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Taking Liberties
A concise and lucid explanation of what religious freedom is and isn't.
Increasingly, conservative religious groups are using religious liberty as a sword to lash out at others. In this forcefully argued defense of the separation of church and state, Robert Boston makes it clear that the religious freedom guaranteed in the First Amendment is an individual right, the right of personal conscience, not a license allowing religious organizations to discriminate against and control others. The book examines the controversy over birth control, same-sex marriage, religion in public schools, the intersection of faith and politics, and the "war on Christmas," among other topics.
Boston concludes with a series of recommendations for resolving clashes between religious liberty claims and individual rights.
Increasingly, conservative religious groups are using religious liberty as a sword to lash out at others. In this forcefully argued defense of the separation of church and state, Robert Boston makes it clear that the religious freedom guaranteed in the First Amendment is an individual right, the right of personal conscience, not a license allowing religious organizations to discriminate against and control others. The book examines the controversy over birth control, same-sex marriage, religion in public schools, the intersection of faith and politics, and the "war on Christmas," among other topics.
Boston concludes with a series of recommendations for resolving clashes between religious liberty claims and individual rights.
210 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2014
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March 26, 2014
Taking Liberties: Why Religious Freedom Doesn’t Give You the Right to Tell Other People What to Do by Robert Boston
“Taking Liberties" is an excellent and timely book about what religious freedom really means. In a respectful and reasonable manner, Robert Boston (director of communications for Americans United for Separation of Church and State and the editor of Church & State magazine) provides clarity on a topic muddied by the religious right. This enlightening 200-page book includes the following seven chapters: 1. History, 2. Religion, 3. Sex, 4. Education, 5. Politics, 6. Culture, and 7. Persecution.
Positives:
1. Accessible and well-written book.
2. A fascinating and hot-button topic in the hands of a master.
3. Respectful and even-handed treatment of a sensitive topic. Boston is firm but fair. “Religion is not the problem. Fundamentalist religion that seeks to merge with political power and impose its dogma on the unwilling is the problem.”
4. The book flows nicely which makes for a smooth read.
5. The book is well focused on the following two premises: “The term religious freedom means the right to make decisions about theology for yourself. It’s the right to worship God—or not to worship at all—as you see fit.” And, “That is what religious freedom is. Here is what it is not: It’s not the right to tell other people what to do.”
6. Logical and persuasive examples throughout the book. “A same-sex couple’s decision to get legally married somehow threatens the religious liberty of a person across town who doesn’t even know them.”
7. Sound conclusions that resonate. “The only person you get to subject to religious control is yourself.” A bonus, “The idea that the public interest and the public good sometimes must override an asserted claim of religious freedom.”
8. Interesting look at the history. “The ‘Christian nation’ didn’t happen. If it had, we would see evidence of it. First and foremost, we would see it in our Constitution. It is not there. That document contains no references in the body of the text to Christianity, Jesus Christ, or God, for that matter.”
9. What’s behind the separation of church and state. “We do not have separation of church and state because Jefferson once said we did in a letter. We have it because the scope and effect of the First Amendment is to separate church and state.”
10. Find out the main duty of the government.
11. A look at the sexual revolution game changer. “It is difficult to think of an invention that resulted in greater autonomy for women than the birth-control pill.”
12. Provocative arguments. “Should a boss who happens to be a Jehovah’s Witness be permitted to exclude all forms of surgery from a health plan because surgery often involves blood transfusions? More to the point, why not allow a biblical-literalist boss to deny his employees a healthcare plan entirely? After all, they’re supposed to rely on prayer alone for healing.”
13. Facts. “Some of the highest teen-pregnancy rates are in the Bible Belt. According to the Guttmacher Institute, of the ten states with the highest teen-pregnancy rates, six are in fundamentalist strongholds: Mississippi, Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Georgia.”
14. The use of the Bible in perspective. “Members of the religious Right, for example, cherry-pick the Bible. They point to a passage in the Book of Leviticus that they say bans homosexual behavior but then conveniently overlook a host of other rules in that same book that very few people abide by today (such as complex dietary regulations and bans on wearing clothing of mixed fibers).”
15. The religious rights and education. “Advocates of ID and other forms of creationism get angry when someone brings up the flat Earth. How dare anyone compare their ideas to such obvious tomfoolery? What they don’t want to admit is that it wasn’t so long ago that fundamentalists were citing the Bible to buttress flat-Earth ideas, pointing to passages in Genesis, Daniel, Psalms, and other books. Such beliefs were held by some fundamentalists into the twentieth century. Until the 1930s, in Zion, Illinois, a community founded by a strict fundamentalist sect that was a quasi theocracy, schools taught that the Earth is flat.”
