Podcast
On Being with Krista Tippett
The author discusses his surprising discoveries while writing this book, including the history of the phrase "separation of church and state" and how it was initially used as a caricature by establishment ministers to slander minority ministers seeking religious liberty. He also details how the phrase became a constitutional principle through rather prejudiced politics.
I got into this utterly by accident. It was really the last thing I planned to do.
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Episode: Philip Hamburger and Steven Waldman — The Long Exp...
The author discusses his surprising discoveries while writing this book, including the history of the phrase "separation of church and state" and how it was initially used as a caricature by establishment ministers to slander minority ministers seeking religious liberty. He also details how the phrase became a constitutional principle through rather prejudiced politics.
I got into this utterly by accident. It was really the last thing I planned to do.
And what struck me as all the more strange of course was that the folks who were being accused holding this view religious dissenters minorities. I happened to know from other work. Never advocated separation of Christian state or separation of religion and government.
In 1840s when large numbers of Catholics, particularly Irish Catholics come to this country. They encounter a fair degree of prejudice from Protestants not all Protestants but certainly many.
And in some cities going so far as to engage in full scale riots to strine Catholic neighborhoods.
Yes, we now think of the Klan mostly as a racist organization and it was that. But it also had other animosity and in that sense I suppose they were more varied than is often assumed.