No Establishment of Religion

America's Original Contribution to Religious Liberty

Nonfiction, Religion & Spirituality, Christianity, Church, Church & State
Cover of the book No Establishment of Religion by , Oxford University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: ISBN: 9780199986019
Publisher: Oxford University Press Publication: November 2, 2012
Imprint: Oxford University Press Language: English
Author:
ISBN: 9780199986019
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Publication: November 2, 2012
Imprint: Oxford University Press
Language: English

The First Amendment guarantee that "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion" rejected the millennium-old Western policy of supporting one form of Christianity in each nation and subjugating all other faiths. The exact meaning and application of this American innovation, however, has always proved elusive. Individual states found it difficult to remove traditional laws that controlled religious doctrine, liturgy, and church life, and that discriminated against unpopular religions. They found it even harder to decide more subtle legal questions that continue to divide Americans today: Did the constitution prohibit governmental support for religion altogether, or just preferential support for some religions over others? Did it require that government remove Sabbath, blasphemy, and oath-taking laws, or could they now be justified on other grounds? Did it mean the removal of religious texts, symbols, and ceremonies from public documents and government lands, or could a democratic government represent these in ever more inclusive ways? These twelve essays stake out strong and sometimes competing positions on what "no establishment of religion" meant to the American founders and to subsequent generations of Americans, and what it might mean today.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

The First Amendment guarantee that "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion" rejected the millennium-old Western policy of supporting one form of Christianity in each nation and subjugating all other faiths. The exact meaning and application of this American innovation, however, has always proved elusive. Individual states found it difficult to remove traditional laws that controlled religious doctrine, liturgy, and church life, and that discriminated against unpopular religions. They found it even harder to decide more subtle legal questions that continue to divide Americans today: Did the constitution prohibit governmental support for religion altogether, or just preferential support for some religions over others? Did it require that government remove Sabbath, blasphemy, and oath-taking laws, or could they now be justified on other grounds? Did it mean the removal of religious texts, symbols, and ceremonies from public documents and government lands, or could a democratic government represent these in ever more inclusive ways? These twelve essays stake out strong and sometimes competing positions on what "no establishment of religion" meant to the American founders and to subsequent generations of Americans, and what it might mean today.

More books from Oxford University Press

Cover of the book Polio:An American Story by
Cover of the book Make Arts for a Better Life by
Cover of the book André Bazin by
Cover of the book Introduction to the Economics of Financial Markets by
Cover of the book The Investment State by
Cover of the book Roman Homosexuality by
Cover of the book The Creative Destruction of New York City by
Cover of the book Variation in Working Memory by
Cover of the book Managing Disruptive Change in Healthcare by
Cover of the book Earth-honoring Faith:Religious Ethics in a New Key by
Cover of the book Seventeen Contradictions and the End of Capitalism by
Cover of the book Scotland's Books by
Cover of the book The Evolution of Moral Progress by
Cover of the book The Burden of Sympathy by
Cover of the book Foreign Fighters by
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy