The myth of American religious freedom / David Sehat.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Sehat, David.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Freedom of religion--United States--History.

Freedom of religion.

Christian ethics.

History.

United States.

Christian ethics--United States--History.

United States--Church history.

Church history.

Genre:

Church history.

History.

Physical Description:

xii, 366 pages ; 23 cm

Edition:

Updated edition.

Place of Publication:

Oxford ; New York : Oxford University Press, 2015.

Summary:

In the battles over religion and politics in America, both liberals and conservatives often appeal to history. But in The Myth of American Religious Freedom, historian David Sehat provides an eye-opening history of religion in public life that overturns our most cherished myths. Originally, he shows, the First Amendment applied only to the federal government, which had limited authority. On the state level, a Protestant moral establishment ruled over Catholics, Jews, Mormons, agnostics, and others. Not until 1940 did the Supreme Court extend the First Amendment to the states. As the Court began to dismantle the connections between religion and government, religious conservatives mobilized to maintain their power and began the culture wars of the last fifty years. To trace the rise and fall of this Protestant establishment, Sehat focuses on a series of dissenters -- abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison, suffragist Elizabeth Cady Stanton, progressive pundit Walter Lippmann, and many others. Shattering myths held by both the left and the right, this book forces us to rethink some of our most deeply held political beliefs.

Contents:

Preface to the paperback edition

Introduction : the myth of American religious freedom

Part I. Moral Law :

1. Contested liberties

2. A godless government?

3. The moral establishment

Part II. Challengers :

4. The moral purpose of slavery and abolition

5. Moral reproduction and the family

Part III. Retrenchment :

6. Morals, citizenship, and segregation

7. Women's rights, woman's individuality, and the Bible

8. Religion, morals, and law

Part IV. Fragmentation :

9. A conflict of authorities

10. Liberal and conservative moral visions

11. The liberal moment

12. A moral majority?

Conclusion : moral maximalism and religious control

Postscript to the paperback edition

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

0190247215

9780190247218

9780195388763

0195388763

OCLC:

907445275