[TheCrusader]

"Well there are some civil states with a democratic tradition that are largely not religious now. So Adams was wrong"

Actually, he was dead right, unless you think homosexual marriage, abortion on demand, no-fault divorce, the suppression of public prayer and fifty percent taxes were something the Fathers had in mind when they framed the Constitution.

Adams essentially said the Constitution wouldn't work in an immoral, irreligious country. And as I see it, the Constitution as ADAMS knew it is no longer extant. It may contain the same words Adams knew but those words have been re-interpreted to mean something the Founding Fathers never intended.

[Dalite]

"Adams essentially said the Constitution wouldn't work in an immoral, irreligious country"

This is the central concept that essential to a country of laws centered on morality.

Morality is the rudder that steers the ship. Belief of a higher power and natural law were the foundations of the nation.

The ongoing conflict between the word deist and the concept of deism containing all religious beliefs is a great exercise in semantics.

As conservatives, we should be pragmatic enough to understand that we don't hold a patent on religion, or Christianity.

The concept of Religious Freedom is just that; freedom to practice/pursue/advocate/defend/teach the religion of your choice.