One State, Under Government 
In what or whom do we believe if not God?
By James Ehlers

Nearly half of us do not believe in God. 

Thirty-four percent of Vermonters, according to the 2008 American Religious Identification Survey (ARIS) conducted by the Program on Public Values at Trinity College in Hartford, CT, self-identified as what this study terms "non-theists" —atheists, agnostics, secular, or anti- religious. Another four percent identified themselves as Wiccans, Pagans, Druids, Rastafarians, Scientologists, etc. 

And six percent refused to answer or did not know. 

Collectively, this constitutes 44 percent of Vermonters not believing in God. 

And, according to a recent Gallup Poll—released earlier this year—Vermont holds the anchor position when it comes to answering the question "Is religion an important part of your daily life?" Fifty-eight percent could not or would not respond in the affirmative making Vermont the least religious state in the nation. 

This corresponds with the ARIS study which indicates that Vermont is the least religious state in the country by nine percentage points, taking the lead with a 21 percent increase in non-believers in our population since 1990.

If nearly six in ten of us do not believe that religion is important, and almost five in ten do not believe in God, then, in what do we believe? 

Government. 

We obviously believe in state government and yet more state government. 

The February 2009 study "Freedom in the 50 States—An index of personal and economic freedom," conducted by The Mercatus Center at George Mason University, ranks Vermont 40th, concluding "Vermont must be considered one of the least free states in the Union, unless all one is interested in are guns and civil unions." It cites a host of centralized state government activities, including property taxes, which it reports, "… brings in more as percentage of the economy than in any other state except Nevada." The study goes on to state, "Vermont is the most fiscally centralized state by far, with local governments raising just 11.5 percent of total state and local expenditures. Local governments are dependent on state grants for over 70 percent of their revenue, the highest figure in the United States." 

Worshipping an already over-extended government, as we seemingly do when we continually look to it for even greater control, sure is an odd way of adhering to Article 3. Perhaps the constitution’s author thought calls for a larger bureaucracy would "seem most agreeable to the revealed will of God," but I doubt it. I, at least, have not seen much on that in any version of any bible. 

Believing the state can deliver on $5 billion of already unfunded liabilities seems a bit more outrageous than believing the Son of God can feed the multitude of 5,000 with 5 loaves, but then again, I admit to believing that only God, and not a bureaucracy of humans intent on ensuring their health plans cover knee replacements, can save us from ourselves. If nothing else, we all must clearly believe in miracles—of some sort, whether we admit it or not.

James Ehlers is the publisher emeritus of Elk Publishing, Inc. and the founder of Livin’ Magazine.