Divided by God

A brilliant and urgent appraisal of one of the most profound conflicts of our time
Even before George W. Bush gained reelection by wooing religiously devout "values voters," it was clear that church-state matters in the United States had reached a crisis. With" Divided by God," Noah Feldman shows that the crisis is as old as this country--and looks to our nation's past to show how it might be resolved.
Today more than ever, ours is a religiously diverse society: Muslim, Hindu, and Buddhist as well as Catholic, Protestant, and Jewish. And yet more than ever, committed Christians are making themselves felt in politics and culture.
What are the implications of this paradox? To answer this question, Feldman makes clear that again and again in our nation's history diversity has forced us to redraw the lines in the church-state divide. In vivid, dramatic chapters, he describes how we as a people have resolved conflicts over the Bible, the Pledge of Allegiance, and the teaching of evolution through appeals to shared values of liberty, equality, and freedom of conscience. And he proposes a brilliant solution to our current crisis, one that honors our religious diversity while respecting the long-held conviction that religion and state should not mix.
"Divided by God" speaks to the headlines, even as it tells the story of a long-running conflict that has made the American people who we are.
Noah Feldman, who teaches law at New York University, has emerged as the leading expert on the relations between religion and government worldwide. He is the author of two previous books: "After Jihad," which put him "into the center of an unruly brawl now raging in policy circles over what to do with the Arab world" ("The New York Times Book Review"); and "What We Owe Iraq," which Richard Clarke called "insightful, accessible, and highly recommended." A former U.S. Supreme Court clerk, and presently a fellow at the New America Foundation, he lives in New York City. A "Washington Post" Best Book of the Year Even before George W. Bush gained re-election through a frank appeal to religiously devout "values voters," it was clear that church-state matters in the United States had reached a crisis--one that threatens to split the country in two. With "Divided by God," Noah Feldman shows that the crisis is as old as America--and looks to our nation's past to show how it might be resolved.
Today more than ever, ours is a religiously diverse society: Muslim, Hindu, and Buddhist as well as Catholic, Protestant, and Jewish. And yet at the same time, committed Christians are making their influence felt in politics and culture with unprecedented vigor.
What are the implications of this seemingly contradictory state of affairs? To answer the question, Feldman tells the story of the relations between religion and American government, making clear that again and again in our history, diversity has forced us to redraw the lines in the church-state divide. In vivid, dramatic chapters, he describes how we as a people have settled controversies over the Bible, the Pledge of Allegiance, and the teaching of evolution through appeals to shared values of liberty, equality, and freedom of conscience. And he proposes a brilliant solution to our current crisis--an approach that would honor our religious diversity while respecting the long-held conviction that religion and state should not mix.
"Divided by God" speaks to the headlines, even as it tells the story of a long-running conflict that has shaped the American people--indeed, made us who we are. ""Divided by God" is an extraordinary book, carefully researched and well-written, with a cogent . . . conclusion. It is a window on a mind--and a nation--at important work, and it is impressive."--Carol des Lauriers Cieri, "The Christian Science Monitor" ""Divided by God" is an extraordinary book, carefully researched and well-written, with a cogent . . . conclusion. It is a window on a mind--and a nation--at important work, and it is impressive."--Carol des Lauriers Cieri, "The Christian Science Monitor" ""Divided by God "is clearly the product of a longer period spent thinking and reading . . . He proposes a simple solution for this mess: a compromise that gives evangelicals and secularists what they want most."--"The New York Times Book Review" "In his brisk, balanced history of America's debates about God's public role, Feldman pokes one hole after another in the assumptions of activists on all sides of today's religious wars."--E.J. Dionne Jr., "The Washington Post Book World" ""Divided by God" is audacious, clear-minded, free of cant, and reasonable. Richard Rorty once described religion as a conversation stopper. Noah Feldman proves how important it is to keep the conversation going."--Alan Wolfe, "Slate" " An] imaginative analysis, presented with a clarity rare among scholars."--Tim Appelo, "Seattle Weekly" "This is as capable and persuasive a treatment of this important issue as one is likely to find."--Joseph Losos, "St. Louis"" Post-Dispatch" "Mr. Feldman has done an important service simply by showing how each American generation has tried to reconcile the competing demands of private faith and public reason--so far, with a heartening degree of success."--Adam Kirsch, "The ""New York"" Sun" "Feldman's proposal . . . is an optimistic vision of civic-mindedness and rational discussion."--Liel Leibovitz, "The Jewish Week" "This is a remarkably ambitious book. It posits that 'no question divides America more fundamentally than that of the relation between religion and government.' It then proceeds not only to retell, in sometimes fascinating detail, the history of that relationship since the Constitutional Convention in 1787, but to use that history as a srpringboard for a proposal to overcome the deep national division that now exists on the question. . . ." Divided by God" is . . . well worth reading and pondering. . . . Makes for marvelous read