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Reviews
| Religious Liberty in America: The First Amendment in Historical and Contemporary Perspective, by Bruce T. Murray. Amherst: University of Massachusetts Press, 2008. 213 pages. $19.95, paper.
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| As a professional journalist, the author covered a series of seminars examining "Journalism, Religion, and Public Life" co-sponsored by the Pew Charitable Trusts and the Foundation for American Communications (FACS). The result is this book, in which Murray hopes to understand the place of "religiosity" in America, especially in terms of its intersection with public policy and law. Intended for students, professional journalists, and general readers, it weaves together historical and contemporary perspectives. Organized topically rather than chronologically, there are chapters on the origins of a religious liberty as public policy, the place of "religious people," and the concept of "civil religion" in the United States. A few chapters examine specific and noteworthy sites of conflict over religion in public life, including in schools and government relations with religious institutions, and a final chapter summarizes key U.S. Supreme Court rulings in First Amendment establishment and free exercise jurisprudence. Throughout, Murray quotes liberally from scholars and primary sources so that the material "can be referenced directly without further research when a harried reporter is on deadline" (p. xv). Tables and sidebars provide statistics, definitions, or summaries of scholars' key findings. |
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Murray covers a lot of ground in this relatively short book. In general, he nicely summarizes divergent views on religion's role in public life, capturing key moments in the development of religion in the formation of the nation, the U.S. Constitution, revivalism, and the origins of "civil religion," exploring linkages between religion and the concepts of nationhood and belonging. The book provides short and readable summaries of this terrain for readers seeking succinct discussion of the issues. |
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While such summaries might be useful for journalists seeking quick access to information and for undergraduates in political science, religious studies, or ethics courses, the teacher and student of U.S. history will find it more limited. Murray consistently draws evidence from a top-down perspective; the reader considers the views of Puritan ministers, the drafters of the U.S. Constitution, U.S. Presidents, scholars, Supreme Court Justices, and policy makers (mostly if not exclusively men), but not as much from those for whom religion and faith shaped daily lived experience. While admittedly the purpose of the book may not be to capture the broad role of religion in daily life, public policy about matters of religion in daily life impact ordinary people, and their perspectives are rarely mentioned. Moreover, Christianity seems to frame much of the book's focus, even though Murray consistently reminds us of the diversity of religious beliefs in the United States. A result is the (unintended) hint of "othering" when non-Christian faith traditions are mentioned. "Indeed, Americans not only freely pick and choose within their core religious faiths," Murray suggests, "but increasingly mix them with completely different religious traditions," citing yoga, Zen Buddhism, and Madonna's embrace of Cabala as examples (p. 30). In a two page discussion of "Muslims in America" (the most extensive in the book) Murray argues that "Muslims elicited fear and loathing in the West then as they do now," suggesting that after September 11, "Muslims may prove the ultimate test of American tolerance and commitment to free exercise of religion" (p. 91). In an otherwise provocative discussion of "civil religion," Murray somewhat confusingly uses recent Latino immigration activism to illustrate tensions over faith and belonging. "The immigration debate has raised the core questions," he urges; "What does it mean to be an American? What are American values? Does God bless America, or que Dios bendiga los Estados Unidos?" (p. 42). Ultimately, Murray frames this debate between two polar opposites, whether Latino immigration "threatens the United States' cultural and political integrity" (quoting Samuel Huntington) or whether Latinos have "appropriated American values and civil religion in the spirit of Martin Luther King" (quoting Luis D. León) (p. 63). One wonders if the question is such an either/or proposition. Despite these concerns, Religious Liberty in America engages a complex set of issues, especially welcome when matters of faith and politics have become so prevalent in public discourse. This is a useful primer, even if students of history seeking more texture might find it limited. |
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| California State University Monterey Bay |
David A. Reichard |
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