Our Non-Christian Nation: How Atheists, Satanists, Pagans, and Others Are Demanding Their Rightful Place in Public Life

by Jay Wexler

Less and less Christian demographically, America is now home to an ever-larger number of people who say they identify with no religion at all. These non-Christians have increasingly been demanding their full participation in public life, bringing their arguments all the way to the Supreme Court. The law is on their side, but that doesn't mean that their attempts are not met with suspicion or outright hostility. In Our Non-Christian Nation, Jay Wexler travels the country to engage the non-Christians who have called on us to maintain our ideals of inclusivity and diversity. With his characteristic sympathy and humor, he introduces us to the Summum and their Seven Aphorisms, a Wiccan priestess who would deck her City Hall with a pagan holiday wreath, and other determined champions of free religious expression. As Wexler reminds us, anyone who cares about pluralism, equality, and fairness should support a public square filled with a variety of religious and nonreligious voices. The stakes are nothing short of long-term social peace.

Genres: Religion, Nonfiction, Politics, Atheism, History, Law

216 pages, Hardcover

Published June 11, 2019

About the author

Jay Wexler has taught at the Boston University School of Law since 2001. He studied religion at the University of Chicago Divinity School and law at Stanford, and worked as a clerk to U.S. Supreme Court justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. He has published numerous academic articles, essays, and reviews, as well as over three dozen short stories and humor pieces in outlets such as The Boston Globe, Huffington Post, Mental Floss, the New Yorker, Newsweek, Salon, Slate, Spy, and McSweeney's Internet Tendency. Wexler lives in Boston.

Reviews

[Ed Erwin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good, detailed, yet not too long discussion of legal issues in the USA related to religion in public spaces.

[Yusuf Nasrullah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent content on the need for all minority faiths and persuasions to come to the forefront and resist the encroachment of Christian Orthodoxy in the USA - well-reasoned and nicely detailed with actual case histories and anecdotes!

[Steve Dustcircle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick read, important read.

Each chapter documents recent cases of people fighting for their religious and/or non-religious rights in America, home of the Christian Nationalist "Taliban."

Courthouse monuments, Jewish memorials, Atheist blessings, it's all here. If the religious right made news by discriminating against The Other with deity-neutral, tax-payer money, it'll be in this book.

#SOCAS

[Jarrett Neal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Would have been a better book if it wasn't for the author's snarky editorializing.

[Stella · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author presents an excellent argument that, in light of various Supreme Court decisions allowing religious participation in the public arena, minority religions and atheists should take their place there, too. From Ten Commandment and Nativity scenes on public property, to prayers before public meetings, school vouchers to private religious schools, and Good News Clubs in public schools, Christianity has reaped great rewards from government funding. If we cannot get back to a truly secular public square, can we at least get to a more religiously pluralistic public square?

[Silas · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great look at civic engagement by non-Christians in an America where religion is being brought into government, mostly from the efforts of Evangelical Christians. Of course, this opens the door to other groups, and this book highlights their efforts. There is some attention given by the author as to whether it is better to have so many different groups participating or to have a purely secular public square, but since the door is already open, he argues, it is better to have a multitude of voices, rather than a purely Christian one, and he points out that non-Christian participation often results in shutting down religious participation entirely. He covers a number of groups, from the efforts to get pentacles on veterans' headstones by Wiccans to Islamic charter schools to Satanic monuments to Hindu invocations at governent meetings, as well as efforts to be included by atheists and humanists. All of the groups are treated with respect here, even though the author is an atheist. I was familiar with a few of these efforts, and they are covered well, if briefly, and I assume the others I was less familiar with were given similar treatment. This book does a good job pointing out ways in which people have become involved, and the somewhat conflicting legal decisions that have come from that involvement and the resulting backlash. It was worth reading.

[Pete Apple · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finished this excellent book this morning. We are not quite at the point yet where our Christian majority is completely comfortable with the fact that we are indeed a nation of "many creeds". It doesn't just deal with non-believers, but also the various non-majority religions such as Muslims, Hindus, Wiccans, etc. and how they are striving for "equal membership" in the various forums and funding that federal/state/local governments provide. My personal favorite is the fight for adding pagan and other symbols as options at Arlington Cemetery. Highly recommended.

[Dallas Koehn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wexler has written on the constitutional kerfuffles over church-state interactions before, always with a refreshing combination of wit, depth of knowledge, and insight. In Our Non-Christian Nation, he continues this valuable exploration, but his aggressive atheism and love of pot-stirring is on fuller display than in previous works. For readers primarily seeking analysis of Supreme Court jurisprudence related to the proverbial “wall of separation” in our own generation, this may prove a bit more provocative than many titles. It’s not a bad thing by any stretch, but if you’re not entirely secure in your own belief system, whatever that might happen to be, there’s some serious “triggering” potential in this one.

On the other hand, that’s partly the whole point.

