and the deeds of these men—the philosophy which had so much to
do with shaping the fortunes of this nation—was as Christian as the
Sermon on the Mount. It was the philosophy of humanism—of the
dignity of the individual. It was the philosophy of equality, brotherhood
and freedom. It was the philosophy of the Man of Nazareth....

It is abundantly clear to me that Christian philosophy and Christian
ethics very strongly influenced the vital decisions reached by our fore-
fathers when they erected the frame work of our government. It follows,
in my way of thinking, that this same philosophy and these same ethics
should guide us today as we go about the business of fashioning the
policies and decisions of government and politics. If we turn away from
them, we run a heavy risk of losing that freedom which is our most
precious heritage.

William Penn, the great Quaker statesman and colonist, wrote these
words: "Men must choose to be governed by God, or they condemn
themselves to be ruled by tyrants. " We know that today a vast segment
of the population of the world has condemned itself to be ruled by
tyrants because it chose not to be governed by God.

In counting our blessings as free people, let us contrast the conditions
under which we live in America with those of people condemned to live
under the communist tyranny. For us, belief in God is the accepted
basis for our personal and social life. On our coins and currency, on
our public buildings, in courtrooms and legislatures, in our constitutions
and laws—nearly everywhere we look we see evidence of the religious
foundation of our country. In Soviet Russia, the building of the state
toward the eventual triumph of communism is the publicly accepted
basis for all personal and social life. Nearly everywhere the Russians
look—on public buildings, in subways, in their newspapers—they find
evidence of the absolute power of the state. In America, we go openly
to the church of our choice. And while no one tells us we must or must
not go, we are encouraged by national policy on freedom of religion, by
public pronouncements and by social acceptance to participate more
fully in the life of our church. In Russia, on the other hand, one can go
to church only at the risk of being considered inferior and backward, and
then only to a church that is compelled to acknowledge the right of the
communist party to control Soviet life.

In America, we take it for granted that everyone has the right to
worship God in his own way and to interpret his religion the best he can
through his personal life. The government has no right to interfere in
this process, nor can the church tell the state what to do. Let me quickly