Founding Faith: Providence, Politics, and the Birth of Religious Freedom in AmericaThe culture wars have distorted the dramatic story of how Americans came to worship freely. Many activists on the right maintain that the United States was founded as a “Christian nation.” Many on the left contend that the Founders were secular or Deist and that the First Amendment was designed to boldly separate church and state throughout the land. None of these claims are true, argues Beliefnet.com editor in chief Steven Waldman. With refreshing objectivity, Waldman narrates the real story of how our nation’s Founders forged a new approach to religious liberty, a revolutionary formula that promoted faith . . . by leaving it alone. |
From inside the book
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... Heaven 182 The Founders end their spiritual journeys and prepare to continue the conversation in the next life 17. They Were Right Acknowledgments Bibliography Notes Index 188 207 209 217 265 introduction T HOMAS JEFFERSON STOOD IN A ...
... heaven . " King James's charter for Virginia in 1606 made it official : The mission was to promote Christianity to those living " in darkness and miserable ignorance of the true knowledge and worship of God . " . The faiths of the ...
... heaven as much as possible . This church was to comprise a limited number of Christians se- lected by God to receive saving grace . " Figuring out who was favored by God was no easy task . It helped if you were well behaved and ...
... heaven and those who are not . Franklin's father , Josiah , had come to Massachusetts from England in 1683 in part to flee harassment of Puritans , but mostly to get better work . ' Within two years , he was given full church membership ...
... Heaven : Provide for us this Day as thou hast hitherto daily done : Forgive us our Trespasses , and enable us likewise to forgive those that offend us . Keep us out of Temptation , and deliver us from Evil " Like Jefferson later ...
Contents
18 | |
John Adams | 33 |
George Washington | 56 |
The pious infidel | 72 |
Natures God Meets the Supreme Judge | 86 |
James Madison | 93 |
A Diabolical Persecution | 100 |
The Mighty Current of Freedom | 107 |
Forgetting the Powerful Friend | 127 |
The First Amendment Compromise | 141 |
They Were Right | 188 |
Index | 209 |
207 | 243 |
Other editions - View all
Founding Faith: How Our Founding Fathers Forged a Radical New Approach to ... Steven Waldman No preview available - 2009 |