Wexler is perfectly transparent about his own points-of-view and goals. The Supreme Court has consistently determined that the Establishment Clause does NOT prevent all religious expression or rituals in public life. Instead, the Court has focused on viewpoint neutrality and a sort of “equal access” to the public square whenever religious expression is involved. Most of the cases Wexler addresses, then, involve people from non-majority faiths (or those without “faith”) and their efforts to participate fully in public life, as they believe the Constitution allows. From Wiccan symbols on veterans’ tombstones to Satanic coloring books for little school children, Our Non-Christian Nation covers both the legal struggles and the human stories behind these efforts.

The author makes a concerted effort to treat Christians fairly in this study, but by default the folks who throw the biggest fits, resort to threats, ugliness, and vandalism, and otherwise bully and overwhelm anyone whose big scary belief system they fear and loathe, don’t tend to be the best and brightest Christianity has to offer. While he avoids coming right out and noticing that ignorance and venom are not merely tolerated, but largely celebrated among the religious right in the 21st century, both are on full display in many of Wexler’s accounts. That said, he’s quick to highlight times the opposite is true. Still, readers who tend to feel overly persecuted or violated by every little thing may want to try a different treatment of this particular subject – they are out there.

Overall, this is as much a book about human nature and American society as it is about Supreme Court reasoning. It’s imminently readable and accessible even for those unfamiliar with the specifics of recent jurisprudence, although it might prompt some readers to dig a little deeper on a few topics mentioned along the way. Our Non-Christian Nation is hopeful in spite of itself, and anchored in a genuine conviction that knowledge and exposure tend to bring about tolerance – maybe even understanding. Perhaps the primary motivation for those who don’t fit the majority ideology to continue pushing their way into the public conversation, despite the threats, the abuse, and the ugliness which inevitably rain down on them as a result, is something bigger than validation or acceptance of their specific belief system. Maybe it’s about forcing all of us to become a little bit better informed, and perhaps even a little bit better... period.

[Owl · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really appreciated the information and experiences recorded in this book. Wexler obviously comes at this with a bias, which is clear in the writing. But it was really nice to have a non-Christian bias for once. No matter how we try to slice our Founding Fathers into Deists or whatever, the fact is that America has deep twisted Christian roots. While that may have made sense 250 years ago, it is clear that it's not reflective of many Americans today...(maybe the majority?)

The stories that Wexler tells are personal, kind of reminding me of Michael Pollan's style of writing, talking about how he interviewed the leaders of the Satanic Temple, Circle Sanctuary, national Atheist groups. The personal effort he put into the research cemented the fact that these things are really happening and being fought out today. And sometimes the bigots win, but sometimes freedom and diversity prevails.

The book really pulled the issue into focus: How does religion and religious discourse play out in public life? How should it play out? Is there a right answer? Wexler doesn't offer one, per se. But it's clear that the separation of Church and State is a sham. The question is, will we achieve separation? or will be be able to expand our thinking to encompass a multi-religion nation where we can all be represented in the public sphere?

It was a good book with a lot of great resources. I would recommend it to anyone interested in the topic--and a few who aren't.

[Titus Hjelm · Rating 4 out of 5]

A brilliant book combining journalistic narrative with deep understanding of the legal context of American religious freedom. The recent move of the Supreme Court towards dismantling any pretense to the separation of church and state has created a new situation where, as Wexler argues, there are three options for the preservation of that separation: (a) continue traditional litigation in an increasingly difficult legal environment, (b) do nothing, (c) encourage minority religions and non-religious groups to take part in the new space provided for public expression of religion. While the first two will likely lead to even more hegemonic Christian presence in public life, Wexler argues that. paradoxically, minority and non-religious activism in this arena may lead to a genuinely secular public sphere, because so far at least majority Christians have been unwilling to share that space with minority religions and have preferred to relinquish their own privileges to keep the non-Christians out. The chapters are illustrations of these instances, written in a good-humoured vein. Definitely recommended.

[Greg Soden · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book. Who is America’s public space for?

[Allison · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting look at the ways in which minority religions and the non-religious can and should participate in US public life, but a bit repetitive at times for my taste. 3.5/5

[MGLVNA · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wexler falls into the documentarian's trap of talking about himself just a little too much, but otherwise a fascinating read on the Establishment Clause's implications for religious pluralism.

[Mannie Liscum · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review coming...

[D Friedman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wrote this review
https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/a...

[Jeremy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this. Not as much new content as I expected. Basic summary: religious pluralism and freedom for all!

[Jackson Janicka]

It is an informal and fun breakdown of a daunting and controversial topic. I have and will recommend it to friends in the future!

[James Myers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like others have said, Our Non-Christian Nation is a great taster/beginner for those getting into spaces discussing seperation of church and state in the US. I would have preferred a slightly more academic style personally, but I will say that Wexler's humor and editorial style made this an easily digestible read.