Synopses & Reviews
In today's discussions of church, state, and the American way of life, the serious real differences that divided the religious settlers of this country are frequently overlooked. This book offers readers a survey of the often uneasy relationship between religion and public policy dating from the colonial period to the present. This thought-provoking study will be of interest to policymakers, lawyers and legal historians, and all those concerned with the future of public policy in the United States.
Review
Wilbur Edel states the purpose of this study as `to dispel the myths and historical misunderstandings perpetrated, knowingly or unknowingly, by those who seek this country's political leadership on the basis of the greater purity of their religious belief.' After concisely surveying relations between politics and religion in the old world, the author turns to the American scene, providing an important historical study with special focus on the periods of the Revolution, constitutional development, and slavery. In addition, Edel examines the evolving meaning of religious freedom and the Fourteenth Amendment, and the controversies surrounding the public schools and science. Almost half the book is devoted to an in-depth assessment of Ronald Reagan as `defender of the faith' in both domestic and foreign policy. Edel provides substantial documentation for his critical assessment of Reagan's vision and ideology. Somewhat in the tradition of civil religion studies, Edel's study demonstrates the negative and destructive aspects of the religiopolitical alliance, especially in contemporary America.... His treatment has made an original contribution to this issue. An important, well-researched study that should be in all libraries with holdings in American religion and politics. An exemplary piece of scholarship, it is clearly written and quite readable. The book provides some 20 pages of endnotes, 15 pages of bibliography, and a helpful index.Choice
About the Author
WILBUR EDEL is the author of A Constitutional Convention, also published by Praeger.
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments
Introduction
A Nation Is Molded
Religion and Politics in the World of Our Ancestors
Church and State in Colonial America
Impact of the Revolution
A Century of Change
What the Constitution Did--and Didn't Do
The Economics, Politics, and Ethics of Slavery
New Trends--New Problems
Religion, Politics, and the Law Religious Freedom Reconsidered
Religion Returns to the Political Arena
Ronald Reagan: Defender of the Faith
Morality and World Politics Religion and Foreign Policy
The New Crusaders
Where Are We Heading?
Notes
Bibliography
Index
About the Author