Chris’s review of The Family: The Secret Fundamentalism at the Heart of American Power > Likes and Comments

Hi Chris!

As always, I enjoyed reading your intelligent review. It's also good to hear from you after what seems like a long period of silence on Goodreads.

Hope everything's going well.

All the best,

Rick

(FINAL PART OF THE REVIEW)

The national offices of the movement's major organizations provide resources, strategy, and political training, often by means of weekend civic-activism courses in local churches. . . . These sessions, though often premised on distorted and sectarian notions of the Constitution and American history, have equipped activists with an estimable nuts-and-bolts political know-how and dedication."

And Decter's evaluation of Cantor's original study could be said of Sharlet's THE FAMILY as well: "Following this general description of the threat posed by the Christian Right are a dozen profiles of figures and organizations clearly intended to serve as more detailed documentation for the ADL's allegations . . . .It is in these profiles that the methods and intentions of the ADL study are most clearly revealed . . . these methods and intentions are apt to be as disquieting as they are almost unrelievedly nasty. For one thing, some of the profiles are profusely supplied with quotations, and yet rarely are we given any but the vaguest details about where they are taken from . . . . In other instances, the report simply misreads things . . . . Another unpleasant feature of 'The Religious Right' is the breathy, triumphal tone in which it offers some supposedly shocking revelations of ideas and activities of the Right about which no secret has ever been made . . . . Even more disturbing than any of this, however, is the study's use of that once thoroughly discredited trick, guilt by association."

So for those who are really worried about The Religious Right, I would recommend re-reading Cantor's original study. For all its flaws, it hasn't been surpassed at what it set out to do. Sharlet's THE FAMILY is just one of many books way downstream from a successful original, the product of Sharlet's apparent willingness to dishonourably make a name for himself, and money for his bank account, by misusing his talents as a journalist.

On a more hopeful note, those interested in thoughtful approaches to comparative religion should read Patrick Leigh Fermor's A TIME TO KEEP SILENCE (on French monasteries), Jeffrey D. Kripal's ESALEN: AMERICA AND THE RELIGION OF NO RELIGION (on the source of New Age movements) or Jeffrey Paine's RE-ENCHANTMENT: TIBETAN BUDDHISM COMES TO THE WEST.

Hi Rick, thank you for your kind note!

It actually drew my attention to the review again, and I noticed that the first three or four paragraphs had been dropped by the Goodreads system when I posted it--you may have noticed that the review began a bit abruptly!

I've now added the original beginning, and posted the last section, which is now too long, in the Comments section--it contains some comments on Jonathan Edwards, a subject that I would have thought would be of some interest to you . . . ! Sharlet has an idiosyncratic and very wierd take on Edwards . . .

Best, Chris

Thank you for taking time to write such a thorough review, and to include your personal knowledge of the topic. I saw this book on Amazon's "nonfiction bestsellers" e-mail, and was considering whether or not I wanted to read it. Now I'll look for something better researched. Thank you!

Happy to do it . . . I must say I was surprised to see what strong emotions this book seems to generate, esp. from its supportors . . . my father-in-law sure knows how to pick them! Best, Chris

Chris,
I saw this book on another friend's to be read list and I am so glad I came over and read your thorough and intelligent review. I will be looking into the book by Patricia Tracey that you mentioned in your review. I am so tired of all the biased reporting on both sides. I just want an honest fair dialogue and that seems to be impossible these days. Anyway, thanks for your insight into this book!

Thank you Nalana--the Patricia Tracey book is wonderful, although hard to find--hope you enjoy it . . . Chris

Thank you for this thorough and thoughtful review! I saw this guy on the Daily Show and immediately came to goodreads to check out what people had to say, and your review was certainly the most helpful and thought-provoking.

No worries--I send my best from Sydney to you and everybody else in William Faulkner's old stomping ground . . . !

Interesting review. Thanks.

Passionate review. But to be fair on the topic of Jonathan Edwards Sharlet cites eight sources, including George Marsden's, "authoritative," biography, that span nearly 250 years, from which he illustrates his portrait of Edwards. I took a look at Peter Gay's "Jonathan Edwards: an American tragedy," and clearly see the inspiration for Sharlet's characterization. Certainly he has an agenda, what writer doesn't? But it's not at clear from either your review or Sharlet's bibliographic notes that he took unfaithful liberties in helping his reader understand the man Jonathan Edwards.

Thank you for high-effort review. I was tempted to experience The Family twice: once when I saw its Netflix adaptation appear, and once when Goodreads recommended me this book. As with any nonfiction alleging to uncover a grand conspiracy, the important question is to what degree is the author reaching beyond the conventional information available. Some overreaching is necessary, otherwise it would not be a hidden conspiracy, but too much and we get the problem with too many conspiracy theories - and seemingly this one too - real damage is done to both the public's perception of reality, and the figures being targetted by the theory.
It's interesting to know that an organization like The Family exists, but equally important to such organizations, no matter how suspicious they might seem, are not an evil group out to control the world like a fictional villain. Portraying reality in such unfounded, fantastical ways simply prevents us from understanding the world around us, a skill which is all-too-lacking nowadays.

Thanks Gekkou for a very thoughtful response to my review. I’m glad you found it helpful.

I just encountered Sharlet on Twitter. He is a real doomsayer. He included this book in his Twitter bio and your observations of his pursuit of a divisive agenda formulated of facts he has molded for his own purpose does not surprise me.

Instead of reading ABOUT Jonathan Edwards, perhaps you should read some of his sermons. He most definitely thunders on about God's "elite", which he naturally considers himself a part of, and about how they will laugh at all the others while they watch them burn in hell. Lovely guy. You can keep him.

I found this book 📕 & mistakenly thought it was about the opioid crisis - not so it appears, but equally deluded if your review is accurate. It is certainly well researched.
So many societies seem to want to purify the air & population of evil western thoughts - & then we end up with Cambodia 🇰🇭- brilliant result … or Stalin’s “pure” communism - how many dead there ? … how many millions !?
Presumably those that survive are purified & without evil Christian capitalistic elitism …
Having just lived through the scientists locking us up for years due to the pandemic 😷, I feel I do not need to read another intellectual with an anti-right agenda
I thank you for your review !