James Madison on Religious Liberty [Paperback]

James Madison (Author), Robert S. Alley (Editor)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0879755377 | ISBN-13: 978-0879755379 | Publication Date: July 1989

This long-overdue volume is the only one of its kind containing all of Madison's religious writings, as well as new contributions by leading scholars. Madison's writings assume even more importance to thoughtful Americans as the Supreme Court continues to decide issues of school prayer, and as the Moral Majority tries to desecularise American public and private life. Imagine an America without the Bill of Rights, without the Constitution. This image of our nation, existing without these two foundations of freedom, justice, and inquiry, assaults the imagination, for these two documents are the fuel that runs the republic. What is even more remarkable is that their primary author was one man - James Madison. "James Madison On Religious Liberty" is the definitive work of scholarship in its field, and will lay to rest any questioning of Madison's enormous historical stature. The essays are exhaustive in scope - many appear here for the first time in published form - and they include all of the available scholarship on Madison's religious writings.

Product Details

• Paperback: 338 pages
• Publisher: Prometheus Books (July 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0879755377
• ISBN-13: 978-0879755379
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,353,334 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars James Madison on Religious Freedom, July 4, 2002

By 

Joe Zika "Khemprof" (Cincinnati, Ohio) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: James Madison on Religious Liberty (Paperback)

James Madison on Religious Freedom edited by Robert S. Alley is a remarkable work on James Madison's views about religious freedom and how they should play a part in the overall fabric of our government.

James Madison is one of the foremost thinkers of the founding generation of Americans. Though he wasn't much to look at, Madison commanded a library of thought between his ears. Being well educated, (Princeton), he was an avid reader of polictical thought, a great legislator, and framer of the Constitution of the United States of America. But he also wanted the development of civil liberties, adovcating the idea of republicanism, and had the courage to want a moral society. A society that was religious, but not one that was dominated by a State or Central religion... in essence he wanted people to be free to worship as their devotion dictated... a liberty of conscience or a freedom of religious inquiry.

Thomas Jefferson and James Madison along with various others, at that time, worked hard to formulate a Bill of Rights guarenteeing this and other fundamental freedoms. Madison's ideas and actions went far in establishing these freedoms... a fledgling nation needed these freedoms so it would not fall back into the hands of the few and privilaged.

This book works through these aforementioned problems, with prominent historians giving view points of Madison by essays on the various aspects of Madison's thought on religious liberties.
There are selected Madison papers with which we read that gives a better prespective as to how Madison got to where he wanted to be... working the aspect of religious freedom.

We get to look into Madison's mind and find how he thought reading here about Madison's own religion, how he had the courage to doubt in a secular republic, and Madison and the first amendment. I found the book to be fascinating as we get to look inside, through Madison's own writings.

Those wishing to get a better picture of the inner workings of Madison should, without doubt, read this tome and it will clear up a lot about how James Madison worked his way through these times, not unlike what we are dealing with today. More wars, aggravation, and human suffering have come about in the name of religion than anything else mankind has known... the founding fathers knew this... what they came up with is an American tradition, taking these principles and making them work for the good of the people.

This is an excellent and comprehensive work that will fill in blanks, an you'll get a better understanding of Madison.