16. A look at tax-exemptions and responsibilities. “My point is that houses of worship, by actively accepting nonprofit status, have also agreed to accept a reasonable number of regulations. One of these regulations prohibits intervention in political campaigns between individuals.” Bonus, “In fact, the Constitution says nothing about tax exemption for houses of worship or any other group.”
17. How the religious right impedes social progress. “The sad thing is, none of these groups ever learn from their mistakes, and the tide of history just keeps rolling over them. The Catholic hierarchy fought liberalization of divorce laws for many years. But most Americans decided they didn’t want church dogma to govern their relationships, and laws changed.”
18. The ultimate agenda of the religious right. “They have a voice, all right. They are certainly heard. Being heard isn’t really what they want. What they want is to be followed.”
19. A look at cultural issues. “I call this type of intolerance ‘religious correctness.’ It must be opposed at every turn. This is America. We have real religious freedom here, not the fake version favored by fundamentalist zealots.”
20. The reality of it all. “What they are experiencing is not persecution; it is preferential status.”
21. Notes and bibliography provided.
Negatives:
1. I would have added a religious spectrum of the major religions, rating from the most liberal to the most extreme. As an example, starting from Unitarians all the way up to Christian Reconstructionism.
2. An appendix or short list of most noteworthy religious freedom court cases for ease of access.
In summary, I really enjoyed this book. It is enlightening and provocative and really gets to the heart of the matter. Boston is engaging and his books have a smooth flow to them which makes for an enjoyable experience. The book is succinct but it packs a punch of solid arguments. A timely and important book. I highly recommend it!
Further recommendations: “Why the Religious Right Is Wrong about Separation of Church and State” by Robert Boston, “Nonbeliever Nation” by David Niose, “The Dark Side of Christian History” by Helen Ellerbe, “Atheism for Dummies” by Dale McGowan, “Birth Control, Insurance Coverage, & the Religious Right” by A.F. Alexander, “The God Argument” by A.C. Grayling, “50 popular beliefs that people think are true” by Guy P. Harrison, “Evolution versus Creationism: An Introduction” by Eugenie C. Scott, “Godless” by Dan Barker, “Freethinkers” by Susan Jacoby, “Moral Combat” by Sikivu Hutchinson, “Republican Gomorrah” by Max Blumenthal, “American Fascists” by Chris Hedges, “Doubt” by Jennifer Michael Hecht, “Society Without God” by Phil Zuckerman, and “Why are you Atheists so Angry?” by Greta Christina.
“Taking Liberties" is an excellent and timely book about what religious freedom really means. In a respectful and reasonable manner, Robert Boston (director of communications for Americans United for Separation of Church and State and the editor of Church & State magazine) provides clarity on a topic muddied by the religious right. This enlightening 200-page book includes the following seven chapters: 1. History, 2. Religion, 3. Sex, 4. Education, 5. Politics, 6. Culture, and 7. Persecution.
Positives:
1. Accessible and well-written book.
2. A fascinating and hot-button topic in the hands of a master.
3. Respectful and even-handed treatment of a sensitive topic. Boston is firm but fair. “Religion is not the problem. Fundamentalist religion that seeks to merge with political power and impose its dogma on the unwilling is the problem.”
4. The book flows nicely which makes for a smooth read.
5. The book is well focused on the following two premises: “The term religious freedom means the right to make decisions about theology for yourself. It’s the right to worship God—or not to worship at all—as you see fit.” And, “That is what religious freedom is. Here is what it is not: It’s not the right to tell other people what to do.”
6. Logical and persuasive examples throughout the book. “A same-sex couple’s decision to get legally married somehow threatens the religious liberty of a person across town who doesn’t even know them.”
7. Sound conclusions that resonate. “The only person you get to subject to religious control is yourself.” A bonus, “The idea that the public interest and the public good sometimes must override an asserted claim of religious freedom.”
8. Interesting look at the history. “The ‘Christian nation’ didn’t happen. If it had, we would see evidence of it. First and foremost, we would see it in our Constitution. It is not there. That document contains no references in the body of the text to Christianity, Jesus Christ, or God, for that matter.”
9. What’s behind the separation of church and state. “We do not have separation of church and state because Jefferson once said we did in a letter. We have it because the scope and effect of the First Amendment is to separate church and state.”
10. Find out the main duty of the government.
11. A look at the sexual revolution game changer. “It is difficult to think of an invention that resulted in greater autonomy for women than the birth-control pill.”
