Attack of the Theocrats How the Religious Right Harms Us All—and What We Can Do about It

by Faircloth, Sean; Dawkins, Richard

• ISBN13: 9780984493258
• ISBN10: 0984493255
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2012-10-01
• Publisher: Pitchstone Publishing

Summary

At no time in American history has the United States had such a high percentage of theocratic members of Congress-those who expressly endorse religious bias in law. Just as ominously, at no other time have religious fundamentalists effectively had veto power over one of the country's two major political parties. As Sean Faircloth argues, this has led to the crumbling of the country's most cherished founding principle-the wall separating church and state-and presages even more crumbling. Faircloth, a former politician and current executive director of the Secular Coalition for America, explores the many ways federal and state legal codes privilege religion in law. He goes on to demonstrate how religious bias in law harms all Americans-financially, militarily, physically, socially, and educationally. Sounding a much-needed alarm for all who care about the future direction of the country, Faircloth concludes by offering an inspiring vision for returning America to its secular roots, one that remembers that the United States is, above all, one nation under the Constitution.

Author Biography

Sean Faircloth writes and speaks widely on separation of church and slate and secular strategy. He served for a decade in the Maine legislature, successfully spearheading over thirty laws, and was elected Majority Whip in his last term. He then successfully initiated the Secular Decade plan at the Secular Coalition for America, where he served as Executive Director. He was recently hired as Director of Strategy and Policy for the Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science (U.S.).

Table of Contents

Foreword	p. 9
Preface	p. 15
Introduction: The Crumbled Wall between Church and State	p. 23
Our Secular Heritage: One Nation under the Constitution	p. 30
Religious Bias in Law Harms Us All	p. 42
Genital Morality vs. Real Morality	p. 65
Two American Traditions: Religious Hucksters and Secular Innovators	p. 78
The Theocrats (aka the Fundamentalist Fifty)	p. 91
The Secularists	p. 108
Secularism-Born Again	p. 111
Our Secular Decade: A Strategic Plan	p. 119
A Vision of a Secular America	p. 133
Afterword	p. 142
Acknowledgments	p. 148
Selected Bibliography	p. 151
Index	p. 153
About the Author	p. 165
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