| Provides much-needed balance in the debate on "separation of church and state." |
This brief documentary offers a reminder of the vital interplay between religion and government down through our nation's history, with a particular emphasis on the Founders, such as Washington, Jefferson and Franklin, among many others. It examines the ample historical evidence of the often intense religiosity of these elder statesmen and their views on the role of religion in public life. These views found expression in our main governmental institutions, including (of all places) the Supreme Court. The conclusion is very different from what one would expect in light of the last few decades of open hostility to religion in the public square.
In my opinion, the single greatest contribution of this video (and the accompanying book) is to take up afresh the evidence of the Founders' intent behind the separation doctrine. One of the most mischaracterized documents in that debate is Jefferson's famous letter to the Danbury Baptists, who were seeking assurance that their particular mode of observance would not be squelched. Jefferson wrote to them of the need to maintain a wall of separation between church and state as a means of safeguarding religious liberty. The evidence, however, does not in any way support the more modern argument that Jefferson was hostile to religion in general, or that he held anticlerical, deistic views. He merely advocated that clerical and governmental AUTHORITY not be permitted to overlap, so that all persons would be free to practice their religion without fear of persecution. In other words, Jefferson championed freedom of religion, not from it. Neither did he seek the complete expungement of religious observance in public life, as many today would have us believe. Atheism as a belief structure is no more or less entitled to protection, but neither may it claim supremacy over religion such that it may preclude all religious expression in public life.
By looking at the words and actions of these framers of our Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, as well as numerous presidents down through the ages, it becomes clear that their understanding of the separation doctrine stands in stark contrast to the radical secularization of our society that is being foisted on the American public today. Until just the past few decades, generations of American leaders have understood that civic virtue is indispensible to the perpetuation of this nation as a free republic, and that personal virtue must precede civic virtue. For the overwhelming majority of us, personal virtue, that is, our basic morality and code of ethics, comes from religion in one form or another. While church and state as institutions were not to have control over one another, it was clearly understood and intended that they would interact with each other for their mutual benefit. Without this influence, without underlying personal and civic virtue, the future of our country is in doubt. Thus, the radical secularists, knowingly or not, are attacking the very underpinnings of our government, society and culture as a free people.
I have a couple criticisms that should be noted. First, although the subject matter of this video is important, the presentation is a little dry. The use of actors in colonial era garb does little to offset this. Second, as a number of other reviewers have mentioned, there seems to be a technical defect with the DVD that causes a broken picture in various parts. The first half to two-thirds played just fine, but the latter portion was problematic. In spite of these things, however, I would recommend either or both of this video or the corresponding book of the same title.
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4 Rating
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| A terrific demonstration of how religion has always been a part of our nation's polical life |
I admired the book version of "Rediscovering God in America" Rediscovering God in America: Reflections on the Role of Faith in Our Nation's Historyand I encourage you to read it. It is now out in an illustrated version that makes the point of the walking tour even more compelling.
However, I think the point of the book is told very well in this DVD, even though this amounts to an abridged form of the book. The first portion of the video points out the role of religion in the founding and the early days of our nation and is told by a variety of historians, politicians, and knowledgeable people from both sides of the political aisle.
Newt and Callista Gingrich then take us on a walking tour of our nations important buildings and memorials in central Washington D.C. and shows the important role religion played in the minds of those whose minds created our government. As they were in the book, the Gingrich's are clear that this is not about advocating any particular faith or sect, it is about the connection between religion and moral order. While some nowadays claim that religion is not required for morality, and they are free to make that case, it is not true that our nation requires the banning of religion from the public square or our political discussions. Nor do we need to apologize for our religious beliefs informing our political beliefs as long as we do not also believe we have the right to compel others to share our views.
The video is just short of an hour long and should be viewed in every family in the country. I hope you take the time to view it with your children with a good history of our country at hand. If you don't teach them about these vital issues where will they learn it? Certainly, they are unlikely to get this from their public school education. Understanding this topic is an important part of any American's education whether or not you agree with this video's claims and conclusions.
However, I agree with them and recommend this to you whole heartedly.
Reviewed by Craig Matteson, Ann Arbor, MI
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5 Rating
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