Founding Faith: How Our Founding Fathers Forged a Radical New Approach to Religious Liberty

Founding Faith by Steven Waldman

Waldman is the chief, president, and co-founder of Beliefnet.com. I question his objectivity as a scholar largely because of the methodology that he allows with his Beliefnet.com, which resticts and even seeks to banish minority opinions on subjects that are presented related to religion and spirituality by a punitive infraction system on his forums. No explanation is adequately given for the complete meaning and function of such infractions. Waldman is a danger to academic freedom by allowing his beliefnet protocol to perpetrate such atrocities of free speech without total adequate explanation. I firmly do not recommend his writings without any reservations let alone on the subject of founding faith.

2 out of 9 people found this review helpful.

Very balanced historical perspective on Faith issues in America

First of all, I want to point out that the title is listed wrong for this book. It's not "...: How the Founding Fathers Forget ..." but rather "...: How the Founding Fathers Forged ...". Aside from that issue, the book is great at countering the fiery rhetoric presented today by the extremists on both sides of this topic. It does so not simply by discussing how things should be or how bad the current state of Faith is, but by presenting how the principles of freedom of polite religious, intellectual, and political discourse came to be enacted as the basis for the U.S. Constitution. It might be a bit dry as a topic for light conversation, but is a great source of relevant information, if the topic comes up.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

EXCELLENT!

This is an excellent objective history of freedom of religion in the United States. It overthrows two current popular myths that are based on politically extremist views more than historical facts. The Religious Right mistakenly insists that the US was based on so-called "Judeo-Christian principles" (a phrase that would have confused the Founding Fathers--particularly the "Judeo" part) and Biblical concept. The Far Left insists that the Founding Fathers (particularly Thomas Jefferson) were athiests. This book shows that both views are incorrect. Most of the Founders (including Jefferson) believed in a God--but He was no neccessarily the God of either Christianity or the Bible.
This critically acclaimed book finally gives credit to one of our greatest (some might say our greatest) Founding Father: JAMES MADISON. Madison actually entered politics to stop the arrests and abuses of Baptist ministers in 1770's Virginia. And yet by middle-age he was often labeled an "infidel" for his personal religious views; he rejected most of the major doctrines of orthodox Christianity.
What this book does in illustrate how the philosophy of the Natural Rights of the Individual served as the moral foundation for the Republic, and how Madison, Jefferson and most other Founders (excluding Patrick Henry)believed that a completely SECULAR government was the only way tp protect the religious freedom of each individual.

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

No text was provided for this review.

No text was provided for this review.

No text was provided for this review.