San Antonio College Library

"The debate over religious lawmaking pits respect for religious pluralism against moral identity. Liberal theorists contend that religious lawmaking is generally suspect in a morally and religiously diverse polity like the United States, while communitarian theorists argue that lawmakers cannot, and should not, be expected to suppress their religious commitments in their public policy making." "Looking carefully at both sides of this ongoing debate,...

Public recognition of religion has been a part of American political life from the beginning of our country, and that is not going to change. But in recent years, the effort by some to challenge the long held separation of church and state by imposing religion in the public sphere has caused more harm than good. Goldberg argues that the gravest threat to real faith comes from those who would water down religion in order to win the dubious honor of...

"In the landmark case City of Boerne v. Flores, the Supreme Court struck down a major federal statute--the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993. This decision raised questions not only about religious freedom in America, but also about federalism and separation of powers. Using the narrative framework of a tense dispute that divided a small Texas town, Waltman offers the first book-length analysis of the constitutional jurisprudence involved...

America, it is often noted, is the most religious nation in the Western world. At the same time, many political leaders and opinionmakers have come to view any religious element in public discourse as a tool of the radical right for reshaping American society. In our sensible zeal to keep religion from dominating our politics, Stephen L. Carter argues, we have constructed political and legal cultures that force the religiously devout to act as if...