When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed...

Thus begins the American Declaration of Independence. The documents justification for breaking with England is the, "Laws of Nature and of Nature's God" and the unalienable rights endowed by their Creator. It then goes on to list complaints against the crown that violated their rights. This illustrates one aspect to the balance of power in a society. When a society has a strong set of religious or spiritual beliefs, the government that regulates the society will be bound to some degree by those beliefs. If the American colonist did not have a strong belief in a god then there would be no unalienable rights and so there would probably be no Bill of Rights in our Constitution. But the Colonist did have a strong belief in god. They believed that there was a limit to the power of the king because God was the ultimate power. And the king was bound to act according to God's law. If the king did not act according to God's law then his subjects were no longer bound to obey his rule.

This can be a powerful tool against totalitarianism. Contrast that with communism and the atheist states such as the Soviet Union, Cuba, or China. In these countries, the people were taught that there is no god. And if there is no god then there is no higher power then the state. It a lot easier for the state to control the views and behavior of the population if they do not have to compete with a higher power; God.

There is no doubt that religion can be used against people. If the religious establishment is part of the government or is a protected partner of the government then it will be a powerful tool to control people. That was Carl Marx's biggest objection to religion; that it supported the establishment and it's exploitation of the masses.  This can be seen in countries like Iran and Saudi Arabia. But a balance of power can be achieved between religion and government when you have a separation of church and state.  That does not mean that God is removed from government.  It means that the societies religious/spiritual/moral center is not a partner with the government.  It acts as a counter to the desire of the government to act as they please. 

The original intent of our separation of church and state was to prevent religious persecution, prevent a religious establishment from becoming part of the government, and maintain this balance of power . It was not meant to deny or abolish God as the atheist would have you believe.

- Thomas Paine 2

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