Rating: 
Summary: Thank God for Some Common Sense FINALLY!
Review: Boston does an excellent job of defending a principle that too many Americans have been lied to about for too long. With an overview of church-state history, legal issues, and a well-reasoned attack on the Religious Wrong, Boston's book is a breath of fresh air in the polluted skies of sectarianism. A quick note, one of the reviewers of this book noted that "separation of church and state is not written in the Constitution." Ignoring the poor grammar he used, he obviously didn't read the book. That point, and it is a valid one, is discussed by Mr. Boston. It is unfortunate in our time that people who have never had a taste of oppression, never a glimpse of tyranny, seek to run for cover under state-imposed orthodoxy. Keep the church and state forever separate in every way. I know what I'm talking about, my family grew up in Iran!
Rating: 
Summary: Bigoted ....
Review: I am stunned that Mr. Boston was able to find a publisher for this, but then again, self-publication is simple if that is what is happening. Citations are things which are too simple to look-up, yet too simple for people to fog readers -with. So-called "facts" are citations from people who have persecuted the faithful in both Euorope and the U.S. for more than a century. ACLU citations are erroneous and call-outs from Norman Thomas, a self-admitted Communist and Nazi sympath from earlier this century (and ACLU founder) must be discounted because of their utter hatred for people who simply wish to keep some moral sensibilities about their families.The idea portrayed that only potentially a Leftist revolutionary replicate of the murderous French hierarchy of the 18th century was intended by the founding fathers is in itself probably a treasonous thought. Josef Goebbels would be proud, very proud. This book deserves a second star only because it took time to write it and because there is an art to crafting hateful and potentially murderous propaganda.
Rating: 
Summary: Good general overview, a few small inaccuracies... 4+ stars
Review: I found it to be a good start on the subject. Some of the dates were incorrect (typos, I'm pretty sure) and there were a few small but largely unimportant inaccuracies, such as the role of the NY State Supreme Court. In NY the final word is handed down by the Appellate Court (a somewhat understandable mistake-common sense dictates otherwise). For someone starting out with an admitted bias he does a presentable job in covering the other side of the issue, although the bias does show through. I've personally found the religious right to be much less forthcoming with opposing facts that refute their arguments.
Rating: 
Summary: a bit simple
Review: I must first declare my bias. I am a person who has some sympathy with the ideas of the author and I am in fact a non-believer. Despite that I did not particularly enjoy it. The author has written a number of books on related topics and is active in a political way. Towards the end of the book he describes how the religious right is politically active and how they provide pamphlets and information and become involved in local and school politics. He encourages people with a liberal outlook to do the same. This book is basically a fact list for that purpose rather than being a book which stands on its own as a dispassionate study of an interesting phenomena. In reality the book is quite short. It is 218 pages but the type face is quite large. It can be read quite quickly. It has a brief history of the rise of the separation of church and state and talks a little about early American history. The initial settlement of America was by religious groups who did not show much tolerance. He refers to the execution of some quakers by one colony. There is a discussion about the reasons for the development of constitutional separation which would seem to be that although America was a Christian country there was enormous division within the various sects and there was not a clear consensus about the real elements of religious belief. The book then discusses issues around the operation of rights clauses and a history of some litigation. The book is readable and is a good introduction but is short and superficial. However the reality is that the aim of the book is to be a primer more than a scholarly work so that my complaints are probably minor quibbles
Rating:
Summary: Good general overview, a few small inaccuracies... 4+ stars
Review: In this work, Rob Boston gives a good in-depth analysis of the church state separation issue. He provides an excellent historical background including a detailed description of the drafting of the U.S. Constitution's first amendment. Prior drafts of the amendment provide very interesting reading. He correctly examines the effect of the 14th amendment that extended the Bill of Rights to the states and the fact that it was legal for states to set up religion up to that point. Crucial Supreme Court cases are covered in detail providing excellent examinations of the opinions they generated. He points out that church state separation was virtually ignored during the 19th century and exploded as an issue when immigration during the 20th century brought a number of new religions to the country that the people had never previously encountered. Mr. Boston does not hide his disdain for the Religious Right and it becomes very obvious in some of his statements, but he illuminates some of the dangers this small but very influential group pose. He exposes the desires of some extreme fringes to convert America into a Christian theocracy. All in all this is a great work with thorough documentation of sources that allow a reader to research further into the issue. Mr. Boston also provides a number of historical documents in whole or in part to illustrate the mindset of the founding fathers, particularly Thomas Jefferson and James Madison.
