Founding Faith: Providence, Politics, and the Birth of Religious Freedom in America

by Steven Waldman and Steven Waldman

Book Overview

The 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... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1400064376
• ISBN13: 9781400064373
• Release Date: March 2008
• Publisher: Random House (NY)
• Length: 277 Pages
• Weight: 1.14 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 6.5" x 9.4"

Customer Reviews

Book

Arrived on time as described

Slice and Dice Separation of Church and State

Read this book to cut through the hype from all sides on "separation" of church and state. As with virtually all of history, neither the questions nor the answers are linear - but Waldman does a great job of giving perspectives of time, geography, and key players. There would likely be far more fact-based arguments, and James Madison would surely gain a lot of "street cred," if people read this book. Highly recommended!

good points

The left and right fight over the founding fathers. This is a great discussion about how neither have it right. Very interesting read.

An excellent book, required reading for both sides!

This is truly an excellent book. It's really the first non-hysterical treatment of church-state separation I've ever read. Written in a very readable style, the book is easily accessible to a high school student or even a bright middle-schooler, yet the wealth of footnotes and references, and the extensive bibliography, provide ample starting places for those interested in digging deeper. Moreover, as a Christian, I found this a very encouraging book. If you've already made up your mind on either side of the debate, the book will probably just irritate you. But if you're concerned and trying to make sense of the discussion, this book is great. It made clear, for starts, that the culture wars we have now on the separation of church and state started with the founding of the country (and actually before). "Founding Fathers" on both sides of the issue had well-thought-out reasons for their positions, which the author articulates. Most interesting of all, perhaps, is that much of the drive for church-state separation came from Christians who felt that the interaction of government and religion harmed faith, which, after some discussion, turns out to be a compelling view. In short, I found the book quite valuable, and will keep it instead of donating it to the public library where most of my purchased books go. I wish that I could make those I know on both sides of the issue read this thing.

Faith and Government

Founding Faith is a very timely book. Many people on the far left and far right like to use words from some of our founding fathers as evidence that their philosophies are justified. Waldman is very balanced throughout this book. He shows how both sides get it wrong and where they get part of it right. In this book the central topic is as the title makes clear the role of religion in the founding of our nation. Key individuals discussed in some depth include George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin and James Madison "the father of the Constitution". This period in American history, like other major periods including the Civil War, has seen a real proliferation of titles for the public's consumption, indicating a high interest and a real market (profit interest is always a factor) in the public's yearning to know more about our roots as a nation. The First Amendment rights, which include freedom of religion, are rights deeply ingrained in most Americans, but do we really know the background behind it. This is Waldman's focus. Waldman looks at the earliest settlers and the role religion played, which was a significant one. Many were seeking religious liberty from the incidents of oppression experienced in Great Britain. But along with this search for religious freedom came some not so pleasant attitudes, such as anti-Catholicism, persecution of "witches" and others who held "deviant" beliefs. The Great Awakening and the impact of preachers like George Whitefield and others are all discussed in the course of the early years of the United States. Of course what will probably interest most readers are the views held by the "big figures" of the Revolutionary War period and the early years of the republic. What did Washington, Jefferson, Adams, Franklin, Madison, and others think about faith? Were the founders Deists? Did they really want a wall of separation between church and state? Were they pluralists or were they tolerant of the Christian faith only? These are the types of questions that will be asked and at least partially answered. As Waldman writes, Washington's experience as commander of the Continental Army and its diverse group of men had a major impact on his attitude towards the diversities of faith. Jefferson's enlightenment views and his views of the clergy had a lasting impact on his religious attitudes. Madison's experiences in a Christian associated university and the plight of minority Christian denominations in his home region of Virginia were factors in shaping his views. In essence, the backgrounds of each founder had lasting impact. But in addition, these views could evolve or become more simplified as time passed for these leaders. Many other figures make appearances here including other prominent politicians, preachers, and etc. who played a role in the debates surrounding religious liberty. There were established churches in many of the colonies before and after the famous First Amendment was ra

Extraordinary--Elegant in Concise Inisights and a Holistic Appraisal

This is a very special book. The author has done an utterly superb job of original research and elegant concise representation of the nuances in belief, practice, and circumstances with respect to the matter of religion as confronted by the Founding Fathers, and especially Ben Franklin, John Adams, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and James Madison. We learn early on that freedom of religion was originally designed to apply only at the federal level--only later, when the North pushed through the Fourteenth amendment, did this get grandfathered upon the states. We learn throughout the book that the original evangelicals wanted separation of the church and state, and made common cause with the rationalists, both groups believing that individual liberty and freedom of personal conscience were the core values. Midway through the book we are confronted by the author with the reality that the diversity of faiths existent today in the USA render meaningless and unachievable any thought of America being a Christian or even a Protestant nation--pluralism rules. Religion was appreciated by the Founding Fathers for its generally good impact on civic morals. George Washington especially, in the Continental Army, demanded religious tolerance, authorized chaplains, encouraged officers and men to attend religious services, and generally communicated a sense that the American Revolution was a "holy war" with God standing firmly with the colonies against England and the Church of England. The author provides concise but no less shocking accounts of the early religious wars in America, with torture and execution and jail being imposed on Quakers and Baptists, Protestants against Jews and Catholics. We learn that both Jefferson and Franklin doubted divinity but respected Jesus for his moral code. Adams considered Catholics the "whore of Babylon" and this resonates with more than one modern US evangelical who has endorsed John McCain. We larn that the Great Awakening and the revivals spawned a general practice of questioning authority. The author draws a clear connection between political liberty and religious freedom--the two were intertwined from the beginning of the revolutionary impulse. George Washington was spiritual but not theological. There are many gifted turns of phrase throughout the book. One that stayed with me: Jefferson saw God not as devine, but as a "brilliant wise reformer offering a benevolent code of morals." Madison held a dispassionate faith in contrast to the others. He also felt that one should err on the side of separation. From page 192 the author lists and discuonts four liberal and four conservative falacies. Buy the book. The conclusion is as elegant as the rest of the book: Separation is the root condition for nurturing the fullest possible religious diversity and vitality. I put this book down with an intellectual, spiritual, and civic "WOW" in mind. Truly an extraordinary work, a very important work, a lovel