Why the Religious Right Is Wrong About Separation of Church and State Book

"An updated and expanded edition of Boston's 1992 book, this is a very useful overview for students and those seeking an introduction to an issue that is not likely to go away any time soon." -Conscience
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 aginst 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.

To expose the Religious Right's blatant distortions of U.S. history and correct its skewed analysis of legal rulings, Boston objectively reviews the evolution of church/state relations in the United States and looks at how the separation principle has been applied by the courts. He also examines efforts by sectarian groups to win government support for their schools, the school prayer issue, the history of the free exercise of religion, and the controversial role of religion in the public square.

Published in cooperation with Americans United for the Separation of Church and State

". . . passionate, concise . . . Vital information is provided in a well-organized format. . . . The most important contribution is the appendix material listing major religious organizations on the right, and the 'Common Myths About Separation of Church and State.' . . . I recommend this feisty resource for public libraries as well as for churches, schools, and other community groups." -Newsletter on Intellectual Freedom

". . . the book is a well-researched examination of the development of church-state issues reaching back into the middle ages and continuing right up to the latest cases to come before the Supreme Court of the United States.. . . provides a solid base of documentation in dealing with the evermore aggressive governmental-religious complex, plaguing American life in the last decade of the 20th Century." -The Disciple