Should prayer be allowed in public schools? Should biology be taught according to Darwin or to the book of Genesis? Why is polygamy against the law? These are just a few of the questions that touch our lives directly and emerge out of the separation of church and state. In this volume; one of the most distinguished scholars of American religious history traces the complicated relationship of church and state from the early colonial period; through the unique American experiment in religious liberty after the Revolution; to the ongoing debate over religious issues in our schools and communities. Edwin Gaustad relates entertaining and edifying accounts of headline-grabbing court trials involving polygamy; witchcraft; and church taxation. He quotes moving passages from the speeches and writings of American Presidents and Supreme Court justices to prove that; to paraphrase Michelangelo; "religious liberty is made up of a series of trifles; but religious liberty is no trifle."
#931599 in Books 2006-01-26Ingredients: Example IngredientsOriginal language:EnglishPDF # 1 6.10 x 1.10 x 9.10l; 1.35 #File Name: 0195155971432 pages
Review
1 of 4 people found the following review helpful. Pro-globablization propagandaBy Earnest SludgeI guess I should have done my homework a little better before ordering this. I had bought two other travel anthologies taken from works hundreds of years ago and that were also put out by Oxford University and I was quite satisfied by them. But those other anthologies were only intended to entertain and divert. This one has a boring ax to grind.And I most confess that I didn't read the Columbus; Cartier; Stade; de Lery or Oviedo selections because I'd already read the full accounts.These selections don't even qualify as narrative. They're just dry expositions on religious; social and trading customs.There's also an unpleasant moralizing; preachy tone to many of author's introductory comments; telling us that it was cruel and unjust to have abused and decimated the indigenous of North and South America and to have enslaved the Blacks of Africa. There's one particularly drawn-out; whiny selection by Guaman Poma that harps on and on about how there is "no justice for the poor Indians" of Peru.The main point of this anthology seems to be that the whole world was already nearly or fully civilized so it just made sense that the different centers should reach out and connect. I can't argue with the inevitability of it; it's just impossible for me to take any joy in it. And the dry; static; feet-nailed-to-floor tone of these selections confirms it.There were also quite a few typos in the selected texts. I was surprised since Oxford University is one of the most prestigious universities in the world.
