A review by moris_deri
Freethinkers: A History of American Secularism by Susan Jacoby
4.0
In a very plain, easy to understand diction, Jacoby succeeds in reducing the opaque and complex history of American secularism down to a comprehensive kaleidoscope of enigmatic experience. Her introduction on Robert Ingersoll is elaborate yet succinct, from how his worship of constitutional framers in doing away with totemic Christian reference to his revival of Thomas Paine’s freethinking spectre as a heroic icon of secularism of yore. Yet the evocation of more contemporary antagonists such as Ronald Reagan and George Bush in downplaying the role of secularistic forces in paving their way towards political zenith lends us a refreshing impression that there is an incomplete battle between the religious and the otherwise “unchurched”.
Calling it an “unresolved paradox”, Jacoby’s chronological diatribe also illustrates the infiltration of religious fanaticism into the various constructs of the American society, including the justice system (Scalia), government bureaucracy and other public institutions. Jacoby borrows heavily from the experience of abolitionist, feminist and other civil rights movements in the late 19th century to make her case, citing disremembered figures such as Elizabeth Cady Stanton and William Lloyd Garrison in order to draw a parallel in how the majority could selectively forget an important contrarian historical discourse for the purpose of maintaining and perpetuating that false Christian flavor in the foundational canvas of American history. The rejection of evolution as a creature of science in public schools for example, was so vehement that the Christians went out of their way to establish parochial schools as a shield against perceived sacrilege. I am still recovering from the mild shock of having to reconcile this historical counter-narrative with my previous erudition (although misguided) of USA’s sociopolitical genesis as portrayed by more traditional sources.
Also of interest is Jacoby’s definition of “freethinkers” which is somewhat liberal, running the gamut from the outright atheist to the not-so-certains, capturing even the watchmaker enthusiasts known as the deists, as well as Liberal Protestants and Unitarians (who are not atheists). She distinctly distills freethinkers as a broad umbrella term encompassing a spacious continuum of freethought that rejects religious hierarchy and orthodoxies, which in my judgement is an attitude that is technically practical considering how secularism and secularization are relative instead of relational nouns.
I can find few faults to discredit Jacoby’s chef-d'oeuvre, notably its attempt to introduce too many chief characters to inject polemical clout into her body of argument without sufficient contexts in spite of their unassailable relevance to her messy thesis. Even if she did provide them, it would still be one hell of a book to absorb in one sitting, which defeats the very objective of defraying the labyrinthine landscape of America’s religious schism down to the most minute details. Nevertheless, the language used is clear and comprehensible enough to sustain interest, although I must admit that I find that some of the chapters suffer from a nebulous trajectory from Jacoby’s haphazard attempt to synthesize too many events from the present and the past in order to erect her story. Overall, this is an excellent book that I would like to reread and be able to give voice to.
Calling it an “unresolved paradox”, Jacoby’s chronological diatribe also illustrates the infiltration of religious fanaticism into the various constructs of the American society, including the justice system (Scalia), government bureaucracy and other public institutions. Jacoby borrows heavily from the experience of abolitionist, feminist and other civil rights movements in the late 19th century to make her case, citing disremembered figures such as Elizabeth Cady Stanton and William Lloyd Garrison in order to draw a parallel in how the majority could selectively forget an important contrarian historical discourse for the purpose of maintaining and perpetuating that false Christian flavor in the foundational canvas of American history. The rejection of evolution as a creature of science in public schools for example, was so vehement that the Christians went out of their way to establish parochial schools as a shield against perceived sacrilege. I am still recovering from the mild shock of having to reconcile this historical counter-narrative with my previous erudition (although misguided) of USA’s sociopolitical genesis as portrayed by more traditional sources.
Also of interest is Jacoby’s definition of “freethinkers” which is somewhat liberal, running the gamut from the outright atheist to the not-so-certains, capturing even the watchmaker enthusiasts known as the deists, as well as Liberal Protestants and Unitarians (who are not atheists). She distinctly distills freethinkers as a broad umbrella term encompassing a spacious continuum of freethought that rejects religious hierarchy and orthodoxies, which in my judgement is an attitude that is technically practical considering how secularism and secularization are relative instead of relational nouns.
I can find few faults to discredit Jacoby’s chef-d'oeuvre, notably its attempt to introduce too many chief characters to inject polemical clout into her body of argument without sufficient contexts in spite of their unassailable relevance to her messy thesis. Even if she did provide them, it would still be one hell of a book to absorb in one sitting, which defeats the very objective of defraying the labyrinthine landscape of America’s religious schism down to the most minute details. Nevertheless, the language used is clear and comprehensible enough to sustain interest, although I must admit that I find that some of the chapters suffer from a nebulous trajectory from Jacoby’s haphazard attempt to synthesize too many events from the present and the past in order to erect her story. Overall, this is an excellent book that I would like to reread and be able to give voice to.