Rating  - secularism
What is it anyways? I think the entire premise of this book is based on the history of the concept of secularism and all the definitions associated with it. Because of his legal background, Feldman draws together the cases that have helped shape America's face with the history behind the cases. It is very interesting to see how America's idea of secularism has changed and why. This book is well complimented by Stark and Finke's "Acts of Faith" and "Habits of the Heart" by Bella et all.
Rating  - A well written history
While I find Mr. Feldman solution to the Church-State problem overly simplistic and probably unworkable, I found the book in general to be very useful. It helps one to understand the series of events that have brought the United States to today's church/state quagmire. The history leading up to a situation is always useful in understanding that situation (and possibly finding solutions and compromises to solve problems.)
The majority of Mr. Feldman's book deals with the history of how we arrived at where we are today. It is readable, not overly verbose and easy to follow and understand. Mr. Feldman has written with little or no editorial content in describing the history of the church/state problem. He is to be congratulated for this effort and his book read in the context of the clear concise history he presents.
Rating  - Oversimplified - Not Worth Reading
America's church-state conflict figures prominently in a number of debates - same-sex marriages, stem-cell research, abortion, euthanasia, appropriateness of the death penalty, religious displays in public buildings and areas, government funding of religious schools, prayer in the schools, and the words "under God" in the Pledge. These issues have increasingly divided the U.S. for about the last 50 years, and during the last Presidential campaign they were increasingly used by Republicans for political advantage.
Feldman points out that about one-fourth of the 2004 electorate identified "moral values" as most important to them, and 80% of those voted for Bush. Further, the more often voters attended church, the more likely they were to also vote for him. Clearly this is an area very important to many.
Feldman then goes on to divide Americans into two camps: 1)Those who insist on the direct relevance of religious values to political decisions (values evangelicals), and 2)Those who see religion as a personal and private issue (legal secularists). The "values evangelicals" are especially populated by "born-again" Christians, but also may include some Jews, Catholics, and Muslims.
Feldman's proposed "solution" to the conflict betwen the two groups is to allow religion where it is inclusive (eg. multiple religious displays). Unfortunately, I see little value in this approach - the Republicans have found great political value in exploiting the issue as long as Democrats predominantly populate the legal secularist group, and the Christian evangelicals dominate the values-evangelical group (not willing to compromise).
Rating  - God's Influence in America Today.
There have been many new books to come out about God and Christianity in the last six months, and this one is nonpartisan in nature which makes it easier to comprehend. Religion used to be private, but it seems that we need more, a pluralist understanding of the Americans' spiritual journey. From paganism in the 1800s to evangelicalism in which members consider themselves as being 'born again' (began in 1846 but very active today), pentecostalism (1901) where they 'speak in tongues' and some handle rattlesnakes to charismatics in the 1960s, using the baptism in the Holy Spirit, religion keeps re-inventing itself on the past. We must not forget fundamentalism to which many still endorse and believe in. The memory of the Civil War gave impetus to the rise of secularism. The Pilgrims came to America to practice their own form of Christianity and to found Christian states, passing laws in accordance with the rule of the word 'God.'
Noah Feldman explains in this book, "it would take another 75 years and the transformation of a peripheral movement into one supported by its own universities and national political organizations. Fundamentalism would eventually change the face of American religion and politics and give its name to a broader worldwide phenomenon of enormous historical importance." When I was young, we were encouraged to memorize Bible verses and recite them to earn a brand new 'New Testament.' Children were able to recite the Pledge of Allegiance to the American flag at the beginning of each day in their school classroom. The pledge did not include the phrase "under God" until the Cold War and the presidency of Dwight D. Eisenhower. It has been removed again because of the atheists.
We have Scientology, Buddhism, Mormonism, but the Christian Nondenominational far out numbers the congregations of the older faiths in Christian churches. In the broadest sense, the Christian believer and the New Age acolyte are on the same mission looking for transcendence in the midst of the mundane. Seventy-five percent say that a very important reason for their faith is to forge a personal relationship with God, not fighting political battles. What is more mundane than politics! As diverse as America itself are the ways in which Americans seek spiritual enlightment. At the University of Chicago, where my son Jeff met his first atheist, the quest continues in prayer led by historian, Martin Marty, who asserts that we are a nation growing more diverse in beliefs and practices as the years roll on.
Mr. Feldman teaches at the New York University Law School. Other new books on the shelves today include GOD'S POLITICS: WHY THE RIGHT GETS IT WRONG AND THE LEFT DOESN'T GET IT by Jim Wallis, UNITED WE STAND, DIVIDED WITH GOD by John Olenik, and WHAT GOD WANTS: A COMPELLING ANSWER TO HUMANITY'S BIGGEST QUESTION. Stephen Hawkings' newest book is GOD CREATED THE INTEQERS: THE MATHEMATICAL BREAKTHROUGHS THAT CHANGED HISTORY.
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