Customer Reviews (2)

Adds an Important Perspective
My own views on the proper place of religion in the public life are a lot closer to Jefferson's than Washington's and, even that perspective, Ithink this is a vital book. For me, its single most important contribution to the debate was the clear conception that Washington--and for that matter--Thomas Jefferson had religious policy positions that may have been distinct from their own personal beliefs. I had really bought whole hog into the idea, implied by Joseph Ellis and Gordon Wood among others, that Washington's personal lack of outward religious devotion was a good statement of his public policy position. Public policy positions about religion aren't--and shouldn't be--directly connected to personal belief.
Since it contains an extensive, although not exhaustive, selection of Washington's writings on religion, it's also an important reference work that belongs in most libraries.

Outstanding Book For Anyone Who Cares About Church-State Issues
This is an outstanding book for anyone who cares about church-and-state issues in America.The authors demonstrate that American jurisprudence has mistakenly relied far too much upon Thomas Jefferson's separationist views on the subject, while in fact George Washington's views deserve as much (if not more) authority.Washington, unlike the Deist intellectual Jefferson, was a traditional Christian gentleman, and he saw religion as a legitimate component of American government, not as something to be quarantined as merely abstract or purely personal.The authors document Washington's views without hectoring and with careful attention to the documentary details of the historical record and an educated understanding of the American legal system.(Joseph Smith is a former Deputy Attorney General of Colorado.)This book is a must for thinking conservatives of all stripes. ... Read more

Product Description
Originally published in 1865. 18 pages. This volume is produced from digital images from the Cornell University Library Samuel J. May Anti-Slavery Collection ... Read more