Towards a ressourcement of Dwight D. Eisenhower's belief that "our form of government makes no sense unless it is founded in a deeply felt religious faith"

This Thesis examines Dwight D. Eisenhower's contention that our form of government makes no sense unless it is founded in a deeply felt religious faith. In this context, it examines the beliefs of the Founding generation that support Eisenhower's contention. It also examines the beliefs prevailing during 1950s America that came to known as American civil religion. It then turns to a review of the First Amendment jurisprudence developed by the Supreme Court of the United States in the decades following the Eisenhower administration, which essentially introduced novel, ever-evolving tests and standards governing the separation of church and state that inevitably reoriented religious attitudes in the country away from the animating principles which were the hallmark of both the Founding and the Eisenhower era. Indispensable to Eisenhower's basic inclinations and contention is an understanding that he was the inheritor of a strong moral tradition, i.e., a Judeo-Christian tradition, that had been passed on to him in his youth through an intensively biblically based education and upbringing, which, in turn, deeply influenced his later life and career; and, in particular, his Presidency. It shaped the way in which he saw the world, and the resultant policies and consequences that characterized his administration. The Thesis concludes that Eisenhower acted upon a generalized belief that we are not the end-users of the faith tradition underpinning our form of government; rather, we are obliged to pass along this tradition for the benefit of a durable and cohesive society.