Vice President Mike Pence told the graduates of Hillsdale College in Michigan that the proportion of religious Americans is still growing even though they are increasingly being marginalized in secular society.
During his commencement address at the college on Saturday, Pence encouraged the graduates by saying, they are joining the workforce in a "new era of opportunity and optimism."
According the MLive, the vice president touted some of the achievements of Donald Trump's presidency, including the country's growing economy, the decline of unemployment, the decision to withdraw from the Iran deal and the ongoing discussions with North Korea.
Pence also claimed that religion in America is flourishing under Trump's term because his administration is "advancing the very principles that you learned here in the halls of Hillsdale College."
The former Indiana governor pointed out that the proportion of religious Americans has remained "remarkably consistent" over the past decades.
"We live in a time when traditional values, even religious conviction, are increasingly marginalized by a secular popular culture – a time when it's become acceptable, even fashionable, to malign religious belief. I still believe with all my heart that FAITH in America is rising," the vice president said in his speech, which he also published in a series of tweets.
"Religion in America isn't receding – just the opposite. Faith is gaining new life with every passing day," he added.
The vice president went on to say that Hillsdale graduates are "uniquely suited and uniquely called to renew the fabric of our nation."
"Right after we get done making this nation great again, your generation will make America greater than ever before," he continued.
Ryan Burge, an instructor of Political Science at Eastern Illinois University, responded to Pence's tweets saying that Pence was "not completely wrong" in asserting that faith is growing in the U.S.
The political science instructor pointed to the data from the General Social Survey, indicating that the number of people who believe in a literal Bible and attend services regularly has remained relatively the same in the last 25 years even as the number of "nones" has grown.
Pence and his wife, Karen, received honorary doctorate degrees in public service during the graduation ceremony, according to MLive.
Hillsdale College, which provides education for about 1,500 students in Michigan, awarded degrees to 367 students during the ceremony at the Margot V. Biermann Athletic Center on Saturday.
