1. Religious vitality refers to the importance and popularity of religion within society. The vitality of religion can be difficult to understand because of a long-standing misunderstanding that religion does not influence American politics at all. However, religion has been locked into politics since the founding of the United States. American exceptionalism is the belief that the United States is exceptional, that it has a special place among other nations, blessed by God. With American exceptionalism comes the creation of American values ​​and what it means to be American. One of the values ​​that emerged during Western expansion was Manifest Destiny, a God-given duty for America to imperialize the West. American exceptionalism can be religious support. The Constitution of the United States is sometimes called the national compact. The Constitution was presented to the people as a “contract” which they were free to accept or reject. Just as accepting a covenant from God would involve giving and receiving, the Constitution promised to provide "such benefits as justice, order, welfare, and liberty" (Wald 45-46) if accepted by the people. In addition to benefiting from what the Constitution promises, it would also limit the power of government in terms of what it can and cannot do. To this day, Americans continue to live according to the Constitution, an idea derived from the Puritan alliance. “The Constitution provides American citizens with a national identity, sacred civic values, and comforting rituals” (Levinson 1988; Rountree 1990). The Puritans paved the way for democracy by demanding religious choice from the Church of England. In obtaining freedom, the Puritans envisioned it for justice and good. Another reason Puritans living in the colonies wanted freedom from the Church of England was the fear of losing their religious freedom. This same fear would also play a major role in the development of American nationalism. of England, the Puritans wanted to build a church in which one could join voluntarily and actively participate in the management of the congregation. “The American system of government was designed by political architects who assumed that power could not be trusted to human beings” (Wald 49). The Founders focused more on humanity's flaws than its virtues, just like the Puritans. In Reformation theology, the Puritans viewed the story of Adam as a lesson that, when given the choice between good and evil, humanity will often choose evil. The Puritans also believed that redemption did not exist and that God had already chosen those who would know His grace and those who would know only sin and torment. Derived from this belief, a political conclusion was drawn that government would never be perfect because it is the product of human beings. Since God had already chosen those who would be saved and actions in life would not redeem someone, “it was not the government's job to make people good” (Wald 49). Everything a government can aspire to