American Jews & the Separationist Faith: The New Debate on Religion in Public Life - Hardcover

Dalin, David G.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0896331768 ISBN 13: 9780896331761

Publisher: Ethics & Public Policy Center, 1993

Synopsis

During the past half century, most American Jews believed that religion should be rigorously separated from public life. Convinced that a rigid "wall of separation" was best for both religion and the state, they steadfastly opposed the presence of any religious symbols or practices in the public arena.
But the separationist position did not go unchallenged. Prominent among its critics was Will Herberg, who argued that the state's "neutrality" in religious matters could not be "a neutrality between religion and no-religion, any more than ... it could be a neutrality between morality and no-morality."
In recent years, this position has gained more support. Some former separationists now think that to expunge all religious symbols from the public arena may actually infringe upon the free exercise of religion; or that the complete secularization of public life amounts to an unhealthy hostility toward religion; or that state support for religious schools is needed if American Judaism is to flourish.
In brief and provocative essays, forty Jewish lawyers, rabbis, professors, writers, and policy analysts here offer varying perspectives on the role of religion in American public life.

About this title

From Library Journal

What role should religion play in American public life? Until recent times, American Jewry has almost unanimously supported the "broad interpretation" of the First Amendment's establishment clause by advocating a rigid separation or "wall" between religion and the state. A major example of this thinking would be the "naked public square" (i.e., no creches or Hanukah menorahs on public display anywhere). Some Jewish groups are now rethinking this absolutist concept because of their concern with the rapidly growing secularization and "paganism" of contemporary American society. This provocative collection of essays, edited by rabbi-historian Dalin, presents the views, pro and con, of 38 prominent American Jewish intellectuals on this explosive issue. Surprisingly, several of these contributors present cogent arguments favoring a less rigid interpretation of the establishment clause. This excellent anthology is recommended for large collections.
- Robert A. Silver, Shaker Heights P.L., Ohio
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Ethics & Public Policy Center
• Publication date: 1993
• ISBN 10: 0896331768
• ISBN 13: 9780896331761
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 165