"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion . . ." After hearing a speech in which the audience was queried on their knowledge of these 10 words, known as the Establishment Clause, Barry Adamson realized with embarrassment that he lacked that understanding himself. He immediately began an intense study of the First Amendment and its intended purpose. After interviewing several people about their experience with the Establishment Clause, he realized that, like him, few understood its meaning. In addition, Adamson found that most volumes written on the subject were not written for the average person, inspiring him to author an evenhanded, easy-to-read book. His intention was to provide "an objective chronicle of the historical origins of the phrase 'establishment of religion' and what our forefathers originally meant when they adopted the First Amendment."
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In colonial America, everyone knew the meaning of the terms "establishment" and "established church": an official, monopolistic governmental religion. The colonists also well knew the various negative attributes associated with the "established church," especially compelled financial support and attendance. Every colonial state, except Pennsylvania and Rhode Island, had an established church at one time. Before the revolution, some states had disestablished their churches.
Those who had suffered most, especially the Baptists of Virginia, demanded protection in the form of a Bill of Rights. Virginia refused to ratify the constitution unless this amendment was added, and it became the First Amendment, stating, "Congress shall make no law respecting the establishment of religion, nor prohibit the free exercise thereof.
In his book, Adamson explains in detail how the Court flunked history and got it wrong, how they seized on a phrase not even in the constitution, and have gradually built freedom of religion into a restraint of religious liberty. The Bill of Rights was a guarantee of freedom to the citizen. The court is busy building restraints to that freedom.
From the Back Cover
In colonial America, everyone knew the meaning of the terms "establishment" and "established church": an official, monopolistic governmental religion. The colonists also well knew the various negative attributes associated with the "established church," especially compelled financial support and attendance. Though some states had disestablished their churches before the American Revolution, every colonial state, except Pennsylvania and Rhode Island, had an established church at one time. Those who had suffered most, especially the Baptists of Virginia, demanded protection from a state-run religion in the form of a Bill of Rights. Virginia refused to ratify the Constitution unless this amendment was added, and in 1789, it became the First Amendment, stating, "Congress shall make no law respecting the establishment of religion, nor prohibit the free exercise thereof." In 1801, the Baptists of Danbury wrote Thomas Jefferson for additional aid. The established church of Connecticut did not allow them to hold office and denied them other rights. Jefferson wrote the famous "Wall of Separation" letter in which he described "a wall of separation between church and state." The Baptists were satisfied with this explanation, understanding the amendment to serve as a wall around the government, granting complete religious freedom to them. In contrast to the original intent of the First Amendment, as clarified by Thomas Jefferson, the United States Supreme Court, especially in the past sixty years, has been busy erecting walls around the churches and giving unfettered freedom to the government. Adamson explains in detail how the Court flunked history and confused the true meaning of the Establishment Clause, how they seized on a phrase not even in the Constitution, and how the justices have gradually built freedom of religion into a restraint of religious liberty. The Bill of Rights was a guarantee of freedom to the citizen. The court is busy building restraints to that freedom.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Well-Written and Timely,
By
This review is from: Freedom of Religion, the First Amendment, and the Supreme Court: How the Court Flunked History (Hardcover)
I was very impressed by the thoughtful research and clear, direct writing. The author gives the historical record surrounding the First Amendment, which guarantees freedom of religion but limits religion's potentially intrusive aspects. From the title, I expected a thinly disguised argument for more religion in our public life. I was gratified to see a very complete, well-researched history of the First Amendment and religious freedom/limitation in general. The author seems to advocate strict construction of the Constitution, but he gives a straighforward and unbiasesd account of the facts. This issue will be in the news in the near future, and it's nice to have this objective base for an informed opinion.
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
No Spin Please...Thank You!,
This review is from: Freedom of Religion, the First Amendment, and the Supreme Court: How the Court Flunked History (Hardcover)
Finally! A pragmatic-systematic approach to exploring the truth and intentions of our founding fathers. This book, I hope, will not be Barry's last. It's well researched and put in an orderly manner for anyone to understand. Barry uses the actual writings of our founding fathers to show what was meant by the clause "Freedom of Religion...".
It shows just how far off, biased and lazy the Supreme Court has become in understanding the true meaning of our Bill of Rights. I am looking forward to this book showing up on a few programs, hopefully, in the very near future. It's a must read for those who seek the truth in our current politics.
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Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
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