Foundations, Freedom, and the Fear of God

Ever wondered whether America’s promise of religious liberty was designed to be wide open—or tethered to a shared moral code? We tackle a pointed listener question about the founders’ intent and explore why the early American consensus protected the rights of conscience while expecting public behavior to align with Judeo-Christian ethics. That balance—pluralism with guardrails—helped secure inalienable rights under a common rule of law without policing private theology. We dig into John Adam...