Our fathers founded the first secular government that was ever

The words of Robert Green Ingersoll—“Our fathers founded the first secular government that was ever founded in this world. Recollect that. The first secular government—the first government that said every church has exactly the same rights and no more; every religion has the same rights, and no more.”—resound like a trumpet call reminding us of the boldness of America’s founding. They proclaim that in a world long dominated by crowns and altars intertwined, a new order was established—an order where no man was compelled to worship against his conscience, and no sect was raised above another by the hand of the state. This declaration is both history and warning: that freedom of conscience is not a gift of monarchs, but a principle purchased with struggle and safeguarded by vigilance.

The origin of this saying lies in Ingersoll’s fiery advocacy for reason, liberty, and equality. Known as “The Great Agnostic,” he lived in the nineteenth century, a time when sectarian prejudice and political strife still threatened the spirit of the republic. By calling the American system the first secular government, he reminded his listeners that the Constitution was revolutionary—not because it endorsed one creed, but because it refused to endorse any. It was a covenant not of church over people, but of people over church, ensuring that no altar, no pulpit, and no priest would wield the sword of law.

This truth can be illuminated by the history of Europe. For centuries, empires and kingdoms were drenched in blood because rulers clung to the notion that their throne rested on divine sanction. The wars between Catholics and Protestants, the persecution of dissenters, and the endless cycles of oppression proved the dangers of binding government to religion. The framers of America had seen this chaos and vowed to establish something different. They created a nation where all faiths could stand side by side—equal, protected, and limited only by the rights of others.

Consider the example of Roger Williams, founder of Rhode Island, who declared that the wall between church and state must stand tall to protect liberty. He fled persecution and built a colony where conscience was free. His vision was a seed, but it was in the Constitution of the United States that the tree flourished. When Ingersoll said, “Recollect that,” he was commanding his audience not to forget the radical courage it took to break with centuries of tradition and dare to create a secular republic.

Yet Ingersoll’s words also serve as a warning. He says, “every church has exactly the same rights and no more.” That is, freedom of religion must never be twisted into domination. The moment one faith seeks privilege above the rest, the secular balance is broken, and liberty falters. For the strength of the republic lies not in favoring one creed, but in ensuring that the Jew, the Christian, the Muslim, the skeptic, and the agnostic all stand equal beneath the law. Secularism is not hostility to religion—it is fairness, the great shield that guards every conscience from oppression.

The lesson for us is clear: cherish and defend the principle of secular government. Do not be deceived by those who would cloak privilege in piety or justify exclusion in the name of faith. Remember that true freedom demands equality—not of belief, but of rights. When every religion has “the same rights, and no more,” then the land is free, the people are sovereign, and the conscience of each individual stands inviolable.

Practically, this means guarding against laws or customs that elevate one faith above another. It means cultivating respect for those whose beliefs differ from our own, and ensuring that government never becomes the tool of sectarian power. It means teaching future generations the wisdom of the founders, who knew that liberty and equality rest not upon dogma, but upon justice.

Thus, Ingersoll’s words echo like an ancient charge across the centuries: recollect this truth—that America’s greatness lies not in the dominance of one creed, but in the freedom of all. Let us honor that vision, live by it, and defend it, so that the covenant of equality endures, unbroken, for generations yet to come.