This accessible and authoritative introduction tells the American story of religious liberty from its colonial beginnings to the latest Supreme Court cases. The authors analyze closely the formation of the First Amendment religion clauses and describe the unique and enduring principles of theAmerican experiment in religious freedom - liberty of conscience, free exercise of religion, religious equality, religious pluralism, separation of church and state, and no establishment of religion. Successive chapters map all of the 240+ Supreme Court cases on religious freedom - covering the freeexercise of religion; the roles of government and religion in education; the place of religion in public life; and the interaction of religious organizations and the state. The concluding reflections argue that protecting religious freedom is critical for democratic order and constitutional rule oflaw, even if it needs judicious balancing with other fundamental rights and state interests.Clear, comprehensive, multidisciplinary, and balanced, this classic volume is an ideal classroom text. This new 5th edition addresses fully the new hot-button issues and cases on religious freedom versus sexual liberty; religious worship in the time of COVID; freedom of conscience and exemptionclaims; state aid to religion; religious monuments and ceremonies in public life; and the rights and limits of religious groups.

This new edition offers a novel reading of the American constitutional experiment in religious liberty. Lucid and engaging, this volume serves as a provocative primer for students, and a pristine restatement for specialists in law, religion, history, sociology, politics, and American studies. Through a fresh reading of familiar sources and cases, and through the discovery and introduction of new cases and materials, the author reclaims the essential value, vigor, and vitality of America's most essential and cherished religious rights and liberties.

The third edition of this classic book provides a comprehensive, multidisciplinary overview of the history, theory, law, and comparative analysis of American religious liberty from the earliest colonial period through the most recent Supreme Court cases. The authors present balanced, accessible discussions of controversial issues, such as funding religious schools and charities and displaying religious symbols on government property. Three chapters new to this edition cover the free exercise of religion, religion and public life, and religious organizations and the law. In addition, an expanded concluding chapter places the American experience in global context by comparing contemporary American religious liberty law with international human rights standards.

Calls for a return to the principled approach to religious rights, evident both in the American founding era and in the modern human rights movement.

This new edition offers a novel reading of the American constitutional experiment in religious liberty. Lucid and engaging, this volume serves as a provocative primer for students, and a pristine restatement for specialists in law, religion, history, sociology, politics, and American studies. Through a fresh reading of familiar sources and cases, and through the discovery and introduction of new cases and materials, the author reclaims the essential value, vigor, and vitality of America's most essential and cherished religious rights and liberties.

This accessible and authoritative introduction tells the American story of religious liberty from its colonial beginnings to the latest Supreme Court cases. The new 5th edition of this classic textbook provides a comprehensive interdisciplinary overview of the historical formation and judicial application of the First Amendment guarantees of no establishment and free exercise of religion. The authors offer a balanced and accessible analysis of all the Supreme Court's cases from 1815-2021.