Founding Faith***Providence, Politics, and

[nutronjon]

"Fouding Faith***Providence, Politics, and the Birth of Religious Freedom in America" by Steven Waldman

 

I am very much enjoying this book, that gives us an important prespective on our history and tradition of freedom of religion. It might be necessary for religious factions to violently oppose each other, before people of different faiths conclude tolerance is a better way to go. The conflict between Protestants and Catholics had a profound effect on the early colonies, and played significantly into the colonel holy wars that became the American Revolution.

 

The turn of events, regarding Catholics, as the colonist mobilized for the Revolution is a surprise. The colonist switched from demonizing Catholics to appeasing them, with the hope of convincing Catholics to fight for the colony's independence of England, and also hope of getting Catholic France, the enemy of England, to an allie with the colonist.

 

This book is excellently written, handling what can be a delicate subject very tactfully. It is made more interesting by moving back and forth, between telling us of the lives of important players such as John Adams and Washingtion and the historic events. The author has done some amazing research to give us details of these people and their times.

 

It is a good book for both atheist and Christians interested in the history of the US.