Human beings need rules to organize themselves. Idealistic rules have been found to be the best because they do not preach oppression and take care of the poor and the weak. This is where religion comes in, as a system of practices and beliefs for the welfare of the people at large. It also seeks to provide answers and reasons for phenomena for which there is no rational explanation. Where reason ends, faith begins.
Religion as a way of life served mankind very well in the past. It was an important source of welfare activities like education, medical aid and charity for the needy.
But with the development of the modern state most of these welfare activities have been taken over by the state, and with the development of scientific thinking and consequent development in science and technology many of the religious beliefs are under attack. In modern democratic societies with high levels of education another trend has emerged and that is the splitting up of the old monolithic religious organizations into smaller groups or smaller churches . Now there is a choice available to people, so to speak.
Americans wisely rejected the concept of a government established religion which has divided many countries worldwide. Separation of the church and the state was ordained by the First Amendment to the US Constitution which provides that "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof ...."
For these reasons America has been a fertile ground for new religions and has provided a safe haven to many sects from overseas. The Mormon and Christian Science Churches, The Amish to name a few. Hinduism and Islam are also growing religions. Religious prejudice is rare, and interfaith cooperation is commonplace.
The vast majority of the American population is religious and are regular visitors of their respective churches.
The benefits of a religious society are quite obvious. Studies have clearly brought out the inverse relationship between religiosity and say, delinquency and crime, although the complexity of the relationship between the two continues to be debated.
Americans strongly favor increased government aid to the poor. Americans also tend to favor the idea of faith based groups receiving government funding to render social services. This idea is however hotly debated as many are concerned about the influence of government on particular religious organizations as also the impact of these organizations on the people they are trying to help.
Religious motivation clearly generates models of service which are more personal and respectful than other models. President Bush has gone ahead and even established a federal office of faith based and community action. Religion is clearly necessary and is going to stay.