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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... Puritans annoying . While passing through Lan- cashire one day in 1618 , he noticed that the Puritans had even prohibited sports and recreation . He explicitly prevented them from banning " may- games , Whitsun - ales , Morris - dances ...
... Puritans left us many ennobling legacies . They set up Congrega tional churches that stressed simplicity , local control , and a direct connection to God . Because reading the Bible was so central , they established a remark- able ...
... Puritan leader , later declared that " the Toleration of all Religions and Perswasions , is the way to have no Religion at all . ” Puritans did not hunt the eastern seaboard for deviants , but tried to keep their own communities spiri ...
... Puritans showed their sharpest fangs . Quakers were Christians who believed that each person had to rely for ... Puritan approach : .. William Brend , " a man of years , " was locked in irons for sixteen hours and then whipped 117 times ...
... Puritans saw an opportunity to send a message after Dyer gave birth to a deformed still- born baby . Her minister , the Reverend Joseph Wilson , preached from the pulpit : “ We have been visited of late by the admonition of the Lord ...
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 |