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Title: The Godless Constitution: The Case Against Religious Correctness by Isaac Kramnick, R. Laurence Moore ISBN: 0-393-31524-X Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company Pub. Date: 01 February, 1997 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $13.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.39 (18 reviews)
Rating: 4
Summary: Required Reading for all Americans
Comment: Let me be the first reviewer since 9/11 to weigh in on this valuable book. Every American reacted to the horrors of that day in their own personal way and many reflected on the secular foundations of our constitution but few people know the details of the struggle that went into the conception, the codification and the defense of our first amendment. The separation of church and state is the greatest source of our strength as a country; every American should know the struggle of Roger Williams, the history of the Southern Baptists, and the strong belief of our founding fathers in the freedom of choice regarding personal beliefs. All explained in this simple and scholarly book.
Rating: 5
Summary: A hard book to argue with
Comment: Currently, we don't have an informed discussion of the wall of separation between religion and politics, between faith and law, in the media. Instead, we have shouting matches free of information that might help end some of the disputes.
Karmnick and Moore set out to provide a brief, readable primer on (1) what the Framers had in mind when they separated Church and State, (2) what thinkers or events informed their conclusions, and (3) what relevance all of this has to the current debates on school prayer, tax-exempt status for churches, and other issues.
Their argument is hard to argue with. The "no religious test for public office" clause (and the debate it generated) in the Constitution is their starting point for understanding what Madison, Jefferson, and others had on their minds when they wrote the core documents of American politics, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. And there's a lot more critical background they discuss, such the Lockean view of the secular social contract between citizens and the government they create, and the religious arguments by people like Roger Williams and others in the 17th and 18th centuries against intermingling politics and religion. It's pretty clear what the Framers had in mind, and it was to keep religion and politics separate to the advantage of both.
By the way, Steven Tooley's rebuttals here on Amazon are completely disingenuous and hit not the core of the book's arguments, but peripheral matters. He misunderstands Locke, a man of profound faith who also felt that government was not sanctioned by God, but created by human beings to serve very specific purposes. And for a guy who complains about "ad homein" [sic] attacks, Tooley doesn't hesitate to make comments like, "Are these two professors trying to pull the wool over everyone eyes for a reason, or have they themselves been brainwashed?" Read the book (which contains a lot of quotes from primary sources, by the way) and decide for yourself.
Rating: 5
Summary: Excellent primer
Comment: If you're looking for a repository of arguments against the proposition that the US is a "Christian Nation," this is the book for you. The authors do a fine job of presenting well-researched, reasonable, and calmly presented material, and by the time you're done with this slim rebuttal, you will either agree or at least have doubts. I don't think a more resounding endorsement could be said regarding what is essentially a book on law.
Part history, part claim, this is the book you need if you want ammunition, and the book you'll want if you're interested in the history of religion in the US.
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Title: Why the Religious Right Is Wrong: About Separation of Church & State by Rob Boston ISBN: 0879758341 Publisher: Prometheus Books Pub. Date: 01 March, 1994 List Price(USD): $21.00 |
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Title: The Myth of Christian America : What You Need to Know About the Separation of Church and State by Mark Weldon Whitten ISBN: 1573122874 Publisher: Smyth & Helwys Publishing Pub. Date: 01 October, 1999 List Price(USD): $12.00 |
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Title: The Founding Fathers and the Place of Religion in America by Frank Lambert ISBN: 0691088292 Publisher: Princeton University Press Pub. Date: 01 January, 2003 List Price(USD): $29.95 |
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Title: Christianity and the Constitution: The Faith of Our Founding Fathers by John Eidsmoe ISBN: 0801052319 Publisher: Baker Academic Pub. Date: 01 May, 1995 List Price(USD): $29.99 |
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Title: Eternal Hostility: The Struggle Between Theocracy and Democracy by Frederick Clarkson ISBN: 1567510884 Publisher: Common Courage Press Pub. Date: 01 March, 1997 List Price(USD): $15.95 |
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