A civic religion based on protecting the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution is necessary to sustain American democracy.

“it seems like doubling down on on the civic idea of protecting the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution kind of a winner.”

Religion is being strategically mobilized by those in power to replace a genuine belief in civic identity and democratic principles.

“if you're using religion in a sense, you're using that in the way that they're using it to put on a show, to have a pageant, you're using that to replace what we should and most of us are all owning, which is our belief in what the country stands for.”