Buy pre-owned: $4.95
FREE delivery Sep 30 - Oct 5. Details
Pre-owned: Good | Details
Condition: Pre-owned: Good
Comment: Spine creases, wear to binding and pages from reading. May contain limited notes, underlining or highlighting that does affect the text. Possible ex library copy, will have the markings and stickers associated from the library. Accessories such as CD, codes, toys, may not be included.
Share <Embed>
Have one to sell?
Loading your book clubs
There was a problem loading your book clubs. Please try again.
Not in a club? Learn more
Amazon book clubs early access

Join or create book clubs

Choose books together

Track your books
Bring your club to Amazon Book Clubs, start a new book club and invite your friends to join, or find a club that’s right for you for free.
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required. Learn more

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle Cloud Reader.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Flip to back Flip to front
Listen Playing... Paused   You're listening to a sample of the Audible audio edition.
Learn more

Follow the Author

Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

The Religious Test: Why We Must Question the Beliefs of Our Leaders Hardcover – September 27, 2010

2.7 out of 5 stars 7 ratings

Price
New from Used from
Kindle
Hardcover
$4.95
$11.83 $1.46

The Amazon Book Review
The Amazon Book Review
Book recommendations, author interviews, editors' picks, and more. Read it now.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Linker is concerned our liberal democracy—defined as one that emphasizes individual freedom, limits the power of the state, and the like—is threatened by traditionalist believers and radical atheists. They are unfit for public life or office because of the illiberal demands their ideologies place upon them. Saints, for example, cannot be statesmen, as their first loyalty is to their god, not the Constitution or the liberal institutions that serve democracy. Believing there is a right way to behave in the political arena, Linker articulates six political commandments, including placing no authority above the Constitution. Yet political views informed by religious beliefs or atheistic sensibilities were not something the framers of the Constitution saw fit to enjoin. By excluding those with whom he disagrees from political life in order to safeguard liberal democracy, Linker’s six-point test ironically becomes not only unconstitutional but also as illiberal as the ideologies he decries. Nevertheless, this is a thought-provoking book about the tension between politics and religion in the public square. --Christopher McConnell

Review

"‘Our saints will not be statesmen and our statesmen will not be saints.’ In this lapidary sentence Damon Linker concludes his literate and stirring defense of pluralism as a prerequisite of decent politics. His deeply thoughtful alternative to both know-nothing and know-everything politics will instruct readers who remain open to persuasion―whatever their persuasion."
Todd Gitlin, author of The Sixties and coauthor of The Chosen Peoples

"God made all men equal. But men make religions, and they are
not all equal. Some beliefs―and arguments against belief―are simply incompatible with life in a liberal democratic society. So argues Damon Linker in the freshest and most intellectually stimulating book on church and state to be published in some time."
Mark Lilla, author of The Stillborn God

"A sensitive, thoughtful, and important new vision of the place of belief in an open and tolerant public square. Would that Linker’s Religious Test catches on!"
Isaac Kramnick, author of The Godless Constitution
Serving low prices with virtual cooking lessons
Amazon Explore Browse now

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ W. W. Norton & Company; First Edition (September 27, 2010)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 256 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0393067955
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0393067958
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 12.5 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 1 x 8.6 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    2.7 out of 5 stars 7 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Discover more of the author’s books, see similar authors, read author blogs and more

Customer reviews

2.7 out of 5 stars
2.7 out of 5
7 global ratings
5 star
30%
4 star
16%
3 star 0% (0%) 0%
2 star 0% (0%) 0%
1 star
54%

Top reviews from the United States

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on October 24, 2010
14 people found this helpful
Report abuse
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on October 22, 2010
19 people found this helpful
Report abuse
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on May 6, 2020
3 people found this helpful
Report abuse
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on May 5, 2020
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on April 26, 2014
16 people found this helpful
Report abuse
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on October 20, 2010
34 people found this helpful
Report abuse
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on May 2, 2014
7 people found this helpful
Report abuse