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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... religion violated Jesus's teachings and deeply appreciated Jefferson's efforts to keep government and religion far apart . Are we surprised that some of the most important advocates for separation of church and state were evangelical ...
... religions illegal anymore . Almost everyone accepted that principle . But could the state help some denominations a bit more than others ? For that matter , could govern- ment help religion at all ? Some of the most important battles ...
... religious oppression and a separation of church and state . They viewed both concepts as connected , challenging the prevailing sentiment that for religion to thrive , it would need state help . The Founders went straight from these ...
... religious freedom . As a delegate in the Virginia assembly , he led the forces of freedom in one of the most important political fights in American history : over whether tax dollars could aid religion in Virginia . He ushered through ...
... religion ; and none accepted the full bundle of creeds offered by his denomination . In other words , they were spiritual enough to care passionately about religious freedom , but not so dogmatic that they felt duty - bound to promote a ...
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 |