"...The separation of church and state has not denied the political realm a religious dimension.
"...There are...certain common elements of religious orientation that the great majority of Americans share. These have played a crucial role in the development of American institutions and still provide a religious dimension for the whole fabric of American life, including the political sphere.
"This public religious dimension is expressed in a set of beliefs, symbols, and rituals that I am calling American civil religion.
"The inauguration of a president is an important ceremonial event in this religion. It reaffirms, among other things, the religious legitimation of the highest political authority."
—Robert N. Bellah, "Civil Religion in America"