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America Unraveling, L. Scott Smith, 2008, ISBN 9780977940783 This book defends the expression of public faith in America, and has many unpleasant things to say about the present state of American culture. The Founding Fathers intentionally created a "godless Constitution," because they knew that establishing any sort of state religion, or mandating religious tests as a prerequisite for holding public office would ultimately be a really bad idea. But that doesn’t mean that religion was not an important part of their lives, because it was. Everyone talks about the line of separation between church and state; it would be helpful if there was one overall definition, on which everyone could agree, as to just where that line is located. Liberalism and secularism espouse that religion should play no major role in public life. They also promote the neutrality of the state toward religion, and the autonomy of the individual to worship any way they wish. They may sound reasonable, but they certainly haven’t worked that way. In the late 20th century, the US Supreme Court ruled on several high profile cases concerning expression of public faith. Among them were cases which looked at religion in school. Part of the justification for bringing the cases through the legal process was that the students involved were coerced into participating, or made to feel different if they didn’t take part. The truth is that there was no coercion at all, and the students were more than free to not participate. The author also thinks very little of present-day immigration, which started courtesy of a law passed more than 40 years ago, and is leading to the destruction of Anglo-Christian culture. Multiculturalism says that all religions, and therefore, all religious practices, are equally valid. Does that include female genital mutilation, and the stoning to death of women convicted of adultery? The author is not advocating that America be turned into a Christian fundamentalist, or any other type of religious regime. But, is some expression of public faith in American life really such a bad idea? It is an interesting book that does a good job at staying non-partisan. Paul Lappen is a freelance book reviewer whose website, Dead Trees Review, has nearly 700 reviews on all subjects, with an emphasis on small press books.
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