Book Review - Freethinkers: A History of American Secularism

It’s been some time since I read Freethinkers: A History of American Secularism by Susan Jacoby, but I still consider it to be one of the most important books that I have ever read. In fact, reading the book gave me a new found appreciation for the role of secularism in the formation and history of the United States of America.

Today, the separation of church and state is a polarizing issue in America. What did the Founding Fathers truly mean by separation of church and state? If you listen to today’s Conservative Christian leaders, you might think they never meant it at all. They’ll tell you that our founders were extremely pious people who would be aghast at how today’s “liberals” have twisted their words to do such things as eliminate school prayer and remove religious icons from public buildings. "Freethinkers" provides the reader with another perspective on our Founding Fathers and their intent when they left any mention of a higher power out of the Constitution; a perspective that is backed with facts and research rather than a revisionist and convenient history that plays well to a current day audience.

As I progressed through the book, I was surprised to learn how accepted secularism, agnosticism and atheism were in 19th century society. Leaders in these movements were well-respected, public individuals. The most well known of these figures, at the time, was probably Robert Ingersoll, a.k.a. the “Great Agnostic”. These movements were so well accepted in American society that some believed religion would cease to be a force in American life in the coming 20th century. American religious leaders saw this danger on the horizon and took effective steps to ensure the role of religion in American life. By 1920, the concepts of secularism, agnosticism and atheism were marginalized and demonized in the minds of most Americans.

The fervor of religion in American society and politics has grown increasingly throughout the 20th century to the point where separation of church and state is being re-examined in a whole new light. Jacoby addresses the rise of evangelical Christianity in the latter half of the 20th century and demonstrates its increasing political clout in the current Bush administration, using faith-based initiatives as an example.

I encourage you to read some of the reviews on Amazon.com for this book. I have provided a link above to see these. One reviewer of note is Christopher Hitchens, who is a well-respected conservative author. I think his thoughts on the book highlight the book's importance.

If you take the time to read this book, I’m sure you will find it as enlightening and thought provoking as I did, especially in light of the issues in this space today.