Piety & Politics: The Right-Wing Assault on Religious Freedom

The Religious Right is determined to convert the nation to its tunnel vision mind-set - that is - sexophobic, homo-phobic, science-o-phobic, secular-phobic, Harry Potter-phobic, to name only a few of their neuroses. They want to use federal courts if states won't help and state courts when blocked by the feds. They use as their guide cherry-picked verses from a patchwork theological document written during the bronze age. Although they could have cherry-picked verses of help and love, they prefer the mean-spirited ones. Somehow in the past couple of decades they have managed to gain a toehold in the upper echelons of US politics. Author Barry Lynn is a devout Christian, a minister, an attorney, a radio talk show host, and is director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State. With a couple of decades of scrapping with the Religious Right under his belt, he is uniquely qualified to educate us about the ridiculous political scenarios in this country masquerading as religion. The Constitution is not safe around these fine gentlemen and it is time to reaffirm the importance of a government that is completely secular and neutral to religious matters. Fortunately, our judges (regardless of who appointed them) seem to have a good handle on the issue. True to form, the Religious Right has made attempts to render the judicial branch impotent. Of the two excellent books recently written roasting the Religious Right, this one is more comprehensive. "Religion Gone Bad" by Mel White covers the same data and is more polemic than Lynn's. White's issue is more personal, covering the Religious Right's gay bashing in more detail. I heartily recommend them both and Merry...uh...I mean Happy Holidays!

Judging by his enemies, the author is a giant. His book tends to harp a bit, with a recounting of his many appearances on broadcast media, how the extreme right hates him, and how separation is good. I would normally drop it to four stars for the harping, but the substance is the best I've seen. This is a solid five-star review of both the massive fortunes being accumulated by the evangelical right, all tax free and completely absent any government oversight or audit. The author is responsible for documenting 56 cases where the religious right has broken the law by supporting specific candidates, for which they should lose their tax exempt status. The author provides a clear and thoughtful discussion of the intent of our Founding Fathers, and why a theocracy, which is what we have in effect (but see my review of Tempting Faith, which may destroy the blind faith of the right in the Bush-Cheney regime), reduces religious freedom and tolerance. Indeed, the author blasts Senator Lieberman (I-CT) for his constant use of religion to justify laws and positions. I believe the author would concur with Rabbi Michael Lerner's "Left Hand of God," to wit, we should strive to be people of faith, and live by our faith's tenets, but NOT mingle state funds and church funds, state regulations and church rites. In historical context, the author discusses how protestant conservative churches grew and then tried to use the state to resist the influx of Catholics and other non-Protestant minorities. The author discusses the hypocricy of the faith-based charities that want to be exempt from both taxation and regulation (e.g. hiring minorities), while taking money from the government under fomulas that are best questionable. If there is a luducrous side to the nutty right-wing evangelicals, it can be seen in their fear of Harry Potter films as promoting the occult. The author goes on at length to describes how "family friendly" is code for censorship of schools, libraries, and communities. By calling anything at all "lewd and obscene" the nutty right is censoring virtually all non-fiction and a great deal of science (see my review of Roger Shattuck's "Forbidden Knowledge: From Prometheus to Pornography.") The author's bottom line is that the religious right is hateful and intolerant. On page 234 he states that the extreme right fears information while sensitive people of faith welcome information. This is a really fine book, it says what needs to be said about the tax evasion and inappropriate political activities of the extreme right.

Reverend Lynn provides an iron-clad case for the defense of separation of church and state, which the Religious Right would like to see abolished. A core principal of our nation, church state separation is conceivably one of the most important of our American rights and one which makes us the envy of most of the world. 'Piety & Politics' is an excellent overview of the plot being perpetrated to transform America into a theocracy. One need only pick up a daily newspaper to find some compliancy from the White House or Congress towards that end. The Religious Right obfuscates the real issues of the day by deflecting media attention from the immoral war, stagnant economy, grossly underinsured populace and poverty and unemployment, to gay marriage, contraception and book banning. Reverend Lynn's substance, style and wit make for enjoyable reading chock-full of food for thought. For those who don't realize the colossal importance of our religious freedom, I highly suggest you read this book. When you're finished, you may want to visit [...] (Americans United for Separation of Church and State) to find out what you can do to stop the insanity and preserve our freedom.

