The Last Freedom: Religion from the Public School to the Public SquareThe presidency of George W. Bush has polarized the church-state debate as never before. The Far Right has been emboldened to use religion to govern, while the Far Left has redoubled its efforts to evict religion from public life entirely. Fewer people on the Right seem to respect the church-state separation, and fewer people on the Left seem to respect religion itself--still less its free exercise in any situation that is not absolutely private. In The Last Freedom, Joseph Viteritti argues that there is a basic tension between religion and democracy because religion often rejects compromise as a matter of principle while democracy requires compromise to thrive. In this readable, original, and provocative book, Viteritti argues that Americans must guard against debasing politics with either antireligious bigotry or religious zealotry. Drawing on politics, history, and law, he defines a new approach to the church-state question that protects the religious and the secular alike. |
From inside the book
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... Catholics are derided for accepting the doctrine of the Vir- gin birth, Jews for believing in a benevolent God after experiencing the Holocaust. The objective of Harris's book is unambiguous; it is to “close the door to a certain style ...
... Catholic from Boston who attends Mass regularly. He likes to recall his days as a young altar boy, and tells audiences that he wore rosary beads around his neck as a combat officer in Vietnam. When he became the presidential candidate ...
... Catholic politician to defy the teachings of the church when speaking at the public podium. John F. Kennedy, the only Catholic ever to be elected president, made a habit of assuring audiences that he would not take his instructions from ...
... Catholic views as a matter of conscience (since not all do) could sanction abor- tion under any conditions. The Notre Dame speech laid out a number of important questions on the role of religion in public life that are still with us ...
... Catholic politicians had al- ready surrendered their voice voluntarily. But there are other options. As Governor Cuomo explained, an elected official could follow the legal requirements of his or her governmental position, while at the ...
Contents
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9780691130118_4CH3pdf | 44 |
9780691130118_5CH4pdf | 66 |
9780691130118_6CH5pdf | 87 |
9780691130118_7CH6pdf | 114 |
9780691130118_8CH7pdf | 145 |
9780691130118_9CH8pdf | 176 |
9780691130118_10CH9pdf | 208 |
9780691130118_11NOTpdf | 241 |
9780691130118_12INDpdf | 263 |
Other editions - View all
The Last Freedom: Religion from the Public School to the Public Square Joseph P. Viteritti No preview available - 2007 |