book review: Founding Faith
there's no way I can read 50 or however many books in a year, but I do get to take in a few here and there. my most recent read might be of interest to some people on my flist, so I'll mention it here.
so first with the full disclosure: I'm a religious liberal. take that in relation to the review below as you will.
I heard about Steven Waldman's book from this conversation on Speaking of Faith a few weeks ago. basically, the book analyzes five of the Founding Father's views on religion in general, in relation to government, and how those views relate to the Constitution, as ratified, and the 1st Amendment. the Founding Fathers in question are [John] Adams, Franklin, Madison, Jefferson, and Washington.
in short, I really enjoyed it. it's a very approachable summary and analysis of not only their personal writings from the time of the drafting/ratification of those two documents, but also over their lifetimes. Adams, in particular, changed his views a bit over the course of his life, both private and public. not only does Waldman look at what those five men wrote, but he also places them against the historic backdrop of both local and national events. and at only 205 pages, plus notes, it doesn't take very long to get through.
to briefly sum up the book, Waldman states in the introduction that his aim is, mostly to simply describe the dramatic birth of religious freedom without the distortions introduced by either a heavy ideological agenda or romantic wishful thinking. Why do we have religious freedom? How did it happen? And therefore, how do we preserve and treasure it?
I think he achieves his aim pretty well. the book offers insights both into the debate as it unfolded back in the 1700's, as well as who the Founders were. it's not a dry and complicated scholarly tome, but written in a less formal conversational style. obviously, as a synthesis and analysis, then entire book is basically his opinion based on a few more facts than the reader may have. even so, he keeps his distance for the most part, except for the last chapter, and when inserting his opinion, he typically states so explicitly.
so was America founded by Christian men based upon explicitly Christian ideals? or should there be a "wall of separation" that prevents the government and religion from even seeing each other? after searching through the texts, Waldman's answer is that it's much more complicated than that. he examines the complications, and the reasons and philosophies can be a little startling.
a brief quote from the last chapter.
Some [Founders] believed that government could and should support religion because a vibrant faith sector was essential to a functioning democracy. Others - most notably James Madison and Thomas Jefferson - believed that government support for, or use of, religion would invariably harm both, and that the wisest route was to always err on the side of strict separation.
The US Constitution and the First Amendment did not resolve this disagreement. They were approved with support from people on both sides, thereby leaving to future generations the battles we fight today....
so first with the full disclosure: I'm a religious liberal. take that in relation to the review below as you will.
I heard about Steven Waldman's book from this conversation on Speaking of Faith a few weeks ago. basically, the book analyzes five of the Founding Father's views on religion in general, in relation to government, and how those views relate to the Constitution, as ratified, and the 1st Amendment. the Founding Fathers in question are [John] Adams, Franklin, Madison, Jefferson, and Washington.
in short, I really enjoyed it. it's a very approachable summary and analysis of not only their personal writings from the time of the drafting/ratification of those two documents, but also over their lifetimes. Adams, in particular, changed his views a bit over the course of his life, both private and public. not only does Waldman look at what those five men wrote, but he also places them against the historic backdrop of both local and national events. and at only 205 pages, plus notes, it doesn't take very long to get through.
to briefly sum up the book, Waldman states in the introduction that his aim is, mostly to simply describe the dramatic birth of religious freedom without the distortions introduced by either a heavy ideological agenda or romantic wishful thinking. Why do we have religious freedom? How did it happen? And therefore, how do we preserve and treasure it?
I think he achieves his aim pretty well. the book offers insights both into the debate as it unfolded back in the 1700's, as well as who the Founders were. it's not a dry and complicated scholarly tome, but written in a less formal conversational style. obviously, as a synthesis and analysis, then entire book is basically his opinion based on a few more facts than the reader may have. even so, he keeps his distance for the most part, except for the last chapter, and when inserting his opinion, he typically states so explicitly.
so was America founded by Christian men based upon explicitly Christian ideals? or should there be a "wall of separation" that prevents the government and religion from even seeing each other? after searching through the texts, Waldman's answer is that it's much more complicated than that. he examines the complications, and the reasons and philosophies can be a little startling.
a brief quote from the last chapter.
Some [Founders] believed that government could and should support religion because a vibrant faith sector was essential to a functioning democracy. Others - most notably James Madison and Thomas Jefferson - believed that government support for, or use of, religion would invariably harm both, and that the wisest route was to always err on the side of strict separation.
The US Constitution and the First Amendment did not resolve this disagreement. They were approved with support from people on both sides, thereby leaving to future generations the battles we fight today....