Why the Religious Right Is Wrong: About Separation of Church & State [Paperback]

Rob Boston (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1994

Award-winning journalist Robert Boston lambastes the zealots of the Religious Right for spreading misinformation about the constitutional principle of the separation of church and state. Boston reveals how a band of ultraconservative religious groups with a political agenda - led primarily by televangelist Pat Robertson - is conducting a systematic war against the separation of church and state. The tactics of these groups are designed to exploit unfounded fears and turn the American people against the separationist principle. They will not rest, Boston says, until the United States has become a theocracy.

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"...very useful overview for students and those seeking introduction to an issue that is not likely to go away." -- Conscience, Winter 2003-4 --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

From the Publisher

"This well-written book by an experienced journalist and student of church-state relations aggressively challenges the assertions of the Religious Right and shows most of them to be distortions, half-truths, and outright lies. . . . It should be in every school district's curriculum library." -- Contemporary Education

"Sketches out a strong, clear set of debating points for use by those seeking to keep government from meddling in religion and vice versa. . . . [I]t should make a handy and useful guide." -- San Francisco Bay Area Guardian --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 257 pages
• Publisher: Prometheus Books; 1St Edition edition (March 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0879758341
• ISBN-13: 978-0879758349
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,239,589 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

40 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Somewhat biased but excellent overall, November 8, 2003

By 

D. Smithee "Universal Daddy" (Washington, DC USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Why the Religious Right Is Wrong About Separation of Church and State (Paperback)

In this work, Rob Boston gives a good in-depth analysis of the church state separation issue. He provides an excellent historical background including a detailed description of the drafting of the U.S. Constitution's first amendment. Prior drafts of the amendment provide very interesting reading. He correctly examines the effect of the 14th amendment that extended the Bill of Rights to the states and the fact that it was legal for states to set up religion up to that point.

Crucial Supreme Court cases are covered in detail providing excellent examinations of the opinions they generated. He points out that church state separation was virtually ignored during the 19th century and exploded as an issue when immigration during the 20th century brought a number of new religions to the country that the people had never previously encountered.

Mr. Boston does not hide his disdain for the Religious Right and it becomes very obvious in some of his statements, but he illuminates some of the dangers this small but very influential group pose. He exposes the desires of some extreme fringes to convert America into a Christian theocracy.

All in all this is a great work with thorough documentation of sources that allow a reader to research further into the issue. Mr. Boston also provides a number of historical documents in whole or in part to illustrate the mindset of the founding fathers, particularly Thomas Jefferson and James Madison.

77 of 90 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Thank God for Some Common Sense FINALLY!, February 3, 2000

By 

"ebreit42" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Why the Religious Right Is Wrong: About Separation of Church & State (Paperback)

Boston does an excellent job of defending a principle that too many Americans have been lied to about for too long. With an overview of church-state history, legal issues, and a well-reasoned attack on the Religious Wrong, Boston's book is a breath of fresh air in the polluted skies of sectarianism. A quick note, one of the reviewers of this book noted that "separation of church and state is not written in the Constitution." Ignoring the poor grammar he used, he obviously didn't read the book. That point, and it is a valid one, is discussed by Mr. Boston. It is unfortunate in our time that people who have never had a taste of oppression, never a glimpse of tyranny, seek to run for cover under state-imposed orthodoxy. Keep the church and state forever separate in every way. I know what I'm talking about, my family grew up in Iran!

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good general overview, a few small inaccuracies... 4+ stars, June 17, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Why the Religious Right Is Wrong About Separation of Church and State (Paperback)

I found it to be a good start on the subject. Some of the dates were incorrect (typos, I'm pretty sure) and there were a few small but largely unimportant inaccuracies, such as the role of the NY State Supreme Court. In NY the final word is handed down by the Appellate Court (a somewhat understandable mistake-common sense dictates otherwise). For someone starting out with an admitted bias he does a presentable job in covering the other side of the issue, although the bias does show through. I've personally found the religious right to be much less forthcoming with opposing facts that refute their arguments.