Why the Religious Right Is Wrong about Separation of Church and State

by Robert Boston

Book Overview

Award-winning journalist Robert Boston lambastes the zealots of the Religious Right for spreading misinformation about the constitutional principle of the separation of church and state. Boston reveals how a band of ultraconservative religious groups with a political agenda - led primarily by televangelist Pat Robertson - is conducting a systematic war aginst the separation of church and state. The tactics of these groups are designed to exploit unfounded...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1591021146
• ISBN13: 9781591021148
• Release Date: July 2003
• Publisher: Prometheus Books
• Length: 281 Pages
• Weight: 0.90 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.5" x 8.4"

Customer Reviews

Religious right is wrong then and now!

This is a classic on the zealots to control your faith and freedom. America is a democracy and not theocracy ! They try hard to lead you to believe America is founded on Christianity. Who failed the American history 101 on Treaty of Tripoli? Now the faithful conservative evangelical fellows lived in Mr Trump's self deception that Democrats stole his election and broke down the pillar of democracy! Is it the omen of death of democracy? Knowing the past help see the future. This book brings enlightenment.

indispensible

There is a short shelf of essential books on the religious right. This one belongs up there with Jean Hardisty's Mobilizing Resentment; Frederick Clarkson's Eternal Hostility: The Struggle Between Theocracy and Democracy; and Boston's book on Pat Robertson, The Most Dangerous Man In America.

Protect your freedom.

When I picked up this book I was skeptical about the entire religious right's moves to curtail my freedoms. This book gave me a deeper understanding of what is going on and put it in a historical and modern context. I would recommend this book to all that would like to assure their freedom and their children's freedom to choose their religion in the future.

Thank God for Some Common Sense FINALLY!

Boston does an excellent job of defending a principle that too many Americans have been lied to about for too long. With an overview of church-state history, legal issues, and a well-reasoned attack on the Religious Wrong, Boston's book is a breath of fresh air in the polluted skies of sectarianism. A quick note, one of the reviewers of this book noted that "separation of church and state is not written in the Constitution." Ignoring the poor grammar he used, he obviously didn't read the book. That point, and it is a valid one, is discussed by Mr. Boston. It is unfortunate in our time that people who have never had a taste of oppression, never a glimpse of tyranny, seek to run for cover under state-imposed orthodoxy. Keep the church and state forever separate in every way. I know what I'm talking about, my family grew up in Iran!

The dangers of the Religious Right movement

Rob Boston presents an intelligent, well written argument against the threat of the Religious Right movement in America. He traces church- state relations from several hundred years ago to the present day and confronts the non-seperationists with zeal and passion. Why do many Americans fall so easily for the propaganda and historical distortions from the Religious Right? I think the main reason lies in the attitudes that many Americans have toward people in authority. Not just religious authority, but other authorities as well, such as political figures, teachers, and even our elders. Many people seem to falsely think that individuals in positions of authority are incapable of wrongdoing, even when they have been proven wrong in the past. I cannot count the number of times that I have heard a person in an authoritarian position make an outrageous statement which is then quickly taken as gospel by the gullible public. Sometimes, the individual in authority will later contradict himself and even his contradiction will be treated as infallible by the public! This has never ceased to amaze me. Rob Boston states several times that he is unsure whether the Religious Right is ignorant of the facts or withholding the truth. In the case of the followers of the movement, I think ignorance and vulnerability are at the forefront. But the leaders of this so- called "religious" movement can only be described one way: they are bona-fide liars! Pat Robertson and the rest of the leaders are willing to sacrifice honesty in order to further their political agenda. These leaders have studied the constitution and American history history extensively. They would have to know that what they preach is completely false, beyond all shadow of a doubt. We all need to take a stand against these extremist groups to protect our freedom for ourselves and for future generations. Remember: apathy is the #1 tool used by the Religious Right. We need to get up and fight!

Excellent Resource for Defending Church/State Separation

Robert Boston has done a superb job of documenting the evolution of the church/state separation idea. He also describes how this idea fared in early American history, demonstrating that the idea is very much real and intended. Of course, the book also deals with the ideological attacks on the wall of separation, which has mostly come from the Religious Right, including Reconstructionists, and Accomodationists. The appendix includes useful rebuttals to the common fallacious theocratic propaganda concerning church/state separation. A must read for anyone wanting to become more active in defending the wall that separates church and state.