A recent survey of religious practice in the United States indicates that religious observance is at an all-time low.  Two thirds of Americans no longer attend religious services with any regularity and ten percent assert they do not believe in God at all.  Fifteen percent of Americans say they have no religion, double the percentage in 1990.
 
“American Becoming Less Christian, Less Religious,” blared the headlines. In this season of Easter, this news is something for us to ponder.
 
I would contend that these are worrisome trends—and not just for those who practice their faith. I firmly believe that religious faith—or the lack thereof—informs the way we look at public policy and how we order our lives together.
 
John Adams, one of the greatest Americans of our Founding generation, and our nation’s second president, once stated “Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate for the government of any other.”
 
America has always been, and remains, a deeply religious nation. At our best, we live up to our national ideals of defending the equality and dignity of each and every human life. Public policy decisions are all about deciding what type of nation we shall be. And the sacredness of the human person is a principle that tends to get lost in that decision-making process as societies become more secular.
 
 A society based solely on reason, without any reference to transcendent faith, has been tried and has utterly failed. In the 20th century, we witnessed this with both National Socialism and atheistic communism—colossal and bloody failures based on the ideal of human reason freed from the shackles and superstitions of religious faith. Purely secular societies have grave difficulties, because they close man in on himself instead of opening him up to transcendental truth.
 
There are present day examples as well. In many parts of Europe, attempts are being made to create a totally secular society. They have purged faith from the public square, and they are suffering for it. Many European countries are facing an extreme demographic crisis with birth rates far below replacement levels, resulting in stagnant economies and social security systems strained to the breaking point. It again calls to mind John Adams’ point that a culture of faith is necessary to sustain a free society. It is a cautionary tale for America: we cannot abandon our faith and expect to flourish.
 
There is now abundant social science data pointing to a correlation between a falloff in religious practice and a host of disturbing trends. Low religious practice in families is correlated to poor academic performance for children, more behavioral problems, poorer quality of parent-child relationships, higher rates of drug and alcohol abuse, lower rates of marriage, and higher rates of non-marital sexual activity, including cohabitation. While family breakdown in the United States is less advanced than it is in many European countries, it is becoming increasingly clear that unless our families and communities are strong, government will be required to step into the breach to address the social problems that result.
 
This is why I am concerned about surveys that show a decline in religious observance and a trend towards secularization.  God should be welcome in the public square. Yet, according to the survey data, fewer of my fellow Americans feel the need for God and His providential care.
 
Faith has helped make America strong. We ought not turn our backs on history or we will come to regret the future. The role of religion has been enormously beneficial, and its value must not be ignored. To walk away from God is to walk away from our future. Hope comes in the knowledge that there is something far bigger and far greater than ourselves in which to invest our lives, our souls and our sacred honor.

Sam Brownback represents Kansas in the United States Senate.