Albert J. Menendez

This book is somewhat lightweight considering the subject matter that occupies so much of our time during the latter part of every year. The author details very briefly the history of the fuss over Christmas symbols in the public square. He gives a history of how the Christmas symbols came to be, and then traces that through to the modern day American court system that makes decisions widely at variance with each other, even within the case load of the same court and same judge. He gives very little detail on most cases, brushing past very quickly and in many cases referencing a case without actually telling you what the outcome was. It's frustrating, because some of the cases he does that on he references with later cases, and you don't have the frame of reference. In addition, while I realize he is quoting from the court cases when he states over and over that Christmas has a secular significance and secular meanings, he doesn't point out that, while there are symbols of Christmas that are regarded as secular, and while many secular people celebrate the holiday in some form or another, the actual holiday has no secular meaning whatsoever. He does discuss some other places where the court interpretations are...innovative, for want of a better word...so it isn't like he is unwilling to question the judgment and 'facts' of the court. Overall, it is of historical value, and interesting as far as it goes, but it could have used more in depth. Plus, it's quite dated, since this battle has continued for another 20 years, and his predictions that it would wear itself out have not turned out to have legs (though, to be fair, he gave himself wiggle room by saying he could be wrong). Recommended with reservations.… (altro)

A collection of quotes from diverse speakers, most of them believers, supporting separation of church and state. Some of these quotes, knowing the speakers, are suspicious, and might mean something different if placed back in context (for instance, Jim Wallis, who is known for thinking religion should control government, it should just be his religion). Because the editors organized it by topic rather than speaker, it is difficult to find the quotes you want again; also, some of the quotes are repeated in several topics. Otherwise, a good resource, as long as you mark or write down the quotes you want to refer back to later.… (altro)

If you're looking for sparking writing or witty repartee, this is not your book. In fact, the book is more of a catalog, listing in detail the places where fundamentalist schools differ from standard educational theory. The longest chapter is on literature, which I suppose makes sense in some way, but it would have been nice to see a bit more detail on science and history, both of which were sort of glanced at. Although it might be tempting to dismiss the book as dated, it actually details well the things that are still happening in fundamentalist schools today. Reading a book that is 20 years old can also help impress on us how long this phenomenon has existed, that it didn't just spring up suddenly in the early 21st century like Athena from the forehead of Zeus.… (altro)