PDF American Religions: A Documentary History by From Not Available in History

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Virtually every trouble spot on the planet has some sort of religious component. One need only consider Iraq and Afghanistan; Iran; Israel and Palestine; Turkey; India; Pakistan; Russia; and China; to name but a few. Looming behind national issues; of course; is the problem of regional Islamist extremism and transnational Islamist terrorism. In all of these sectors; religious tensions; ideas and actors are of great geo-political importance to the United States. Yet; argues Thomas Farr; our foreign policy is gravely handicapped by an inability to understand the role of religion either nationally or globally. There is a strong disinclination in American diplomacy to consider religious factors at all; either as part of the problem or part of the solution. In this engaging and well-written insider account; Farr offers a closely reasoned argument that religious freedom; the freedom to practice one's own religion in private and in public; is an essential prerequisite for a stable; durable democratic society. If the U.S. wants to foster democracy that lasts; he says; it must focus on fostering religious liberty; especially in its public manifestations; properly limited in a way that advances the common good. Although we ourselves have developed a remarkably successful model of religious freedom; our foreign policy favors an aggressive secularism that is at odds with the American model. It is essential; says Farr; that we take an approach that recognizes the great importance of religion in people's lives.