12. Provocative arguments. “Should a boss who happens to be a Jehovah’s Witness be permitted to exclude all forms of surgery from a health plan because surgery often involves blood transfusions? More to the point, why not allow a biblical-literalist boss to deny his employees a healthcare plan entirely? After all, they’re supposed to rely on prayer alone for healing.”
13. Facts. “Some of the highest teen-pregnancy rates are in the Bible Belt. According to the Guttmacher Institute, of the ten states with the highest teen-pregnancy rates, six are in fundamentalist strongholds: Mississippi, Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Georgia.”
14. The use of the Bible in perspective. “Members of the religious Right, for example, cherry-pick the Bible. They point to a passage in the Book of Leviticus that they say bans homosexual behavior but then conveniently overlook a host of other rules in that same book that very few people abide by today (such as complex dietary regulations and bans on wearing clothing of mixed fibers).”
15. The religious rights and education. “Advocates of ID and other forms of creationism get angry when someone brings up the flat Earth. How dare anyone compare their ideas to such obvious tomfoolery? What they don’t want to admit is that it wasn’t so long ago that fundamentalists were citing the Bible to buttress flat-Earth ideas, pointing to passages in Genesis, Daniel, Psalms, and other books. Such beliefs were held by some fundamentalists into the twentieth century. Until the 1930s, in Zion, Illinois, a community founded by a strict fundamentalist sect that was a quasi theocracy, schools taught that the Earth is flat.”
16. A look at tax-exemptions and responsibilities. “My point is that houses of worship, by actively accepting nonprofit status, have also agreed to accept a reasonable number of regulations. One of these regulations prohibits intervention in political campaigns between individuals.” Bonus, “In fact, the Constitution says nothing about tax exemption for houses of worship or any other group.”
17. How the religious right impedes social progress. “The sad thing is, none of these groups ever learn from their mistakes, and the tide of history just keeps rolling over them. The Catholic hierarchy fought liberalization of divorce laws for many years. But most Americans decided they didn’t want church dogma to govern their relationships, and laws changed.”
18. The ultimate agenda of the religious right. “They have a voice, all right. They are certainly heard. Being heard isn’t really what they want. What they want is to be followed.”
19. A look at cultural issues. “I call this type of intolerance ‘religious correctness.’ It must be opposed at every turn. This is America. We have real religious freedom here, not the fake version favored by fundamentalist zealots.”
20. The reality of it all. “What they are experiencing is not persecution; it is preferential status.”
21. Notes and bibliography provided.
Negatives:
1. I would have added a religious spectrum of the major religions, rating from the most liberal to the most extreme. As an example, starting from Unitarians all the way up to Christian Reconstructionism.
2. An appendix or short list of most noteworthy religious freedom court cases for ease of access.
In summary, I really enjoyed this book. It is enlightening and provocative and really gets to the heart of the matter. Boston is engaging and his books have a smooth flow to them which makes for an enjoyable experience. The book is succinct but it packs a punch of solid arguments. A timely and important book. I highly recommend it!
Further recommendations: “Why the Religious Right Is Wrong about Separation of Church and State” by Robert Boston, “Nonbeliever Nation” by David Niose, “The Dark Side of Christian History” by Helen Ellerbe, “Atheism for Dummies” by Dale McGowan, “Birth Control, Insurance Coverage, & the Religious Right” by A.F. Alexander, “The God Argument” by A.C. Grayling, “50 popular beliefs that people think are true” by Guy P. Harrison, “Evolution versus Creationism: An Introduction” by Eugenie C. Scott, “Godless” by Dan Barker, “Freethinkers” by Susan Jacoby, “Moral Combat” by Sikivu Hutchinson, “Republican Gomorrah” by Max Blumenthal, “American Fascists” by Chris Hedges, “Doubt” by Jennifer Michael Hecht, “Society Without God” by Phil Zuckerman, and “Why are you Atheists so Angry?” by Greta Christina.
December 21, 2016
In the interest of full disclosure, I am an atheist who sometimes edges into antitheism territory. With that being said, this is one of my favorite books about religion. Ever.
In Taking Liberties, Boston starts out by explaining the history of religion in the US, religion and the law, and explaining what the Founders actually meant when they included 'freedom of religion' in the Constitution. He then spends various chapters talking about the history of religion and the significance of the movement's actions in the US within the frame of various topics: Sex, Educaton, Politics, Culture, and Persecution. Each chapter explores it's topics in a good amount of depth, and the book on a whole explores what religious freedom is and is not in a good amount of breadth. I have read and reread Taking Liberties multiple times, and always add new annotations to the text. I cannot recommend Taking Liberties enough; it is a wonderful book for learning about the legal ramifications of the Religious Right's deliberate reinterpretation of 'religious freedom.'
