In one of the great triumphs of the colonial and Revolutionary periods, the founders of the future United States overcame religious intolerance in favor of a constitutional order dedicated to fair treatment for people's deeply held conscientious beliefs. It granted equal liberty of conscience to all and took a firm stand against religious establishment. This respect for religious difference, acclaimed scholar Martha Nussbaum writes, formed our democracy. Yet today there are signs that this legacy is misunderstood. The prominence of a particular type of Christianity in our public life suggests the unequal worth of citizens who hold different religious beliefs, or no beliefs. Other people, meanwhile, seek to curtail the influence of religion in public life in a way that is itself unbalanced and unfair. Such partisan efforts, Nussbaum argues, violate the spirit of our Constitution. Liberty of Conscience is a historical and conceptual study of the American tradition of religious freedom. Weaving together political history, philosophical ideas, and key constitutional cases, this is a rich chronicle of an ideal of equality that has always been central to our history but is now in serious danger.
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.0 / 5.0
Great Read:
This is a very detailed and comprehensive report on the establishment and free exercise clauses in our constitution. It is very eye opening and thought provoking in its possible applications. It is very timely given our recent presidential campaigns and the focus on religion/patriotism/flag lapel pens etc. A very excellent book.
A Problematic Perspective:
Martha Nussbaum is in danger of becoming the next Isaac Asimov - a freelance expert on everything in general. This book is more of a tour de force than a serious study. Nussbaum makes a good argument for "overlapping consensus" in discussing equality between the religion clauses in the First Amendment but really misses the boat when it comes to injurious religious practices - the major obstacle to the equality principle. (It was John Rawls who earlier argued for "overlapping consensus" between believers and... more info
An excellent read....:
One doesn't have to be religious to appreciate this book. Its simply an excellent reminder of the wisdom of the founding fathers and how they didn't want a state religion of any type, while also being about a country that has ebbed and flowed when it comes to religion in general. A take it or leave it mode. Yes, we have had periods where pious folk attempted to rule. But a closer look shows that in the end sanity pretty much rules. I also highly recommend The Faiths of the Founding Fathers by... more info
Smug Atheists:
Early on Dr. Nussbaum criticizes "smug atheists" who ridicule religious ideas. Why are religious ideologies protected in ways other ideologies are not? Socialism is ridiculed; communism is ridiculed; National Socialism is ridiculed, and so forth. Rightly, no one claims it unfair to riducule these beliefs which are very important to some people.
Religion and superstition have prevailed over rational thought for many reasons. Apologists for absurd ideas (virgin birth, transubstantiation, etc.) like... more info
