商品簡介
RELIGION IN AMERICA, a primary sourcebook, includes the major documents that illustrate the development of religion in and its impact on United States history. Encouraging students to explore the varieties, developments, similarities, and differences of religion in the United States, RELIGION IN AMERICA sheds light on certain religious contradictions in the American personality. This reader considers the contradictions resulting from two great historical events that shook the Western world just as Europeans began arriving in America: the Reformation and the Enlightenment. From the earliest of times, Americans have wrestled with questions that religious contradictions raise, such as: Is the United States a holy experiment or a secular refuge from oppressive religion? Should our priority as a people and nation be to encourage individual achievement or community spirit? Is our role in world affairs to be an inspiration to other nations or to wield power? These questions, which fashioned US political and social debate, have continually been inspired by, reflected in, and influenced by religious commentary and action. This reader helps students explore the history of these religious contradictions, so they can better understand the world we live in today.
