How to Be Secular: A Call to Arms for Religious Freedom - Hardcover

Berlinerblau, Jacques

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0547473346 ISBN 13: 9780547473345

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2012

Synopsis

“Berlinerblau mounts a careful, judicious, and compelling argument that America needs more secularists—not only among nonbelievers but among believers as well. It will change the way we think and talk about religious freedom.”
—Randall Balmer, author of Thy Kingdom Come: How the Religious Right Distorts Faith and Threatens America

Weary of religious conservatives urging “defense of marriage” and atheist polemicists decrying the crimes of religion? Sick of pundits who want only to recast American life in their own image? Americans are stuck in an all-or-nothing landscape for religion in public life. What are reasonable citizens to do?

Seen as godless by the religious and weak by the atheists, secularism mostly has been misunderstood. In How to Be Secular, Berlinerblau argues for a return to America’s hard-won secular tradition; the best way to protect religious diversity and freedom lies in keeping an eye on the encroachment of each into the other.

Berlinerblau passionately defends the virtues of secularism, reminds us what it is and what it can protect, and urges us to mobilize around its cause, which is for all Americans to continue to enjoy freedom for—and from—religion. This is an urgent wake-up call for progressives in and out of all faiths.

www.jacquesberlinerblau.com

About this title

From the Back Cover

A Rousing Defense of America s Secular Roots as Our Nation s Best Way to Protect Freedom of and from Religion

How to Be Secular serves as an important reminder that, as I have noted in the past, we protect our rights to our personal beliefs by preserving the rights of our neighbors to believe otherwise. I agree wholeheartedly with Berlinerblau s argument and highly recommend this powerful book. Mario M. Cuomo, former governor of the state of New York

This book brought tears to my secular Jewish eyes, it was so good. Berlinerbau is not just an astonishing secular thinker; he knows how to turn a phrase, and he knows how to keep the pages turning. Now put down that tefillin and read it! Gary Shteyngart, author of Super Sad True Love Story

A call to reject extremism of any sort and return to the American genius for accommodation of our differences even, indeed especially, our differences over the role of religion in our public life. Elliot Abrams, former Deputy National Security Advisor

This insightful book is not designed to convince you of the non-existence of God or the afterlife; it exists to convince both the non-theistic and the religious that if we don t find a way to work together, we will all pay a heavy price. Berlinerblau makes a compelling, urgent case, with rigorous regard to history as well as a keen eye for the relevance of today s many new variations of fundamentalism. Barry Lynn, executive director Americans United for Separation of Church and State

As someone whose faith is an important part of his life, I highly recommend this book and Berlinerblau s defense of religious freedom. With great insight and clarity, he lays out a twelve-step program to revive secularism. Ambassador Dennis Ross, counselor to the Washington Institute for Near East Policy

From the Inside Flap

Berlinerblau mounts a careful, judicious, and compelling argument that America needs more secularists not only among nonbelievers but among believers as well. It will change the way we think and talk about religious freedom. Randall Balmer, author of Thy Kingdom Come: How the Religious Right Distorts Faith and Threatens America

Weary of religious conservatives urging defense of marriage and atheist polemicists decrying the crimes of religion? Sick of pundits who want only to recast American life in their own image? Americans are stuck in an all-or-nothing landscape for religion in public life. What are reasonable citizens to do?

Seen as godless by the religious and weak by the atheists, secularism mostly has been misunderstood. In How to Be Secular, Berlinerblau argues for a return to America s hard-won secular tradition; the best way to protect religious diversity and freedom lies in keeping an eye on the encroachment of each into the other.

Berlinerblau passionately defends the virtues of secularism, reminds us what it is and what it can protect, and urges us to mobilize around its cause, which is for all Americans to continue to enjoy freedom for and from religion. This is an urgent wake-up call for progressives in and out of all faiths.

Edition details

• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
• Publication date: 2012
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0547473346
• ISBN 13: 9780547473345
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 306