Our government should be entirely and purely secular. The religious views of a candidate should be kept entirely out of sight.

In this quote, Robert Green Ingersoll, a prominent 19th-century American orator and activist, expresses his belief in the importance of secularism in government. He argues that the government should operate independently of any religious influence, meaning that religion should not play a role in the decision-making processes or policies of the state. Ingersoll suggests that candidates for political office should not allow their religious views to affect their public service, nor should these views be a factor in their election.

Ingersoll's statement reflects his strong advocacy for the separation of church and state, a principle grounded in the belief that government should be neutral in matters of religion. By asserting that the religious views of a candidate should be kept "out of sight," Ingersoll emphasizes the idea that personal beliefs about religion should not influence public policy or be a source of division in politics. He suggests that religious freedom can best be preserved when government remains free from religious influence.

This view aligns with the Enlightenment ideas that shaped American thinking about governance, where the focus was on rationality, individual rights, and freedom from religious coercion. Ingersoll, a well-known freethinker and critic of organized religion, was a vocal proponent of reason and science, advocating for policies and societal structures that prioritized secular, logical, and humanitarian values over religious doctrines.

Ultimately, Ingersoll's quote highlights his commitment to secularism as a means of ensuring fairness, equality, and freedom of thought in governance. He believed that keeping religious beliefs separate from political actions would help create a more just and inclusive society, where decisions are made based on reason and the public good, rather than religious ideologies.