A recent poll suggests that America's attitude on religion is changing, and Christianity in particular is waning: only 76% of Americans define themselves as Christian, down from 86% in 1990. 15% now claim no religion in their lives at all.
This news is not exciting to me as a Christian; I'm not particularly happy that less and less people are seeking God for guidance. However, as a concerned citizen who sees the virtues of a secular government, the news is, to say the least, interesting.
For years now, under the Bush administration, religious doctrine has had (and still has, in some cases) a near-stranglehold on social policy in America. And while religious doctrine is good for those who practice it, it isn't meant to "rule over" those who don't believe in it. Not only does it wrongly impose rules over those who may not agree with them, but it also de-legitimizes religion by turning it into an oppressor in the eyes of the citizenry.
Separation of Church and State does not just benefit the state -- it also benefits the Church.
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