EP 269 Can America Hang on to Its Greatest Invention?

 Religious freedom. Separation of church and state.  Constitutional protections to practice your faith as you wish.  We take these precepts for granted, even as we still debate the founder’s intent in 21st century America. Yet those notions were radically different from what was practiced around the globe at the time these practices were memorialized in the Constitution. Our model of religious freedom is in many ways counter-intuitive.  The underlying principle: leave it alone and it will flourish.  Well, whose idea was that?  We find out thanks to Steven Waldman, author of the new book, ‘Sacred Liberty’s and the co-founder of Belief net, the award-multi faith website. The history we discuss informs the present and ways in which religion and politics cross over in our politics.  This podcast will have you thinking, no matter what religion you are and where you stand on the political spectrum.

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