The Culture of Disbelief (ISBN 0-385-47498-9) is a 1994 book by Stephen L. Carter

Stephen L. Carter

Stephen L. Carter is an American law professor, legal- and social-policy writer, columnist, and best-selling novelist.-Education:...

. In it, he holds that religion

Religion

Religion is a collection of cultural systems, belief systems, and worldviews that establishes symbols that relate humanity to spirituality and, sometimes, to moral values. Many religions have narratives, symbols, traditions and sacred histories that are intended to give meaning to life or to...

 in the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 is trivialized by American law

Law

Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...

 and politics

Politics

Politics is a process by which groups of people make collective decisions. The term is generally applied to the art or science of running governmental or state affairs, including behavior within civil governments, but also applies to institutions, fields, and special interest groups such as the...

, and that those with a strong religious faith are forced to bend to meet the viewpoint of a "public faith" which is largely faithless. Carter argues that there is a place for faith in public life, while still adhering to the separation of church and state

Separation of church and state

The concept of the separation of church and state refers to the distance in the relationship between organized religion and the nation state....

.