Copyright 1999 by Michael Corbett and Julia Mitchell Corbett
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Corbett, Michael, 1943-
Politics and religgion in the United States / by Michael Corbett and Julia Mitchell Corbett
p. cm. (Garland reference library of social science ; v. 1197)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0-8153-3141-X (alk. paper). ISBN 0-8153-3143-6 (pdk. : alk. paper)
1. Religion and politicsUnited States. I. Corbett, Julia Mitchell. II. Title. III. Series.
| BL2525.C68 1999 |
| 322.10973dc21 | 98-19364 |
| CIP |
Paperback cover design: Robert Vanleirsbilck
Printed on acidfree, 250yearlife paper
Manufactured in the United States of America
We dedicate this book with love to
Hinda and Dave
Mikel and Troy
PREFACE
Politics and Religion in the United States provides a comprehensive view of the ways in which politics and religion have interacted with each other in the United States from the days of the early colonial period through the 1990s.
Politics and Religion is unique in that it sets the contemporary discus-sion of this important and engrossing topic in the larger context of the entire scope of United States history. By tracing significant themes through a long span of time, this text enables students to see that the events of the 1990s have their roots in a long process of development.
At the same time, Politics and Religion ofifers students and teachers an excellent means of keeping up with contemporary developments virtually as rapidly as they occur. Each chapter gives the addresses of several relevant World Wide Web sites. The authors also have developed their own Website http://bsuvc.bsu.edu/amcorbett/relpol.htm) to be used in conjunction with the book (see page xxi). It makes available many links and includes an update area in which important new developments will be posted.
Politics and Religion is also unique in that it is written by College pro-fessors with scholarly expertise, prior textbook publications, and teaching experience in both political science and religious studies. Michael Corbett's areas of teaching and research expertise include political science research methods and public opinion, as well as introduction to political science. Julia Corbett has research and teaching expertise in religion in the United States, research methods, and comparative religion. This unique collaboration makes for a book unlike any other in the depth as well as the breadth of its coverage.
We do not advocate particular points of view in this book. Rather, we describe, discuss, and explain, and we leave it up to the readers to make decisions about the merits of what is presented. We encourage students to think for themselves rather than relying on the viewpoints of others.
Students will find the book Student-friendly. Sophisticated material is dealt with in a straightforward manner. We do not overwhelm the Student with technical Jargon or unnecessary detail. Rather we focus on major trends and ideas presented simply and concretely, but without oversimplification. Figures and tables are included to increase comprehension of important data. In addition to the Websites listed, each chapter offers a limited number of suggestions for further readingenough to enable students to investigate beyond the scope of the textbook but not enough to be overwhelming. Lists of important terms and review questions help students to organize their studying.
Instructors will also find this a valuable classroom tool. The material is presented in a clear, concise, and organized manner that facilitates teaching as well as learning. The inclusion of Website references lends it-self to assignments that encourage students to explore both the content and the medium of the World Wide Web.
The importance and volatility of the interface of religion and politics is well illustrated by events that occurred during the time that we were doing the final revisions on this manuscript. As they worked to complete their work for the 1997 term, the United States Supreme Court justices handed down two decisions that had a direct impact on religion and two others that concerned issues on which religious groups and individuals had strong opinions. In Agostino v. Feltony, the high court reversed its earlier ruling (in Aguilar v. Feiton) to allow public school teachers to offer remedial instruction on property belonging to parochial schools. Both these cases are dis-cussed in .
In two other decisions concerning issues on which people's opinions had been affected by their religious beliefs, the Court also refused to restrict free speech on the Internet to help curb the availability of pornographic material to children, and reinstated two State bans on physician-assisted suicide, saying that there is no constitutional right to such a measure for the terminally ill.?
This book had its beginning when David Estrin, then senior editor at Longman, invited the two of us to collaborate on a book that would draw on the fields of expertise of both of us. Its history beyond that point, as editors came and went and Publishing houses were bought and sold, and one of us suffered a major health crisis, could almost be the plot for an-other book. For suggesting the initial idea, David Estrin, now an editor at Garland Publishing, gets a special thank you.
As is always the case, this book is the product of far more labor than just our own. We benefited greatly from the suggestions of a number of people who reviewed the manuscript, and we wish to express our grati-tude to the manuscript reviewers.
Finally, a collaborative writing project is always a challenge to all the authors, as they work to reconcile different visions of what the book will be, dissimilar modes of working, varied conceptualization and writing styles, and partially compatible word processing programs. When the col-laborating authors also share a home and a marriage, it adds a whole new set of dynamics to the project.
THE POLITICS AND RELIGION WEBSITE
The authors have created this Website as a base from which students can access relevant politics-and-religion Websites listed in the textbook. For each of the chapters (except the introduction and the conclusion) we have provided a list of other Websites that are relevant to that chaper. Some of these provide Information and others provide viewpoints about politics and religion. As time goes by, we will add more links. We also have a general section that will include links to political Websites and religious Websites. Further, the Website provides a means of updating students on some recent occurrences (e.g., a Supreme Court decision that affects religious-political relationships).
The Website can be accessed at http://bsuvcbsu.edu/amcorbett/relpol.htm.
Our plan is to continue the Website in this location and to maintain and update the site.
Politics and Religion in the United States
