Attack of the Theocrats

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

Sean Faircloth

• Publisher: Pitchstone Publishing
• Year: 2014
• eBook ISBN: 9780984493272
• Edition: 0
• Topic: Politics & International Relations
• Subtopic: American Government
• Index: Politics & International Relations

At no time in 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, especially for those who share the values and views of Thomas Jefferson and James Madison, 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 in this deeply sobering yet highly engaging book, this has led to the crumbling of the country's most cherished founding principle—the wall of separation between church and state. While much of the public debate in the United States over church-state issues has focused on the construction of nativity scenes in town squares and the addition of "under God" to the Pledge of Allegiance, former politician and lobbyist Faircloth moves beyond the symbolism to explore the many ways federal and state legal codes privilege religion in law. He demonstrates in vivid detail how religious bias in law harms all Americans—financially, militarily, physically, socially, and educationally—and directs special attention to the outlandish words, views, and policy proposals of the most theocratic politicians. Sounding a much-needed alarm for all who care about the future direction of the country, Faircloth concludes by offering an inspiring 10-point vision of an America returned to its secular roots and by providing a specific and sensible plan for realizing this vision.

Table of contents

• Front Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Dedication
• Contents
• Foreword by Richard Dawkins
• Preface
• 1. Introduction: The Crumbled Wall between Church and State
• 2. Our Secular Heritage: One Nation under the Constitution
• 3. Religious Bias in Law Harms Us All
• 4. Genital Morality vs. Real Morality
• 5. Two American Traditions: Religious Hucksters and Secular Innovators
• 6. The Theocrats (aka the Fundamentalist Fifty)
• 7. The Secularists
• 8. Secularism—Born Again
• 9. Our Secular Decade: A Strategic Plan
• 10. A Vision of a Secular America
• Afterword
• Acknowledgments
• Selected Bibliography
• Index
• About the Author