In Taking Liberties, Boston starts out by explaining the history of religion in the US, religion and the law, and explaining what the Founders actually meant when they included 'freedom of religion' in the Constitution. He then spends various chapters talking about the history of religion and the significance of the movement's actions in the US within the frame of various topics: Sex, Educaton, Politics, Culture, and Persecution. Each chapter explores it's topics in a good amount of depth, and the book on a whole explores what religious freedom is and is not in a good amount of breadth. I have read and reread Taking Liberties multiple times, and always add new annotations to the text. I cannot recommend Taking Liberties enough; it is a wonderful book for learning about the legal ramifications of the Religious Right's deliberate reinterpretation of 'religious freedom.'
August 10, 2018
My favorite of the 3 Rob Boston books I've read recently. He nails it in the first paragraphs of the Introduction: Religious liberty is the right for you to make decisions about theology for yourself but it does not grant you the right to make decisions for others or for government to make laws or rules imposing a theology on others. Boom. The rest of the books expands on this with examples and reasoned arguments.
February 11, 2022
Most of the arguments here distill to two things:
1) Many religious freedom arguments are baseless in that the claimants are not prevented from worshiping in their preferred way.
2) Christian religious leaders are crafting a narrative of religious persecution to reclaim the cultural power Christianity has lost over the past half century.
There's more here, but I wouldn't say it's required reading!
1) Many religious freedom arguments are baseless in that the claimants are not prevented from worshiping in their preferred way.
2) Christian religious leaders are crafting a narrative of religious persecution to reclaim the cultural power Christianity has lost over the past half century.
There's more here, but I wouldn't say it's required reading!
June 8, 2014
While there were some structural problems with the text (well perhaps not problems... there was an extreme amount of repetition, and in some places what appeared to be verbatim comments over the course of 7 chapters), over all this is a really well thought out book on the problems that exist with the "Religious Right" and their cries of "religious freedom" and "religious persecution" whenever something happens in the US that they don't agree with. The focus of his arguments rest on the so-called "culture wars" being fought right now over birth control and the ACA, gay marriage, public school education (specifically, sex-ed and the creationism/intelligent design vs. science/evolution). As someone who shares the point of view that religious people, whoever they are, have the right to worship as they will but do not have the right to impose their beliefs on my life, this book did not so much sway me to the author's point of view as it gave me some of the historical background on the debates that I was not otherwise familiar with. It definitely highlighted the points that I make in discussions like this, that things like my use of birth control for medical purposes or for contraception is not the business of my employer or anyone else (thank you, HIPAA regulations) no up to the decision of anyone but myself and my doctor, who I marry is not the business of anyone but myself and the woman I marry (though I was surprised that he didn't focus at all, that I noted, on the fact that marriage in the US is above all else a CIVIL act, not a religious one, and that what makes you married in the eyes of the law is the marriage license, not the stamp of approval from a religious figure), nor does my private life, actions, health care choices, or sexuality in anyway interfere with anyone's ability to practice whatever faith they choose to, or not.
It's a shame that there are those out there who cannot make the same claim.
It's a shame that there are those out there who cannot make the same claim.
October 7, 2014
A wonderfully lucid book written by Rob Boston, Director of Communications for American United for Separation of Church and State. Much of the writing within resonated with me on many levels, but the following particularly hit home and IMHO cuts to the crux of the matter:
"Conservative religious groups have pursued a very clever strategy in the public arena. They have deliberately conflated criticism of their political agenda with criticism of their faith. ... the idea is to put religious groups beyond the reach of legitimate criticism by portraying attacks on their political goals as a type of crude attack on religion itself. ... We must cut through this fog machine and make one thing clear: a person is quite capable of believing that individual Catholics have the right to worship as they please and take part in whatever rituals are meaningful for them while still opposing his or her healthcare governed by Catholic dogma. A person is quite capable of supporting a fundamentalist Christian's right to go to church and pray as he or she sees fit while still opposing any and all efforts to replace public school science instruction with implausible tales mined from biblical literalism."
"Conservative religious groups have pursued a very clever strategy in the public arena. They have deliberately conflated criticism of their political agenda with criticism of their faith. ... the idea is to put religious groups beyond the reach of legitimate criticism by portraying attacks on their political goals as a type of crude attack on religion itself. ... We must cut through this fog machine and make one thing clear: a person is quite capable of believing that individual Catholics have the right to worship as they please and take part in whatever rituals are meaningful for them while still opposing his or her healthcare governed by Catholic dogma. A person is quite capable of supporting a fundamentalist Christian's right to go to church and pray as he or she sees fit while still opposing any and all efforts to replace public school science instruction with implausible tales mined from biblical literalism."
