Donald Trump is deliberately destroying faith in the system of government that has held together a vast and disparate country. By tearing down that civic religion, flawed as it may be, he is laying the groundwork for another quasi-religious faith: unquestioning fealty to an autocratic ruler.
NEW YORK – Compared to other Western democracies, the United States is still a profoundly religious country. Around 24% of Americans identify as evangelical Christians. Five US Supreme Court justices are conservative Catholics (the only other conservative on the bench, Neil Gorsuch, was raised and educated as a Catholic but is now an Episcopalian). And American presidents portray themselves as religious, regardless of their true beliefs.
NEW YORK – Compared to other Western democracies, the United States is still a profoundly religious country. Around 24% of Americans identify as evangelical Christians. Five US Supreme Court justices are conservative Catholics (the only other conservative on the bench, Neil Gorsuch, was raised and educated as a Catholic but is now an Episcopalian). And American presidents portray themselves as religious, regardless of their true beliefs.