A footnote on the role of religion

 I’m not, as a matter of principle, much for mourning trends in American culture. I’ve been watching the trend in which more Americans identify themselves as secular, as opposed to religious, with interest, rather than concern.

But in thinking about Meyer v. Nebraska, a case that strikes me as being more about intellectual than religious freedom, it hit me that the social role of religion in American life has often been to limit the power of government. It seems to me that we Americans fight for our religious beliefs when we won’t fight for anything else.

• For more on the court case, see “The right to study,” May 22, 2023.