Reviews for Religion and Political Behavior in the United States

The average rating for Religion and Political Behavior in the United States based on 2 reviews is 4 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2021-06-14 00:00:00 John Henderson A very interesting collection of ten essays divided into sections titled "Religious Culture in Jefferson's Virginia," "Theological and Philosophical Influences on Jefferson and Madison," and "Jefferson and Madison on Church and State." All the essays are worthwhile, but I found Donald Drakeman's examination of the legislative history of the establishment clause to be particularly intriguing, as he takes exception to the prevailing view that credits Madison and the disestablishment battle in Virginia as being the source of the language. Several of the essays consider in depth the Virginia struggle (which Jefferson said was the "severest contest" of his public career--an extraordinary fact in light of that career) and its consequences. As is well-known, Jefferson considered his Bill for Establishing Religious Freedom in Virginia to be one of the three achievements of which he was most proud. The great historian Bernard Bailyn describes it as "the most important document in American history, bar none." Given its impact outside the U.S., a case can be made that it is among the most important documents in world history. For a deeper than normal dive into the events surrounding that bill and the philosophy and theology that produced it, this book is a good resource. A quibble--I found Daniel Dreisbach's second essay to be largely duplicative of others. It was interesting, but something in its place might have been more so.

Review # 2 was written on 2016-02-17 00:00:00 Frank Kellam 3.5