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Review
| God's Country, Uncle Sam's Land: Faith and Conflict in the American West, by Todd M. Kerstetter. Champaign: University of Illinois Press, 2006. 213 pages. $36.00, cloth.
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| God's Country, Uncle Sam's Land makes a significant and unique contribution to understanding the role that religion plays in the American West, even when faith-based expressions run afoul of social conventions and government views. Kerstetter provides three examples of evangelical religious expressions—the Mormon War in 1857, the Ghost Dance episode in 1890, and the Branch Davidian standoff in 1993—which instilled fear in many federal officials and prompted violent government responses. The arguments presented throughout the narrative expose hidden motives, reveal deep biases, and chronicle the unwillingness of government officials to tolerate marginal religious movements. The underlying conundrum, presented eloquently by Kerstetter, is the vulnerability of the First Amendment and the exuberance of federal authorities to suppress dissent as illustrated in these three cases. Many fringe religious movements have started and thrived in the American West with little interference from government agencies, so the challenge is to identify and explain the reasons why the Mormons, Sioux Indians, and followers of David Karesh were forcibly suppressed by the United States government. |
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In five crisply written and carefully documented chapters Kerstetter provides insights and ideas which help to rationalize views of both government officials and religious leaders. His stunning objectivity and deep understanding of three distinct and different religious ideologies is clear throughout the narrative and each episode includes appropriate historical context which connects it to larger movements and events in U.S. history. Kerstetter devotes a single chapter to each religious episode and poses important questions and central themes in an introduction and conclusion. A firm grasp of historical events in 19th and 20th century American history, thorough comprehension of religious history, and an appreciation of the uniqueness of the American West permeate the arguments presented. Most important, however, Kerstetter's assertions and arguments are cogent and convincing. He argues that the underlying reason for the conflict between the federal government and these three religious movements was an inability to tolerate or understand religious ideas that ran counter to the conventions of dominant Christianity. In short, all religions that fail a prescribed litmus test are in danger of close observation and suppression. God's Country, Uncle Sam's Land is very clearly written, meticulously researched, and well organized. While the five chapters are carefully integrated and espouse several central themes, each can stand alone (several appeared as articles in journals) and will assist scholars and students interested in both broad religious movements in the American West and very specific religious episodes. Kerstetter's analysis reveals deeply troubling issues in each movement, but it also demonstrates the dangers of bias and the fears of the unknown. God's Country, Uncle Sam's Land makes an important contribution to understanding the American West and will appear on my list of suggested readings. This text will be an important supplement for courses dealing with American religion and the American West and will shape scholarly discourse in both these areas. |
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| Iona College, New Rochelle, N.Y. |
James T. Carroll |
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