Entering the Conversation

1. Have the fears that Madison expressed in “Memorial and Remonstrance against Religious Assessments” continued to plague our society today or have we moved beyond them?

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   Entering the Conversation: - Have the fears that Madison expressed in “Memorial and Remonstrance against Religious Assessments” continued to plague our society today or have we moved beyond them?
2. In 1802, Samuel Adams accused Thomas Paine of writing (in his book The Age of Reason, a volume which Adams admitted he had not read) a “defence of infidelity.” Paines’s letter in response concludes:

   The key to heaven is not in the keeping of any sect, nor ought the road to it be obstructed by any. Our relation to each other in this world is as men, and the man who is a friend to man and to his rights, let his religious opinions be what they may, is a good citizen to who, I can give, as I ought to do, and as every other ought, the right hand of fellowship, and to none with more hearty good will, my dear friend, than to you.

   Write an essay that explores Paine’s remarks as they relate to religious tolerance.

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   Entering the Conversation: - In 1802, Samuel Adams accused Thomas Paine of writing (in his book The Age of Reason, a volume which Adams admitted he had not read) a “defence of infidelity.” Paines’s letter in response concludes:The key to heaven is not in the keeping of any sect, nor ought the road to it be obstructed by any. Our relation to each other in this world is as men, and the man who is a friend to man and to his rights, let his religious opinions be what they may, is a good citizen to who, I can give, as I ought to do, and as every other ought, the right hand of fellowship, and to none with more hearty good will, my dear friend, than to you.Write an essay that explores Paine’s remarks as they relate to religious tolerance.
3. In his speech, Kennedy mentions Catholics, Protestants, and Jews. Whom does he leave out? What other religious peoples would a contemporary president feel it necessary to include? Write an essay that explains how Kennedy’s speech might differ if it were given today.

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   Entering the Conversation: - In his speech, Kennedy mentions Catholics, Protestants, and Jews. Whom does he leave out? What other religious peoples would a contemporary president feel it necessary to include? Write an essay that explains how Kennedy’s speech might differ if it were given today.
4. In theses lines from paragraphs 5 and 17 of his speech, Mayor Bloomberg states the following:

   Of all our precious freedoms, the most important may be the freedom to worship as we wish… . Political controversies come and go, but our values and our traditions endure—and there is no neighborhood in this city that is off limits to God’s love and mercy, as the religious leaders here with us today can attest.

   Write an essay that explores the validity of what Bloomberg says about the freedom to worship, about political controversies, and about our values and traditions.

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   Entering the Conversation: - In theses lines from paragraphs 5 and 17 of his speech, Mayor Bloomberg states the following:Of all our precious freedoms, the most important may be the freedom to worship as we wish… . Political controversies come and go, but our values and our traditions endure—and there is no neighborhood in this city that is off limits to God’s love and mercy, as the religious leaders here with us today can attest.Write an essay that explores the validity of what Bloomberg says about the freedom to worship, about political controversies, and about our values and traditions.
5. In her book A New Religious America, Eck writes about the influence of stereotypes regarding religion:

   After race, the most visible signal of difference is dress, and this is where religious minorities become visible minorities. Many Muslim women wear hijab, either a simple head scarf or a full outer garment. A few even wear a face covering called a nikab. Muslim men may wear a beard, and Sikh men may wear not only a beard but also a turban wrapper around their uncut hair. Jewish men may wear a yarmulke, or skullcap. Buddhist monks may wear saffron, maroon, black, brown, or gray robes, depending on their culture of origin. In all these cases looking different may sometimes trigger uneasiness and even fear—the fear that we do not know who “they” are or perhaps that we do not know who “we” are. As Americans, we are literally afraid of ourselves.

   Do you agree with Eck that we Americans are afraid of ourselves? Write an essay that answers that question.

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   Entering the Conversation: - In her book A New Religious America, Eck writes about the influence of stereotypes regarding religion:After race, the most visible signal of difference is dress, and this is where religious minorities become visible minorities. Many Muslim women wear hijab, either a simple head scarf or a full outer garment. A few even wear a face covering called a nikab. Muslim men may wear a beard, and Sikh men may wear not only a beard but also a turban wrapper around their uncut hair. Jewish men may wear a yarmulke, or skullcap. Buddhist monks may wear saffron, maroon, black, brown, or gray robes, depending on their culture of origin. In all these cases looking different may sometimes trigger uneasiness and even fear—the fear that we do not know who “they” are or perhaps that we do not know who “we” are. As Americans, we are literally afraid of ourselves.Do you agree with Eck that we Americans are afraid of ourselves? Write an essay that answers that question.
6. Annapolis graduate and former professor of constitutional law Carl Pearlston writes:

