Whether you base your conclusions on public polls or on the thoughts of the Founding Fathers, there is an inescapable logic underlying the issue: Religion is the institution that defines morality, the difference between right and wrong; to be legitimate, government needs to behave morally; the power of the American government comes from the people; the morality that guides the great majority of Americans is Christianity; and therefore the United States is, virtually by definition, a Christian nation. Arguments to the contrary rely on a subtle shift in the discussion, by equating the belief that America is a Christian nation with the idea that being a Christian nation implies intolerance of other religions.