<>Without that otherworldly, transcendent perspective provided by strong, independent religious institutions, we will indeed look to the state as our god, and it will inevitably betray us, as did Soviet Russia, the Third Reich, and the original imperial Rome. As we remember Peter and Paul, we should be mindful that an autonomous religious faith, particularly of a Judeo-Christian flavor, is no threat to the state’s stability or viability, but indeed the salt that preserves and strengthens it.<>