Rating:
Summary: Somewhat biased but excellent overall
Review: In this work, Rob Boston gives a good in-depth analysis of the church state separation issue. He provides an excellent historical background including a detailed description of the drafting of the U.S. Constitution's first amendment. Prior drafts of the amendment provide very interesting reading. He correctly examines the effect of the 14th amendment that extended the Bill of Rights to the states and the fact that it was legal for states to set up religion up to that point. Crucial Supreme Court cases are covered in detail providing excellent examinations of the opinions they generated. He points out that church state separation was virtually ignored during the 19th century and exploded as an issue when immigration during the 20th century brought a number of new religions to the country that the people had never previously encountered. Mr. Boston does not hide his disdain for the Religious Right and it becomes very obvious in some of his statements, but he illuminates some of the dangers this small but very influential group pose. He exposes the desires of some extreme fringes to convert America into a Christian theocracy. All in all this is a great work with thorough documentation of sources that allow a reader to research further into the issue. Mr. Boston also provides a number of historical documents in whole or in part to illustrate the mindset of the founding fathers, particularly Thomas Jefferson and James Madison.
Rating:
Summary: The dangers of the Religious Right movement
Review: Rob Boston presents an intelligent, well written argument against the threat of the Religious Right movement in America. He traces church- state relations from several hundred years ago to the present day and confronts the non-seperationists with zeal and passion. Why do many Americans fall so easily for the propaganda and historical distortions from the Religious Right? I think the main reason lies in the attitudes that many Americans have toward people in authority. Not just religious authority, but other authorities as well, such as political figures, teachers, and even our elders. Many people seem to falsely think that individuals in positions of authority are incapable of wrongdoing, even when they have been proven wrong in the past. I cannot count the number of times that I have heard a person in an authoritarian position make an outrageous statement which is then quickly taken as gospel by the gullible public. Sometimes, the individual in authority will later contradict himself and even his contradiction will be treated as infallible by the public! This has never ceased to amaze me. Rob Boston states several times that he is unsure whether the Religious Right is ignorant of the facts or withholding the truth. In the case of the followers of the movement, I think ignorance and vulnerability are at the forefront. But the leaders of this so- called "religious" movement can only be described one way: they are bona-fide liars! Pat Robertson and the rest of the leaders are willing to sacrifice honesty in order to further their political agenda. These leaders have studied the constitution and American history history extensively. They would have to know that what they preach is completely false, beyond all shadow of a doubt. We all need to take a stand against these extremist groups to protect our freedom for ourselves and for future generations. Remember: apathy is the #1 tool used by the Religious Right. We need to get up and fight!
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Resource for Defending Church/State Separation
Review: Robert Boston has done a superb job of documenting the evolution of the church/state separation idea. He also describes how this idea fared in early American history, demonstrating that the idea is very much real and intended. Of course, the book also deals with the ideological attacks on the wall of separation, which has mostly come from the Religious Right, including Reconstructionists, and Accomodationists. The appendix includes useful rebuttals to the common fallacious theocratic propaganda concerning church/state separation. A must read for anyone wanting to become more active in defending the wall that separates church and state.
Rating:
Summary: If the shoe fits...
Review: This book is a hard book to write a review about mostly because the book itself is in dire need of an editor to help the author organize his thoughts and have them flow in a logical though pattern. The books presentation of information is very disordered however, it becomes crystal clear after only a few chapters that rather than being a scholarly critique this book is a vitriolic attack against Judeo-Christian values and their perspective religions. I for one was hoping for a book that showed factual presentations and coherent argument either for or against the separation of church and state instead I got an opine of the author. While this book may appease `the choir' it does nothing for those who are seeking intelligent discourse in a prickly argument.
I brought this book because I was interested in Mr. Boston's interpretation of Thomas Jefferson's letter to the Danbury Baptists where he penned the metaphor "separation of church and state". Although the book, whose title suggest this would be the main issue, does touch on the subject it is definitely one that the author has much interest in writing about. Yes Mr. Boston gives you a brief background, one that seems to be lacking in historicity of the event, and then Mr. Boston gives you his interpretations of the letters but he never provides you with the original letters. I wondered why a book whose main thesis is built up on "the separation of church and state" never reproduced the famous documents? It wasn't until I looked them up myself and read them in the original form that the context became crystal clear. The main reason Mr. Boston dare not include them in his book is that the original letters destroy Mr. Boston's interpretation and therefore his credibility. I suggest that anyone who has been duped by this carefully laid out propaganda, and many have just look at the reviews, they need to go back and reread the letters in question.
Rating:
Summary: The Battle Handbook for the Defense of the First Amendment
Review: This contents of this book helps prepare the citizen-soldier for the defense of every citizens' religious rights from the fanatical fundamentalist religious groups in America who want total control. If one can read this book without getting sick themselves, they will see how repulsive the individuals and groups are that proclaim their religious beliefs to be the only true religious beliefs; how the reader should obey their teachings; how the U. S. Government should be based on their religious beliefs. When religious groups want to control the government and the people from inside the womb to after the grave a serious battle must occur, not just light skirmishes. This book helps the citizen-soldier get through the light skirmishes while girding themselves for the inevitable battle for personal religious rights, free from government, of all Americans.
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