In his new book, Piety and Politics, Rev. Barry Lynn explains the Religious Right's relentless attack on church/state separation and why separation is necessary. He gives examples of the Religious Right's attacks and explains why they are invalid. Rev. Lynn starts by explaining what religious freedom is, pointing out that "religious freedom is for everyone and every group-period... all are equal in the eyes of the state." He also states that despite the Religious Right's assertion that we are a Christian nation, "... nowhere does the constitution state that the country is Christian. In fact, the constitution contains no references to Jesus Christ, Christianity, or even God for that matter. The fact that above the signatures is the phrase 'in the year of our Lord' is purely stylistic and not theologically significant". He also points out that church/state separation is important because it means that "no one can force your children to pray in public schools against your wishes" and later states "mandatory, taxpayer-supported religion is the antithesis of religious freedom. No one who is forced to support religion against his or her will is truly free." As in the opening chapter, Rev. Lynn uses subsequent chapters to dismantle religious right claims concerning religion and public education, religious icons and public property, faith-based initiatives, sex and sex education, and censorship because of religious principles. Rev Lynn is a fully ordained United Church of Christ minister who received his master's degree of divinity in 1973 from Boston University School of Theology. His plain, conversational tone makes for easy and enjoyable reading, explaining his views and relating facts in a way that everyone can understand. I highly recommend this book for anyone who is confused about the issue of church/state separation, and for anyone who wants a clear explanation of the battle being waged around it.

"Piety & Politics" is Reverend Barry Lynn's effort to educate the public on the dangers of church and state partnerships and the threat they pose to religious freedom. Lynn is an ordained minister for the United Church of Christ and he devotes considerable time and effort to defending church state separation He is also the executive director for the activist organization Americans United for Separation of Church and State and he wrote this book to explain some of the methodology of the Religious Right in its efforts to take control of government. Beginning with a chapter on the definition of religious freedom, the book offers separate chapters on some of the favorite targets of the Religious Right, such as public education, religious symbols, government- funded charity, church politicking, personal decisions on sexual matters, and the desire to censor undesirable books, movies, etc. Lynn selected these hot- button topics probably because they are among the most broad- based and the most often cited as areas where the Religious Right and its members feel strongly; so strongly, in fact, that they are willing to rewrite the U.S. Constitution in order to make their view of religion and morality the law of the land. Barry Lynn is very well- versed on the church/state topic and he is very good at articulating his point of view. Many are familiar with Lynn and know him from his many appearances on television where he is often invited to share his perspectives. Often, Lynn squares off against one of the many pundits of the Religious Right effectively debunking the numerous myths perpetuated by these religious radicals and their followers. Lynn does exactly the same thing in this book. He writes about and sometimes quotes his political foes on the Religious Right- people like Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson- throughout the book, allowing these men and others like them to show their true colors through their own words. Lynn doesn't need to degrade these men personally. He keeps his discussion on a respectful level and never resorts to name calling or other forms of immaturity. He allows the leaders of the Religious Right the opportunity to incriminate themselves on their own through their quotations and by exposing their political agendas. Most everyone is familiar with Falwell and Robertson and many have heard some of the absurd and often hateful utterances from these supposed men of the cloth. Lynn includes a few of the rude and often mean- spirited comments from these men and others on the Religious Right so that the reader can understand exactly what these people believe and the lengths they are willing to go in their efforts to convert the United States into an all out theocracy or at least a moderate version of a theocracy. Lynn includes a few facts of history often omitted by Religious Right zealots in their pursuit of a theocratic state. He talks about the U.S. Constitution and its importance as a governing document. He doesn't, however, inten