The Americanization of Religious Minorities: Confronting the Constitutional Order - Brossura

Mazur, Eric Michael Michael

Brossura

ISBN 10: 0801880564 ISBN 13: 9780801880568

Casa editrice: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2004

Riassunto

What happens when a minority religious group's beliefs run counter to the laws and principles of the American constitution? How do Americans reconcile the conflicting demands of church and state? In The Americanization of Religious Minorities, Eric Michael Mazur recounts the experiences of Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormons, and Native Americans as cases in which minority religious groups seek to practice their faith in a constitutional order that recognizes a higher authority different from, and sometimes incompatible with, their own.

Mazur identifies three basic strategies these minority religious groups can follow: establishing a separate peace; accommodating their theology to political realities; and engaging in sustained conflict. He shows that, in order to practice its faith without hindrance from the law, a member of a religious minority must somehow buy into the principles and values of America's constitutional government. He also concludes that the closer a minority's beliefs are to Protestant Christianity, the easier the accommodation. Throughout, Mazur emphasizes the experience of religious minorities in dealing with this problem.

A fascinating investigation of religious groups' right to practice their faith, The Americanization of Religious Minorities will be of interest to students and scholars of American religion, American politics, and sociology.

"[I believe] the First Amendment represents the gift with the greatest potential to be given by this country to the world. But I also believe it is a promise that, like the messiah, is always coming but never here. We must understand what we have done to others who have faced the dilemma of being religious minorities in this culture so that we can better understand the limits, and the potential, of our hopes for greater religious freedom."—from the Preface

"It has long been accepted that no freedom is absolute, but we do not often examine the implicit boundaries set on religious freedom or think about the ramifications for religious communities that—for any number of reasons—do not consider themselves, or are not considered by others, part of the mainstream. Part of the value of this analysis rests in its exploration of how minority religious communities balance the desire to join the dominant culture, on the one hand, with the sometimes conflicting desire to maintain a particularistic community identity, on the other."—from the Introduction

Su questo libro

Recensione:

"A cogent exploration of the 'free exercise' clause of the First Amendment and how it has been construed in constitutional conflicts with three minority religions: the Jehovah's Witnesses, the Latter-Day Saints, and Native Americans."

(Susan M. Willis Journal of Church and State)

"Raises several interesting questions involving the relationship of religious minorities to the constitutional order."

(Law and Politics Book Review)

"The role of religious minorities in defining not only the boundaries of acceptable religiosity but also the textures of mainstream civic identity still resonates in current debates, as demonstrated in his opening example of sacrificial practices observed by followers of Santería. At stake in these debates, Mazur reminds us, is more than the free practice of religion; indeed, the pluralistic ideal in American civic life itself emerges in the struggles of excluded communities to join the mainstream while maintaining their own distinctive qualities, practices, and ways of life."

(Thomas S. Bremer Journal of Religion and Society)

"An important book for scholars examining the relationship between religion and politics in the United States, as well as for teachers and students of the history of American religious diversity."

(Sherry Wright Sociology of Religion)

"A thoughtful, enjoyable narrative of religious confrontation with the constitutional system."

(Mark E. Rush Perspectives on Political Science)

"Mazur amasses familiar examples to create a strong and accessible argument concerning the constitutional authority all American religious communities must face."

(Jeffery Marlett Religious Studies Review)

"Mazur raises difficult questions about the ostensible religious neutrality of America's constitutional order."

(BYU Studies)

Descrizione del libro:

How minority religions and the Constitution accommodate each other.

Su questa edizione

• Editore: Johns Hopkins University Press
• Data di pubblicazione: 2004
• ISBN 10: 0801880564
• ISBN 13: 9780801880568
• Rilegatura: Copertina flessibile
• Numero di pagine: 228