David Barton makes a compelling case that the 1st amendment to the U.S Constitution has been changed dramatically from the founding fathers original intent. In numerous citations and excerpts of letters from founding fathers it becomes apparent that the Supreme Court has changed the orignal meaning of the 1st amendment. Barton cites lists of case law that has slowly but inexorably moved the country away from religious artifacts in schools/government buildings and into a more secular society.

Barton also spends a significant amount of time establishing that the vast majority of the founding fathers were indeed religious, and that the United States was created and founded in Christianity.

An interesting read, it certainly changes my viewpoint when I realize that "separation of Church and State" is NOT in the Constitution at all. ( )

The review by @hewhocutsdown is most unfortunate. While he may disagree with the decidedly religious bent of Barton's work, what he cannot refute is the reality that there is no such thing in the Constitution as a separation of church and state (nor indeed in any other founding documents, claims to the contrary notwithstanding). No doubt, @hewocutsdown and others will cite the influence of Jefferson, as several claimants before the Supreme Court have erroneously argued (eg. Everson vs Board of Education, 1947, et al), but what they do not understand is that Jefferson was, by his own admission, not even on the North American continent, but rather in Europe, "when the Constitution was planned, and never saw it till after it was established" (Jefferson's reply to Dr. Joseph Priestly in a letter dated June 19, 1802),

Perhaps some who think Barton's work is ignoble and slanted should educate themselves on the true history of the establishment of our founding documents. In fact, Barton's work is well documented, and correctly attributive of sources, with an extensive bibliography and enough endnotes to keep @hewhocutsdown busy running them all down until he exhausts himself from the effort.

This is an excellent book that gives little comfort to those who attempt to redefine the history and context of the U. S. Constitution, thereby pitting it against well-documented American political thought going all the way back to the first whispers of independence on the lips of our forefathers. Let it be noted here, if never in another place, the so-called "separation of church and state" is not a part of the First Amendment, but is rather a figment of the imagination the social and judicial activists who constantly and incessantly beat the drums of their attempts to circumvent the Law.

The First Amendment simply and irrefutably states, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof." Deal with it. ( )

The only redeeming feature of this book was it's inclusion of the United States Constitution in the appendix. ( )

Case 7 shelf 4