The Theocons: Secular America Under Siege

The Theocons: Secular America Under Siege Damon Linker What do you believe about America? Do you believe the Catholic Church should be actively intervening in American politics on the side of the Republican Party? Do you believe the federal government should be channeling billions of tax dollars a year to churches and other religious organizations? Do you believe a microscopic clump of cells in a petri dish possesses the same rights that you possess? Do you believe a doctor who performs abortions--and a woman who chooses to have an abortion--should be arrested and charged with murder? Do you believe the public schools should actively teach children to doubt the scientific theory of evolution? Do you believe legally available contraception is producing a culture of death in the United States? Do you believe that the United States should be a Christian nation? The theocons answer YES to all of these questions. DO YOU? If you don't, you will agree that The Theocons is a critically important look at the conservative forces that are transforming the political and cultural landscape of our country, to such an extent that the separation of church and state as we have known it will cease to exist. George W. Bush has gone out of his way to blur the line between religion and politics in America--this is acknowledged by his strongest supporters no less than by his most strident critics. The most common explanation of the president's religious agenda points to rise of evangelical Protestantism. Yet as Damon Linker demonstrates in his groundbreaking book, an exclusive focus on the role of evangelicals misses the heart of the story. At its core, the Bush administration's overt religiosity represents the triumph of an ideological movement that for the past several decades has devoted itself to fashioning a theocratic governing philosophy for the United States--a governing philosophy rooted in Roman Catholicism. Led by Father Richard John Neuhaus, this group of theoconservatives has actively sought to roll back the division of church and state in American life. The election of 2000 brought the theocons to the peak of political power and influence in Washington. Their ideas inspire the most controversial and divisive policies of the Bush administration--policies whose ultimate goal is nothing less than the end of secular politics in America.

Review :
" Required reading for anyone interested in the American political scene today." -- Mark Lilla, professor at the Committee on Social Thought at the University of Chicago " "The Theocons" is invaluable as firsthand research, alarming in its implications for the future of American freedom, and devastating as a critique of the theocratic ambitions of those who now control the Republican Party." -- Andrew Sullivan, "The New Republic " " "The Theocons" constitutes a major step toward reclaiming the liberal heritage that has made America great." -- Alan Wolfe, author of "The Transformation of American Religion " "Required reading for anyone interested in the American political scene today." --Mark Lilla, professor at the Committee on Social Thought at the University of Chicago ""The Theocons" is invaluable as firsthand research, alarming in its implications for the future of American freedom, and devastating as a critique of the theocratic ambitions of those who now control the Republican Party." --Andrew Sullivan, "The New Republic " ""The Theocons" constitutes a major step toward reclaiming the liberal heritage that has made America great." --Alan Wolfe, author of "The Transformation of American Religion "