   Can America still be called a Christian nation? It is certainly a more religiously pluralistic and diverse society than it was during the 18th, 19th, and early 20th centuries. There are increasing numbers of non-Christians immigrating to this country, and there has been a rapid rise in adherents to Islam among our population. There are millions of Muslims, Jews, Buddhists, Shintoists, Unitarians, Hindus, Wiccans, Naturists, Agnostics, and Atheists, but Christians comprise roughly 84% of the population. Our constitutional legal system is still based on the Jewish/Christian Bible, not the Koran or other holy book. We still observe Sunday, the Christian Sabbath, as an official holiday. Easter and Christmas still have a special place in the holiday lexicon. The Ten Commandments are still on the wall behind the Supreme Court justices when they take the bench. Our coins still display the motto “In God We Trust.” The US is still firmly part of a Western Civilization fashioned by a Judeo-Christian religious ethic and heritage. Alexis de Tocqueville observed more than a century and a half ago, “There is no country in the world, where the Christian religion retains a greater influence over the souls of men than in America.” That is still true today. We live, not under a Christian government, but in a nation where all are free to practice their particular religion, in accommodation with other religions, and in accordance with the basic principles of the nation, which are Christian in origin. It is in that sense that America may properly be referred to as a Christian nation.

   Is the United States of America a Christian nation? Write an essay that explores that question.

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   Entering the Conversation: - Annapolis graduate and former professor of constitutional law Carl Pearlston writes:Can America still be called a Christian nation? It is certainly a more religiously pluralistic and diverse society than it was during the 18th, 19th, and early 20th centuries. There are increasing numbers of non-Christians immigrating to this country, and there has been a rapid rise in adherents to Islam among our population. There are millions of Muslims, Jews, Buddhists, Shintoists, Unitarians, Hindus, Wiccans, Naturists, Agnostics, and Atheists, but Christians comprise roughly 84% of the population. Our constitutional legal system is still based on the Jewish/Christian Bible, not the Koran or other holy book. We still observe Sunday, the Christian Sabbath, as an official holiday. Easter and Christmas still have a special place in the holiday lexicon. The Ten Commandments are still on the wall behind the Supreme Court justices when they take the bench. Our coins still display the motto “In God We Trust.” The US is still firmly part of a Western Civilization fashioned by a Judeo-Christian religious ethic and heritage. Alexis de Tocqueville observed more than a century and a half ago, “There is no country in the world, where the Christian religion retains a greater influence over the souls of men than in America.” That is still true today. We live, not under a Christian government, but in a nation where all are free to practice their particular religion, in accommodation with other religions, and in accordance with the basic principles of the nation, which are Christian in origin. It is in that sense that America may properly be referred to as a Christian nation.Is the United States of America a Christian nation? Write an essay that explores that question.
7. The idea of the “separation between church and state” has a long history. Roger Williams (c. 1603–1684), who founded Plymouth Plantation, the first Baptist church in America, and Rhode Island as the first government without an official religion, was an abolitionist and a proponent of religious freedom who spoke of a “hedge of separation between the garden of the church and the wilderness of the world.” Explore the idea of the “separation of church and state” that is so revered in American society. Write an essay that explores the extent to which church and state should be separate or how high that “hedge” should be.

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   Entering the Conversation: - The idea of the “separation between church and state” has a long history. Roger Williams (c. 1603–1684), who founded Plymouth Plantation, the first Baptist church in America, and Rhode Island as the first government without an official religion, was an abolitionist and a proponent of religious freedom who spoke of a “hedge of separation between the garden of the church and the wilderness of the world.” Explore the idea of the “separation of church and state” that is so revered in American society. Write an essay that explores the extent to which church and state should be separate or how high that “hedge” should be.
8. Consider the following question: Is the United States of America now, or has it ever been, a nation that believes in and practices religious tolerance? If your answer is no, explain your position, using appropriate evidence. If it is yes, to what extent has the country lived up to its founding ideals regarding religious freedom and tolerance? Provide evidence to support your position.

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   Entering the Conversation: - Consider the following question: Is the United States of America now, or has it ever been, a nation that believes in and practices religious tolerance? If your answer is no, explain your position, using appropriate evidence. If it is yes, to what extent has the country lived up to its founding ideals regarding religious freedom and tolerance? Provide evidence to support your position.