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Overview
The first boatloads of European settlers did not come to America advocating religious tolerance. They came seeking the freedom to practice their own religion. Other sects, they believed, were wrong at best and, at worst, not to be tolerated.
The question of what constitutes "legitimate," constitutionally protected religious practice has been debated ever since. Does it include the use of peyote? Polygamy? Refusing medical care for a sick child? Freedom of Religion follows the evolving understanding of the concept of religious freedom from Great Britain to the New World, through hundreds of U.S. courtrooms, to the volatile modern-day issues of school prayer and faith-based initiatives. The thorough, responsible, and cool-headed analysis presented here offers readers a solid grounding in the constitutional issues behind the headlines.
Synopsis
This volume provides in a single source a thorough grounding in the origin, development, and current controversies surrounding the free practice of religion.
\Booknews
Urofsky (public policy and history, Virginia Commonwealth U.-Richmond) offers a reference to high school and undergraduate students who are beginning research into debates about religious freedom in the US. After describing the origins and development of the concept and the establishment and free-exercise clauses of the Constitution, he provides a list of key people, cases, and events; the texts of relevant documents; a chronology; a table of cases; and an annotated bibliography. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)\
Editorials
From the Publisher
"A useful review of religious freedom for general readers and lower-division undergraduates."
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Choice
" … thoughtful and well-written account … explores the origins and traces the development of America's religious liberty, the underlying principle of the policy of church and state separation … Given the timeliness of this subject, as well as the ongoing need to be ever-vigilant about matters of church and state, this work would be a valuable addition to high school and college libraries."
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American Reference Books Annual