April 17, 2014
The arguments were easy to follow for a legalese-layman like myself, but I would have liked to see more time spent on concrete examples (court cases, etc.) and their significance. It read like a preaching-to-the-choir type of book, especially towards the end. The historical perspective offered in the first chapter was really interesting and offers a great counter to the prevailing right-wing narrative on the role of separation of church and state. Overall, I would say this book was a good primer on what constitutes religious freedom and the role of government (and the benefit to society) in regulating public vs private entities. I rate it highly because I feel like I learned something.
April 10, 2014
An Excellent book. To sum it up, your religious rights stop when they encounter mine. This book does a great job laying out why we have separation of church and state in the United States. Freedom of religion means that one religion does not have the right to use the state to force others to behave as they believe. It gives the lie to the latest spin from the religious right, which claims they are being persecuted in their beliefs, when what they really are upset about is that they can't impose their beliefs on others. It also lays out the history behind the separation of church and state and the power struggle between the church and the state.
September 18, 2014
Boston persuasively and engagingly argues that what the American religious right calls "religious persecution" is, more often than not, simply an inability to compel others to respect or follow their particular brand of Christianity, which is usually the majority religion where those religious types happen to be located. The book has its faults: especially toward the end, Boston seems to be preaching to the choir and sometimes takes it for granted that his readers already agree with him. But it's a fun, easy read and a breath of fresh air for anyone tired of hearing about the supposed "war on religion."
January 5, 2017
In my case, this book is preaching to the choir. I already knew most of what he says. But for those with relatives who are gung ho on the idea of War on Christmas, running other people's lives according to their own beliefs, feeling persecuted as Christians--this is good fodder for the arguments that will arise. (If you are an Evangelical Christian you should read this but probably won't.) The book gives a good summary of the history of the First Amendment's position on religious freedom--what it is and more important what it doesn't require. I'd give it more stars if I had such a relative in my life; fortunately, I don't. Basically, common sense written in an often amusing way.
August 12, 2014
This was a quick and fairly enjoyable read, and I agree wholeheartedly with the author's core argument. That being said, it is not a book I would likely recommend to someone on the other side of the ideological divide, as the language is too strident and dismissive to be constructive, and the author occasionally (and needlessly) oversells his arguments. Why write a book that only serves to convince those that already agree with you?
June 27, 2014
I was so delighted to find there are others in this country who clearly understand what religious freedom is, and isn't!
I learned some new things and found validation for my personal thoughts and beliefs on the subject.
The only thing I thought this book lacked was some ideas on how we can help protect this most important freedom. This and free speech are the true cornerstones of this nation's foundation. If we lose either of these, we might as well move to Canada or Sweden!
I learned some new things and found validation for my personal thoughts and beliefs on the subject.
The only thing I thought this book lacked was some ideas on how we can help protect this most important freedom. This and free speech are the true cornerstones of this nation's foundation. If we lose either of these, we might as well move to Canada or Sweden!
January 9, 2016
Really good content from Mr. Boston here (I picked up the book after seeing him speak in St. Louis this fall). Unfortunately, it wasn't particularly well edited book (sited used in place of cited is one example).
I considered passing the book to a relative who needs the message, but unfortunately the tone was snarky enough at times to be easily dismissed.
Those concerns aside, the content and discussion of religious issues in education, politics, culture, education, etc. was very good.
I considered passing the book to a relative who needs the message, but unfortunately the tone was snarky enough at times to be easily dismissed.
Those concerns aside, the content and discussion of religious issues in education, politics, culture, education, etc. was very good.
September 12, 2016
Not only does Robert Boston present reasonable arguments for the separation of church and state, he goes on to explain (in a manner anybody could understand) why being religious doesn't give you the right to dictate other's lives. Religious freedom is for someone to choose their own religion (or none) yet so many people use it as an excuse to be a hateful person. Too bad we can't make this a required read for everybody, I know many who could stand to learn from it.
April 10, 2014
I enjoyed this read. Quick and informative. This reads more like a long diatribe rather than a researched nonfiction. I appreciate his well reasoned arguments. I predict that in the future I will turn to some of his passages and citations.
April 27, 2014
A very easy read about a difficult and troubling subject - the misuse of "religious liberty" by the religious right to undermine the Constitution and create a theocracy.
July 29, 2014
Great book for those uninformed on the topic and issues discussed, but those who already follow church/state issues will not learn much.
June 18, 2015
A good, brief look at why the religious "freedom" argument fails when it is used to impose religious views on people who do not practice that religion.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews