Susan Jacoby's latest for the New York Times: "The White House Is Tearing Down the Wall Between Church and State"

❝ Many Americans were shocked last week when Attorney General Jeff Sessions turned to the Bible — specifically, Paul’s epistle to the Romans — to justify President Trump’s policy of separating migrant children from their parents. This scriptural justification for a political decision should not have surprised anyone, because Mr. Trump’s administration has consistently treated the separation of church and state as a form of heresy rather than a cherished American value.
Attacks on the wall of separation established by the founders — which the religious right likes to call “a lie of the left” — are nothing new. What has changed under Mr. Trump is the disproportionate political debt he owes to extreme religious conservatives, whose views on church-state issues — ranging from the importance of secular public education to women’s and gay rights — are far removed from the American mainstream. [NYTimes.com]
SUSAN JACOBY is a New York Times Bestselling author of several books, including The Age of American Unreason. Watch her deliver a keynote on her book Never Say Die below, and learn more about booking Susan for your next event today. |