nation as a whole. Faith is one of those values. It contributes to our uniquely American Spirit and defines us as a people. As Feulner writes:

What we really talk about in the Constitution is freedom “of” religion, not freedom “from” religion. And that’s very, very important not, again, to pick a certain denomination of religion, but to say faith in the Almighty is important to all of us as citizens.

In their chapter on faith, the authors write, “Whether you choose to worship or not, or how you choose to worship, everyone benefits from the interweaving of faith into our societal fabric. To eliminate it from the public discourse would deny our history and remove a crucial component of the American Spirit.” The American Spirit emphasizes this piece of our American fabric and reminds us of the traditions we share as a nation.

Published in hardcover and for Kindle e-readers, The American Spirit (256 pages, Thomas Nelson, 2012) is available at AmericanSpiritBook.com and at bookstores everywhere.