Religion and the Law in America: An Encyclopedia of Personal Belief and Public Policy

It is a truism to say that religion, law and politics converge and collide in the modern world. History teaches us that relationships between religion and politics, between church and the state, help to weave the very fabric of society, identity and culture. Enlightenment ideas and ideals in the eighteenth century helped to frame the US Constitution and were reflected in the (deistic) views of many of the founding fathers. From that time, and decisions about federal‐state power and about church‐state relationships, we see the dynamics between religion, law and politics in action. You only have to think of Roe...